When is a story, not a story?

When is a story, not a story?

About 8 weeks ago I found myself in a rather peculiar situation.

I was working on a story-driven brand project for a new B2B client. The pitch process had gone smoothly and the client seemed to be making all the right noises. However, when we started working on the project it became clear there was a big disconnect between what we (Rooster Punk) called a story and what the client thought was a story.

To be honest, it created a lot of tension and there was a lot of banging of heads by both sides. As it transpired, when we started asking the difficult questions, what the client really wanted was just a fresh/new perspective on their corporate description i.e. what they do. We eventually got the client to see things from our point of view (and their customers) and the project is now back on track.

My storytelling 'Not sheet' for B2B companies

I thought it was useful to explain what we mean by a story by showing you what a story isn't - this is sometimes a better way to help people understand this new and often mis-understood technique. Here's my little 'Not sheet' to make sure both you and your agency are on the same page:

  1. It's NOT a story if it's simply a description of what you do.
  2. It's NOT a story if it doesn't connect with people on an emotional level.
  3. It's NOT a story if you jargon it up with technobabble and geek speak.
  4. It's NOT a story if the main character and hero is your company/product.
  5. It's NOT a story if people don't really understand what you do after reading it.
  6. It's NOT a story if your customers can't see themselves in it.

Example 1: This is NOT a story (Fictitious example)

We’re Newco1234, the world’s leading provider of mission critical, digital transformation services to global enterprise companies. Our hybrid cloud approach provides flexibility and security for extra peace of mind. Our skilled consultants, use a combination of people and machine learning technologies to get digital projects back in line with organisational goals. We call our approach “Intelligent Design Transformation”, or IDT for short. As a fortune 500 company, we’re trusted by 42 of the worlds top 50 companies. 

Visit our site for more information www.newco1234.com

Example 2: This IS a story (Fictitious example)

Running a global business in an uncertain world is a struggle for even the smartest CEO. Never ending digital transformation projects can suck up resources and stifle the growth they are intended to create. At Newco1234, we made it our mission to solve this problem. We simply help the world’s smartest CEOs stay one step ahead by getting their digital transformation projects back on track. We simply call what we do ‘Running Smart’. Find out why, when their reputation is on the line, 42 of the world's top 50 CEOs run smarter with Newco1234. 

Find out how to run smart at www.newco1234.com

Let me break it down for you

The construction of a good organising story has 3 main parts:

1: Context i.e let your audience know this is for them:

Example: Running a global business in an uncertain world is a struggle for even the smartest CEO.

2: Conflict i.e. highlight the problem your audience is facing. Using conflict creates empathy and leads to trust.

Example: Never ending digital transformation projects can suck up resources and stifle the growth they are intended to create. 

3: Resolution i.e what can your company do to help. What emotional and functional value do you bring to the table?

Example: At Newco1234, we made it our mission to solve this problem. We simply help the world’s smartest CEOs stay one step ahead by getting their digital transformation projects back on track. We simply call what we do ‘Running Smart’. Find out why, when their reputation is on the line, 42 of the world's top 50 CEOs run smarter with Newco1234. 

Find out how to run smart at www.newco1234.com

What did I learn from this?

It's too easy in this fractured world of B2B marketing to assume that clients know exactly what they are looking for. From purpose driven branding to ABM to storytelling, there is a vast amount of information to consume; much of it a complete head fu*k for the super busy marketing leader. It's therefore really important that we (agencies/suppliers) all take a step back from our relevant sectors of expertise and help our clients understand the finer nuances of what we do.

I hope you found this useful. Please share if you read this far :-)

A bit about us

Rooster Punk is a multi-award winning creative agency with a simple purpose to help humanize complex business brands. We take an innovative story-first approach to branding, content creation, campaigns and experiences and operate from offices in London and Bristol. Founded in 2014 we are proud to have created growth powered work for brands like Funding Circle, Currencycloud, Cisco, Make it Cheaper KPMG and Samsung. 

  • Our branding work helped Funding Circle double their business and secure an IPO of £1.5billion in September 2018. Finalist Best Brand Campaign at the B2B Marketing Awards 2018.
  • Our campaign work for Samsung helped them smash their sales targets for business grade Smartphone devices. Winner Best SMB Campaign at the B2B Marketing Awards 2017
  • Our branding work for Make It Cheaper helped instil a new sense of purpose and emotion to a business that at its core was very functional and their employee NPS score went through the roof. Winner Best Brand Campaign at the B2B Marketing Awards 2016.
Stephen Sumner

The Business Growth Locksmith | Connecting Home Movers To Service/Product Providers

5y

Nailed it👏👏✅✅

Like
Reply
Jessica Duckworth

Senior Innovation Manager

6y

Great example!

Kieron McCann

Partner @ A Few Good People | Product Management, Product Marketing, Strategy.

6y

And this is why we still need agencies. It’s virtually impossible to get the right result from the inside.

Russell Green

Helping business owners feel confident about growth and cashflow through experienced financing advice and brokerage | Funding Growth Plans | Funding Options Consultancy | Complex cases | Discretion Assured

6y

Thanks for sharing the examples Paul. They really bring the article together for me.

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