Storytelling, a prehistoric tool?

For years, even decades, storytelling has been on everyone’s lips. But where does it come from and above all what is it really for? For many SMEs, the very concept of storytelling is still a bit vague.

Why did Sapiens replace his human brother Neanderthalensis?

Today, most prehistoric specialists agree that the superiority of Homo Sapiens over his Paleolithic brothers lies in his ability to create stories, unifying myths, which is linked to his ability to imagine. Without this support, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to unite a large number of individuals. It is estimated that without this ability to create stories, the maximum natural size of a group whose members know each other is about 150 individuals.

Thus, storytelling, the creation of myths and legends, has enabled Homo Sapiens to bring together large groups, with a common purpose and values. And this is one of the main reasons that enabled them to overtake Homo Neanderthalensis, who lived at the same time, as well as to build societies nations and cultures.

An essential tool for any SME

The lesson also applies to brands. Their resonance and development also depend on their capacity to generate stories, to create myths, to carry visions capable of uniting their employees as well as their customers, their investors as well as their managers.

Storytelling is a factor of meaning that allows the brand to be linked to its environment and that can, to a certain extent, legitimise it by anchoring it in society and linking it more specifically to the aspirations of those it addresses. It promotes a ‘reading’ of the brand and therefore strengthens the relationship. All these aspects linked to the notion of storytelling make it an indispensable and powerful tool.

To form a solid and coherent group, like a company, you need to share a spirit or culture, a raison d’être, a vision and common values. Defining any SME and unifying its players, these elements must be brought into the narrative.

Building your storytelling

There are three phases to storytelling:

• defining the story;
• the way the story is told;
• spreading the story.

The story will preferably reflect a brand’s raison d’être (most often its origin, what motivated its creation, its inspiration, its quest), its vision and its ambition. Throughout history, stories have always followed a similar pattern, associating a hero with a quest, during which they will be confronted with difficulties and will benefit from external help. In terms of branding, we will add notions such as the objective of the quest, the narrator and the recipient to this basic pattern. We will also try to define who the hero of the story is (it could be the brand, the product or the customer, for example), what their quest is, what stands in the way and what enables them to overcome the difficulties.

The way in which the story is told will reflect the spirit of the company and its culture, but will also have to be adapted to the audiences it addresses.

Finally, the choice of media is also part of the narrative and can influence its form and content.

Thus, a single story, even if it follows the same pattern, can unfold in different ways, taking on several angles or forms, depending on whether you are trying to convince or unite, depending on whether you are addressing your employees or your investors, whether you are expressing yourself on social networks or in a brochure, during an oral presentation or on a poster.

Beware the dark side of the force!

Some brands have thought that storytelling was a weapon of conquest rather than a relationship building tool, a way to lobotomize their audiences rather than a tool for sharing. But in the age of the internet, using storytelling to conceal facts, to distort reality or to distort oneself precipitates the decline of a brand more than it strengthens it. Monsanto is a recent example of this.

Storytelling is therefore a current and indispensable tool for brands. But to be effective and long-lasting, it must be thought out and constructed, be authentic and sincere, and correspond to what the brand really is. Because telling a story, our own story, is not the same as telling stories…