I was watching the Hulu documentary about Victoria’s Secret founder Les Wexner, and aside from the ominous subtext, I was struck by his ingenious creation of the Victoria myth. When I worked on Victoria’s Secret PINK earlier in my career, job number one was to build meaning for that pink spotted dog. It was that depth of character and attention to detail that helped spawn an entire category. And with billions in sales each year, even after a mammoth restructuring, Victoria’s Secret still dominates when it comes to brand recognition.
Even with the many decidedly more feminist and modern underwear brands that have come on the scene, none have come close to VS’s name brand recognition, for better or worse. ThirdLove, the closest competitor at the start, is worth millions, not billions, by comparison.
Whether it’s London’s sophisticates embracing their sensuality, Ralph Lauren’s old money lords enjoying the fruits of multi-generational blue blood wealth, or any of the iconic outdoor or hip hop brands, there’s plenty for the marketing beginners to learn, and a lot to avoid, in examining the creation of myths of legendary life brands.
For a start, the old brand road map is dead. First it was all aspiration. The inaccessible. Showing up and even giving the cold shoulder to customers. But distant superiority is decidedly unfashionable in a changing society focused on inclusivity, self-acceptance, and breaking down social hierarchies while saving the earth. Instead of branding characters that signal excess, indulgence and exclusion of non-conforming sections of society, create them to signal human connection, authenticity and value that benefits the world – not just the wealthy. two-dimensional fantasy.
Gone are the days when brands could steal our attention individually, carpeting the entryways of our homes with catalogs and magazines and capturing us at brick and mortar retail. Customers are Queen and brands have to follow us, not the other way around. We tell stories faster, in small chunks, and they are dynamic, evolving moment by moment.
On the other hand, today’s startup-and-run culture can learn a lot from the mega success of lifestyle brands like Victoria’s Secret, Red Bull and Ralph Lauren even if they don’t have mega dollars. omnichannel for spending. That is to say, the value of a finely engraved history universe.
Where the old lifestyle brands were more static, the lifestyle branding conventions of Tik Tok and Instagram are missing a crucial element: the back story. Many of the old iconic brands had a complete back story. Unlike an origin story, the backstory will never fully show itself in the narrative, but instead informs it. Fiction writers often do exercises to understand what makes their characters the way they are. They outline the first experiences that shape the worldview and behavior of their character. These details may never appear on the page, but instead, make the character more believable and more whole.
Here are some lessons for building a story universe for your brand:
1. Find out where your product meets the public’s desire.
1. Delve into where your product meets audience desire.
Go a step further in your persona to understand the emotional world of your customer. Most founders start businesses when they see an unmet need, but for long-term success, it’s imperative that you stop and listen to the customers who live with your product. It is in that discovery where the real story and the real value proposition lie. Embrace nuance and capture the customer’s emotion, then build the story with these details in mind.
2. Don’t aim for impeccability or manufacture insecurity. See the article : Disney animator brings magic to Netflix, starting with “Sea Beast”.
2. Don’t aim for flawlessness or manufacture insecurity.
Remind your customers that you know they are already great. This may interest you : Prime Video additions: New TV and movies arriving July 4-10. The old way of doing things is rooted in a scarcity mentality and no one goes for that anymore.
3. Create a “movie” worthy of cinema.
3. Create a ‘movie’ worthy of cinema.
Even if you’re a b2b company selling a utility — like ZenDesk which has done an amazing job capturing human characterization in its ads — create a relatable story arc. Make it complete with increasing action and plot points along the way that gives your character a journey. Read also : Books as a window. One where the brand is a hero helping customers save the day for themselves or someone else.
4. Welcome and Include.
Think of your brand as a welcoming welcome mat and an open door to an alluring abode where like-minded people feel invited. He really isn’t the red velvet rope and stern publicist with a clipboard that he used to be. Brand leadership is an opportunity to build people and change the world for good. So go ahead and do so. And do it through a narrative that entices people and keeps them wanting more.
