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Thought Leadership

Anthemic Storytelling Gets At The Heart of a Brand

Brands can better connect with their community through anthemic storytelling

A confident declaration or rallying cry of your why, anthemic storytelling takes your mission and sings it from the mountain tops helping you connect with customers. It’s meant to be thoughtful, bold, and inspiring and yet it’s meant to be simple.  Your audience should walk away knowing exactly who you are, what you stand for, and ready to join your fandom. At its best, anthemic storytelling is an incredibly effective tool for relaying the essence of your brand and connecting with your customers and employees.

Anthemic storytelling focuses on big picture thinking and connects with customers.

A good example of anthemic storytelling is the brand anthem. Not meant to be a hard sell, the anthem never zeros in on a product or a service. It’s much bigger than that. It tells the story of your brand and it tells it well, which means its purpose should always be to the point and never convoluted in marketing jargon or unnecessary prose. An iconic example, Apple’s 1984 anthem’s messaging was short and simple , which allowed its jarring visuals to do a lot of the heavy lifting. It portrayed the brand’s story so successfully that this super bowl spot outshone the big game itself and has since gone down in history as one of the greatest ads of all time. But even more importantly, it cemented Apple as a brand for those who think differently and set the stage for a revolution of fandom that has grown to inconceivable heights in the years that have followed.

Brands can use anthems to guide their values and principles.

Brands who use storytelling, like Porter-Cable, do better in their marketing

Today’s consumers don’t just demand great products from their brands, but great values and social responsibility too. Anthemic storytelling brings your values center stage, better connecting you to your audience, while differentiating yourself from your competitors. For brands that do not yet have a rock solid mission or values, creating an anthem is a great exercise in thinking about what you stand for and how you want to present yourself to the world. A great example of strong brand principles is Unconquered’s client Porter-Cable who is a leading tool manufacturer.  Based on hard work, self-reliance, and doing a job right the first time, they wanted these values reflected in their storytelling. They reached out to us to help them create a campaign that fulfilled that vision.

Our team recently started conducting complimentary story planning & strategy workshops. We have a few slots open for Q2 and if you are interested, reach out to our head of growth, Lucy Glaser. 

Brands can better connect with customers through anthemic storytelling.

Just like any relationship, your brand connects to its audience by telling its truth. In doing so, you are building trust and empathy. According to Harvard Business School Professor Gerald Zaltman, 95% of our purchasing decisions are not driven by reason, but by our subconscious mind, which makes creating an emotional response of the utmost importance. When it comes to the aspirational, Nike is king. From elite athletes to the everyday underdog, their anthems have inspired athletes of all abilities and ages to stop second guessing their shortcomings and just get out there and do it.

Anthemic stories are evergreen

Because anthemic storytelling doesn’t sell a product, but the very story of your brand, it is timeless as long as your mission and message remain the same. It can also live essentially everywhere, from your website, social media, recruitment and onboarding materials and even at events. This spot Unconquered created for women’s lacrosse brand Brine is a perfect example of evergreen content. As a declaration of strength and grit that tells the unbelievers to watch and see, it is the type of spot that will persevere as long as the players themselves.

With an ability to evoke emotion and build connection, anthemic storytelling is a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal and a must have. If your current messaging isn’t true to your brand or is in need of a refresh, Unconquered can help you craft a story that speaks to both your mission and values, while better connecting you to your community.

If you are interested using anthemic storytelling to connect with customers, contact us for a consultation.