What is a brand story? | Food Services Information

What is a brand story? | Food Services Information | Singapore

What is the most difficult part about starting a business or creating a marketing campaign?

To me, it is coming up with a brand story. Do you agree with me?

Objectives can be easily crafted. Numbers are not that complicated to work with in the first place. But when it comes to the question of “ What is your story?”, many people are stumped.

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To start with, what is a “brand story”?

Well, to simplify it, you can describe it as the complete picture people have about your brand, products or services. It encompasses the facts and feelings that are created by your business.

It has to be found in your Mission, your Vision statement, your staff, your packaging, your products and so on. I liked the way how Bernadette Jiwa summed it up with 20 variables to create a brand’s story.

Ritz Carlton

Following is the Credo of Ritz Carlton:

….We pledge to provide the finest personal service and facilities for our guests who will always enjoy a warm, relaxed, yet refined ambience...enlivens the senses, instills well-being, and fulfills even the unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests.

They wanted to deliver exceptional service and genuine care and this can be found in their SOP, their values etc.

This is the story that they want to tell and I am sure you will agree with me that they articulate their story very well.

I remembered checking in to Ritz Carlton once. I was alone. I requested for a change of room (as I wanted a sea-facing room), they agreed and they took some time to look for the room.

I waited for perhaps just about 15 minutes, they apologised for the “long waiting” time and for their “misdeeds” and they gave me complimentary WiFi for the entire stay.

Shortly after, my family joined me and we headed out for a snack.

When we returned from our meal, they had already stocked up the room with some treats and toys for the kids.

All these were done without any prompting.

You might think it’s very basic stuff but their staff knows their story, they deliver it and now here I am re-telling their story to you.

Singtel

Singtel’s tagline “Is all about you”. They have it all over their Corporate Identity.

I was persuaded by their staff to take on their broadband which I did in the end.

There was a day when I wanted to switch to Singtel’s broadband due to some personal reasons. I placed my order but later as I was comparing prices between my current operator and Singtel, I discovered that Singtel was 50% more expensive. Not wanting to pay more, I tried cancelling my order with the same guy that I signed up with earlier.

He was surprised to hear that they are more expensive. He explained proudly how reliable their service is and how other clients had complimented their service before.

He told me to give it a try. I was impressed by his conviction. I did not cancel my subscription and Singtel is indeed blessed to have him as a ground staff marketing their products.

I do not know how extensive their training is but this staff delivered their story of “Is all about you” and I am now re-telling it.

So, did I successfully narrate an air-fairy topic - brand story?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

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About the Author:

Ebenezer Heng runs a community that reaches out to 0.5 million people daily (Oncoffeemakers.com’s digital assets). Lectures in a Singapore Tertiary Institution and advises digital marketing for organisations such as Chinese Chamber of Commerce, National Sports Association, Constituencies