The End Goal
Ultimately, all stories have a message.
This ‘end goal’ is what you need to keep in mind when crafting your story.
If you think back to childhood, the books that were read to you inevitably had a lesson about life tucked away in the narrative. Their ‘end goal’ was to help you shape a view of the world and teach you right from wrong.
Brand stories (told through advertising) also have a message.
They want to leave you with an understanding of what it is that they stand for. The ads are simply the emotional vehicle to delivers this.
Let’s take a look at a few car brands as an example.
Volvo, the Swedish car manufacturer, has long been a brand synonymous with safety. All of their communication builds on this, from their innovations like ‘Life Paint’ to their bold goal of achieving no fatalities in any Volvo car by the year 2020.
BMW on the other hand has always been about driving pleasure. They have famously run with the tagline ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’ in many countries around the world and the stories they tell tie back to this from their involvement in motorsport to high performance driving schools.
Lastly, there is Mercedes-Benz who weave their brand narrative around luxury. They want you to feel as if owning one of their cars is a sign of having ‘made it’. To do so, they associate themselves with the Swiss watch brand IWC and sponsor glamorous events around the globe.
The point is although they have very different stories to tell the outcome is still the same.
They sell you a car.
Interested in learning how to tell better stories? Learn the practical tips and techniques from the world’s experts and get certified by Cannes Lions today.
