Take a look at some examples of business communication, both internal and external to the company. And you can find discrepancies between what people within the company believe and how customers perceive the brand.
Take a quick look around the organisation, and you’ll notice that aligning people around a common set of goals is a constant challenge.
Vision and mission statements are more likely to be remembered as chunks of text pasted around the office. We frequently observe a lack of clarity in leaders’ communication. It is difficult to translate the organization’s vision, mission, and goals into desired behaviour.
Making decisions, whether about products, partners, hiring, or new opportunities, is difficult. This lack of clarity manifests itself in the form of an undesirable operating climate in the organisation.
Developing the organisation’s Brand Core Story eases these challenges and more.
What exactly is Brand Core Story?
A Brand’s Core Story is a narrative that depicts the brand’s heart and soul and connects the brand with stakeholders such as employees, customers, partners, and the community. Brand Core Story forges a strong and emotional bond with employees and customers, converting them into ardent brand advocates.
Creating the Core Story captures the essence of the company.
- What is the purpose of your organisation?
- Who exactly do you serve?
- What do you do to help them?
- What differentiates you from others?
Your brand’s foundation is built on the answers to these questions.
Consider the case of Amul. Amul’s story is about “uplifting dairy farmers and landless labourers.” It began as a cooperative movement against unfair practises toward dairy farmers and has since grown into a strong brand that has helped India become the world’s largest milk producer.
Amul offers a variety of perspectives to a wide range of people – the dairy farmer who is paid fairly and is not exploited by middlemen, the taxi driver who can provide nutritious milk for his children, the upper-middle-class family who enjoys delicious food prepared with good butter.
Each of these points of view is an expression of Amul’s brand core story: high-quality products at a reasonable price. Amul has maintained brand loyalty for over 70 years by incorporating its core story into everything they do.
Here are some of the ways Amul continues to integrate its Brand Core Story into its activities.
Product – The dairy development model is three-tiered, with cooperative societies at the village, district, and state levels. They use cutting-edge technology to remove harmful microorganisms while preserving milk’s nutrients. Amul’s product line includes everything from milk and butter to chocolate and cheese.
Marketing – Amul markets all of its products under one brand and is uniquely positioned as India’s national butter through its Taste of India campaigns. The Amul mascot, the ‘butter girl,’ is a popular mascot who capitalises on current events in the country while driving the Amul core message in an endearing manner. Amul does not use celebrities in its advertisements.
Partnerships and Alliances – Amul collaborates with small-scale franchise owners to establish exclusive outlets that serve a large, vibrant economy. Amul also forms strategic alliances with governments and multinational corporations in order to provide high-quality products that further their Brand Core Story.
Corporate Social Responsibility – In India, Amul runs a number of outreach programmes aimed at transferring knowledge and developing skills among youth, women, and farmers. Amul educates dairy farmers on scientific methods of operation through their Amul Darshan initiative.
Amul’s Brand Core Story is evident in all of its activities. And it sets the course for the brand’s expansion.
The Brand Core Story of your company serves as the foundation for key business decisions and is at the heart of your brand’s communication and performance.
Do you want to learn more about your company’s Brand Core Story? Drop us a message here.
About The Author
Vinod Krishna is a brand storytelling trainer and consultant at DustyPaths.
He brings 3 decades of experience in leading people, projects, and businesses
to forge new paths in storytelling, communication and leadership development.
He is an avid barefoot runner, trekker, theater artist, and photographer.
Connect with him on LinkedIn