Brand Storytelling and “The Unsexy Upfront”

Marc Battaglia, Co-founder, Story + Strategy

Photo by Museums of History New South Wales on Unsplash

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As more and more companies look to generate awareness and build their brands in our constant frenetic and fractured media world, there’s a growing temptation to jump into the deep end of the pool and chase the shiny new toys. It’s human nature, to be expected, and has never been truer than what is happening right now in the brand storytelling world. Brand storytelling is a very general term and is probably not helping to add any clarification for newcomers trying to learn more about this complex industry of ours. This is partly because everything from boring company videos, self-serving content marketing, social posts and even sponsorships get lumped into this pile today, and it only adds to the confusion and fog for brands. Rather, brand funded entertainment or entertainment marketing can be a better label depending on your audience; “entertainment” being the key word! But for now, let’s focus on details not definitions.

Brand storytelling starts and ends with the audience. Simply put – it’s effectiveness and definition rests in this value proposition. Is the story you’re presenting valuable to an audience and in this case, should it be able to live outside traditional marketing channels. This is the entire point. Brands need to and are expanding beyond the traditional channels to increase awareness, tap into culture, and ultimately provide a positive impact on the business overtime. That’s it. It’s both that simple and complicated.

As more brands look to create brand funded entertainment there’s a growing need for real, transparent, and honest education. Not every brand should do it, not every story is worth it, and the brands that have both a successful track record and consistency in this space are the ones that took the upfront time to do what I call, “The Unsexy Upfront”. This refers to the hard work that happens in the very beginning stages of these types of projects. As most PR headlines from brands launching studios to festivals like, BrandStorytelling at Sundance showcase the exciting end results, what doesn’t always get the spotlight is the upfront work that should supersede. This includes, immersions, strategy sessions, alignment, and connecting the dots to assure the brand is building out a go-to market capability, and not just a one & done headline.

So many times, these critical upfront steps to understand the brand at a deep level are barely skimmed or skipped over completely. From the creative partner perspective, the most important focus is always going to be the power of the story, and that’s exactly where it should be. The brand’s creative partner should be someone who has a track record in the entertainment storytelling space and can bring industry expertise, nuance, a network and critical distribution know-how. But it’s a finely balanced seesaw, as the brand focus is just as important and in most cases is never fully tapped into in these relationships. Brands have many competing products, events, launches, campaigns, and annual business priorities. It’s “The Unsexy Upfront” work that uncovers all these elements. The brands who are consistent powerhouses in this space (think P&G, PepsiCo, Nike, YETI, REI and newcomer Northwell Health) have figured out how to connect the dots with their creative partners. This white space between the brand and creative partner is where long-term success is determined and where folks like yours truly have found a meaningful role at the intersection of marketing and entertainment.

The biggest take-away that helped me in this world came from my years working on the brand side and understanding that brand leaders think in “platforms” not “projects.” It’s a subtle but fundamental difference.

Brands do not typically launch a “project” that isn’t tethered or integrated into a global plan, most likely developed months or even a year ago. I remember when walking into my CMO’s office and pitching new story-driven themes, that pitch could never be presented unless it showed in detail how it was going to connect to everything else we were already investing in. How is it going to support it or benefit it in the long run? How does the brand’s business objectives connect to this project? What are the key events or launches this year that this project can/should support? In other words, reverse engineering and laddering this work to where the brand needs and dollars had already been committed. It was also important to understand the future vision of the brand evolution, products, and programs the stories can align with to avoid irrelevancy and deliver on evergreen IP. In essence, I went in with a “platform.” The idea tethered to upcoming events, CSR interests, campaigns, loyalty programs, and most importantly predetermined business objectives. The goal was and still is to never have a “one and done” project. The brand invests a considerable amount of time, money, and trust into these types of projects – it’s never acceptable not to have a runway to showcase how this brand funded entertainment work continues to benefit the brand, build communities, and plug into the future.

All the above comes from an honest, concise, and empathetic understanding of what drives both creative and brand partners on this seesaw. But when the upfront time is taken, it has benefits beyond a project and can begin to lay the foundation of a story-driven culture that spreads beyond the marketing org and generates critical supporters across the leadership ranks. Brand funded entertainment is a marathon endeavor, and the brands and their partners who have taken the time to connect all these dots upfront are and will continue to lead the charge in this ever-exciting story-driven era we’re embarking on.

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About Marc Battaglia:

I’m Marc Battaglia, I fancy myself a creative diplomat that lives at the intersection of marketing and entertainment. I’ve been lucky to sit on all sides of the table and today I help brands to connect the dots, build breakthrough stories, and flourish in this new story-driven era. Learn more at Story+Strategy.