Vulnerability as a brand asset: the impact of honest stories and shared struggles
Matt: Let’s talk about storytelling, copywriting, and how to find emotional ideas based on human insights. My first question is, why are brands now focusing on genuine storytelling?
Salim: Brands worldwide are putting more focus on storytelling because good storytelling builds trust and creates a strong emotional connection with customers. Edelman's research shows that over 80% of people choose brands they trust.
Trust is crucial, and good storytelling helps build it. It also makes your brand stand out and can humanise it, making it feel like a friend or partner. This is why storytelling is becoming more important for brands.
Trust is crucial, and good storytelling helps build it. It also makes your brand stand out and can humanise it, making it feel like a friend or partner. This is why storytelling is becoming more important for brands.
Matt: Brands need to stand out as markets get more crowded. It's important for brands to be unique, distinct, and relatable. In B2B marketing, the focus used to be on demand generation and acquiring new leads. Now, it's about investing in brands for the long term instead of just short-term campaigns. This shift is important for both B2C and B2B environments.
What advise would you give to brands on using vulnerability in their storytelling? How can brands use this in their brand story, messaging, and positioning?
Salim: It's important for a brand to use vulnerability. By sharing authentic stories about challenges, mistakes, and growth, a brand can build empathy and trust with its audience. One simple way to do this is by sharing real stories and experiences.
That's why TikTok is so influential; it feels real and unpolished, and people relate to that. Brands don't have to be as raw, but they should be honest and share real experiences. If a brand makes a mistake, it should admit it.
For example, a Japanese ice cream brand made an apology video because they raised their price from ¥60 to ¥70 ($0.62), a hike of 9 cents for the first time in 25 years. The video, which showed all the workers apologising, felt real and relatable. People loved it because it showed the brand's human side and vulnerability.
By sharing real experiences, admitting mistakes, and highlighting struggles and efforts, a brand can inspire and connect with its audience.
By sharing real experiences, admitting mistakes, and highlighting struggles and efforts, a brand can inspire and connect with its audience.
Psychological insights into revealing hidden desires and social facades
Matt: You mentioned finding hidden desires. How can brands find and share emotional stories related to their brand? Can you explain more about "hidden desires" and give practical ways for brands to find their stories?
Salim: Finding hidden desires is tricky because you have to dig deep into people's minds. One method I use is behavioural economics, which includes concepts like the endowment effect, social proof, and loss aversion. You also need to ask many questions to your target market to find the hidden desire.
One recent campaign that did this well is Nike's "Winning Isn't for Everyone." They used a unique approach to discuss champions, questioning if they are good people. Champions are portrayed as obsessed with power and selfish, which is beautifully written in the video.
It takes time to understand your market and ask the right questions. Customer reviews are also helpful because they are honest and provide insights.
Asking surprising questions can also reveal hidden desires. These are some ways to uncover hidden desires. It's tricky, but it’s interesting to use this approach.
Matt: Can you give an example of a time when a customer review inspired a storytelling campaign?
Salim: We had a campaign for Mitra Bukalapak two years ago, an online-to-offline platform. We help mom-and-pop store owners sell products like game vouchers and phone credits.
We found that even though these stores are in housing complexes with many young gamers, they don't sell game vouchers. This is strange because game vouchers are profitable and their target market is right there.
When we asked why, they said they aren't gamers and don't understand how to play games. But after more questions, we learned they don't sell game vouchers because they don't speak English and don't know the gaming terms. They can't spell or pronounce names like PUBG or Free Fire because all these terms are in English.
We realised social norms don't expect these store owners to speak English. We decided to teach them English using a tool they know: songs. We taught them to pronounce terms related to game vouchers, like Free Fire, PUBG, and Steam.
Another example of a good campaign is Whisper's "Like a Girl." It changed how we think about the phrase "like a girl." The campaign is powerful and available on YouTube.
Matt: Can you give one or two examples of questions that are a bit different from normal, that have uncovered or elicited a different response? How surprising should we get? Can you give an example of a question that the audience could use when speaking to a customer?
Salim: It's challenging because it's different for each product category. Instead of asking why someone prefers brand A to brand B, ask what they don't like about brand B.
Another example is asking surprising questions like, "Do you think your mother would love this product?" or "Would you use this product if it had been invented ten years ago?"
These types of questions can offer different perspectives and insights. If done right, they can lead to creative and out-of-the-box ideas.
The dynamics of dissonance: how contradiction is shaping perception
Matt: Earlier, you mentioned the word "dissonance," which is very powerful. Can you explain what you mean by dissonance and give some examples of how it plays a role in powerful storytelling?
Salim: Dissonance means when there’s a conflict. Humans love conflict. We may not like being in one, but we enjoy watching one. That’s human nature.
We also like to show off. If we have something nice, we might hint at it without saying it directly, like owning a Ferrari. Showing off is human, just like loving conflicts. We like conflicts because they create tension and challenge our beliefs.
For example, Nike's "Winning isn't for everyone" campaign is powerful. It challenges the belief that winners are always good and hardworking. Sometimes, winners are selfish and want to stay ahead.
Another example is the "Like a Girl" campaign, which changed the belief that doing something "like a girl" means being weak. Instead, it shows strength and determination.
Dissonance creates conflicts, grabs attention, and encourages deeper thinking. When faced with dissonance, the audience thinks more critically about the message. It sparks conversations and helps brands go viral.
Dissonance creates conflicts, grabs attention, and encourages deeper thinking. When faced with dissonance, the audience thinks more critically about the message. It sparks conversations and helps brands go viral.
There are many ways to tell emotional stories and share emotional ideas. Personally, I use three methods. First, use the power of vulnerability. Brands are expected to do more these days. I read a study last year that said most people, especially younger generations, trust brands more than the government. Brands can gain trust by acknowledging people's struggles. This is why vulnerability is important for brand storytelling.
Second, use dissonance. It grabs attention by challenging common beliefs and sparking conversations.
Third, discover hidden desires. This is tricky but very human. We all have feelings we don't say out loud, but we can still feel them. This makes us human.
