Creating Signature Stories - Notes

Creating Signature Stories (pg. 1)

Strategic Messaging (pg. 1)

Strategic messaging that persuades, energizes, and inspires. (pg. 1)
David Aaker is the author. (pg. 1)

Praise for Creating Signature Stories (pg. 2)

Linda Boff, VP & CMO, GE: A great story for storytellers, shining example for brands, marketers, and those who recognize the power of signature stories. (pg. 2)
Cheryl Burgess, CEO, Blue Focus Marketing: Effective brand storytelling cuts through noise and skepticism to connect. (pg. 2)
Peter Guber, Chairman and CEO, Mandalay Entertainment: Signature stories are authentic and engaging, energizing brands to persuade and inspire employees and customers. (pg. 2)
Kevin Lane Keller, E.B. Osborn Professor of Marketing, Tuck School of Business: Builds a rich, practical framework for creating signature stories. (pg. 2)
Philip Kotler, S. C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor: Signature story gets deep into the consumers’ consciousness; company’s job is to find and guide its signature stories. (pg. 2)
Jerry Lee and Katy Choi, Partners, Brand and Company: Creating Signature Stories will bring more clarity, more direction, and more life for brands. (pg. 2)
Ann Lewnes, Executive Vice President & CMO, Adobe: Great story-telling and the power of word-of- mouth have never been more important. (pg. 2)
Rich Lyons, Dean Berkeley Haas School of Business: Personal signature story had emotional impact. Now it’s my turn to thank Dave. (pg. 2)
Jagdish N. Sheth, Charles Kellstadt Professor of Marketing Emory University: The science behind successful story telling in marketing, CREATING SIGNATURE STORIES is the book! (pg. 2)
Joe Tripodi, CMO Subway and former CMO of Coca-Cola, Allstate, and MasterCard: Critical elements of signature storytelling give us a roadmap for higher levels of personal engagement. (pg. 2)
Chris Tung, CMO, Alibaba Group: Helps brands structure and create signature content to engage consumers effectively. (pg. 2)

Other Books by David Aaker (pg. 3)

Aaker on Branding: 20 Principles that Drive Success (pg. 3)
Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant (pg. 3)
Three Threats to Brand Relevance (e-book) (pg. 3)
Spanning Silos: The New CMO Imperative (pg. 3)
Building Strong Brands (pg. 3)
Brand Leadership (with Erich Joachimsthaler) (pg. 3)
From Fargo to the World of Brands: My Story So Far (pg. 3)
Brand Portfolio Strategy: Creating Relevance, Differentiation, Energy, Leverage, and Clarity (pg. 3)
Managing Brand Equity (pg. 3)
Strategic Market Management (11th edition) (with Christine Moorman) (pg. 3)
Brand Equity and Advertising (edited with Alexander Biel) (pg. 3)
Marketing Research 11 Edition (with V. Kumar, Robert Leone, and George Day) (pg. 3)
Advertising Management 5th Edition (with Rajeev Batra and John Myers) (pg. 3)
Multivariate Analysis in Marketing (2nd edition) (pg. 3)
Consumerism: Search for the Consumer Interest (edited with Georgy Day) (pg. 3)

Table of Contents (pg. 4)

Chapter 1: What Is a Signature Story? (pg. 4)
Chapter 2: Sets of Signature Stories (pg. 4)
Chapter 3: Signature Stories Create Brand Visibility and Energy (pg. 4)
Chapter 4: Signature Stories Persuade (pg. 4)
Chapter 5: Higher-Purpose Signature Stories Inspire (pg. 4)
Chapter 6: Signature Story Audiences (pg. 4)
Chapter 7: Sourcing Signature Stories (pg. 4)
Chapter 8: What Makes a Signature Story Strong? (pg. 4)
Chapter 9: Your Professional Signature Stories—Understanding Yourself (pg. 4)
Epilogue: 12 Takeaways (pg. 4)
About the Author (pg. 4)
Endnotes (pg. 4)
Index (pg. 4)

Acknowledgments (pg. 5)

Inspired by Jennifer Aaker's work on the power of stories. (pg. 5)
Gratitude to authors who explored storytelling. (pg. 5)
Thanks to Prophet colleagues. (pg. 5)
Thanks to Morgan James Publishing. (pg. 5)
Thanks to Dan Cooreman, copy editor. (pg. 5)
Thanks to family for support and inspiration. (pg. 5)

What is a signature story? (pg. 6)

Flannery O’Connor: "A story is a way to say something that can’t be said any other way" (pg. 6)

Founder Story Example: L.L. Bean (pg. 6)

Leon L. Bean invented a new boot due to cold, wet feet: Maine Hunting Shoe. (pg. 6)
Refunded money when 90 of 100 pairs leaked. (pg. 6)
Shows innovation culture, heritage around outdoors, commitment to quality, concern for customers. (pg. 6)
- More Details: Leon Leonwood Bean, born in 1872, was an avid outdoorsman from Maine. He experienced firsthand the discomfort of inadequate footwear while hunting. In 1912, he designed the Maine Hunting Shoe, a combination of leather uppers and rubber bottoms, to solve this problem. Bean's commitment to customer satisfaction was evident when he refunded money to customers after discovering defects in the initial batch of boots. (pg. 6)

Offering Story Example: charity: water (pg. 7)

Natalia in Mozambique got clean water thanks to charity: water. (pg. 7)
She is now always at school and on time. (pg. 7)
Natalia became the president of the water committee. (pg. 7)
Story puts a personal touch on charity: water's efforts. (pg. 7)
- More Details: charity: water is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 that brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries. The story of Natalia in Mozambique illustrates the profound impact of access to clean water on individuals and communities. Before charity: water intervened, Natalia's life was likely consumed by fetching water, impacting her education and overall well-being. Her role as president of the water committee signifies community empowerment and sustainability. (pg. 7)

Brand Story Example: Molson Canadian (pg. 8)

Built a hockey rink high in the Purcell Mountains. (pg. 8)
Players selected based on their personal stories about hockey. (pg. 8)
Shows Molson shared its customers’ passion for hockey. (pg. 8)
- More Details: Molson Canadian's initiative to build a hockey rink in the Purcell Mountains exemplifies experiential marketing and brand alignment with consumer passions. The selection of players based on their personal hockey stories adds an emotional layer to the campaign, reinforcing the brand's connection with its target audience. This event generated significant media coverage and social media buzz, further amplifying Molson's brand message. (pg. 8)

Customer Story Example: IBM Watson Health (pg. 9)

Orlando Health leveraged Watson technology for a new health management system. (pg. 9)
Streamlined processes, transitioned to payment models that reward coordinated total care. (pg. 9)
More than 10 percent improvement in first-year measures. (pg. 9)
Relevant to other health care networks. (pg. 9)
- More Details: IBM Watson Health's collaboration with Orlando Health demonstrates the application of artificial intelligence in healthcare. By implementing Watson technology, Orlando Health improved its operational efficiency and patient care outcomes. The transition to value-based payment models reflects a broader shift in the healthcare industry towards rewarding quality and coordinated care. The quantifiable improvement in first-year measures provides concrete evidence of the benefits of this partnership. (pg. 9)

Growth Story Example: Tesla (pg. 10)

Elon Musk presented his four-step growth story in 2006. (pg. 10)
Step 1: Build a high-end electric sports car. (pg. 10)
Step 2: Build a more affordable four-door, luxury sedan. (pg. 10)
Step 3: Build an even more affordable sedan. (pg. 10)
Step 4: Provide zero-emission, electric power generation options. (pg. 10)
- More Details: Elon Musk's four-step growth story for Tesla articulated a clear vision for the company's evolution. Starting with a high-end sports car (the Roadster) allowed Tesla to enter the market and establish its brand. Each subsequent step targeted a broader audience with more affordable models (Model S, Model 3), ultimately aiming to provide sustainable energy solutions beyond just automobiles. This strategic roadmap has guided Tesla's product development and market expansion. (pg. 10)

Borrowed Story Example: Columbia Pictures Entertainment (pg. 11)

Peter Guber re-energized Columbia using the story of Lawrence of Arabia. (pg. 11)
Lawrence’s daring attack on Aqaba inspired the firm. (pg. 11)
Story clicked, and “Aqaba” became a rallying cry. (pg. 11)
- More Details: Peter Guber's use of the Lawrence of Arabia story at Columbia Pictures illustrates the power of borrowed narratives to inspire and unite teams. The daring attack on Aqaba served as a metaphor for the company's challenges and aspirations. By adopting this external narrative, Columbia Pictures fostered a sense of shared purpose and determination, leading to renewed energy and success. (pg. 11)

Using Stories to Communicate Strategic Messaging (pg. 12)

Stories are powerful, content is king, communicating a strategic message is extremely difficult. (pg. 12)

Three Observations (pg. 12)

Stories are orders of magnitude more powerful than sets of facts. (pg. 12)
Content drives success in the new era—and content is all about stories. (pg. 12)
Communicating a strategic message is extremely difficult. (pg. 12)

Tactical vs. Strategic Messaging (pg. 13)

Tactical story: Used to achieve a short-term communication objective. (pg. 13)
Signature story: Communicates a strategic message, enduring, relevant asset that can provide continuing direction. (pg. 13)

Barriers to Story Use (pg. 14)

People think communicating facts is more efficient. (pg. 14)
No story works for all four points. (pg. 14)
Audiences are always rational, motivated, and able to find and process objective information. (pg. 14)
Difficult to find and leverage great signature stories. (pg. 14)

Defining Signature Stories (pg. 15)

Story: A narrative that portrays actual or fictitious events or experiences with a beginning, a middle, and an end. (pg. 15)
Signature story: An intriguing, authentic, involving narrative that delivers or supports a strategic message. (pg. 15)

Qualities of Signature Stories (pg. 16)

Intriguing: Grabs attention, stimulates word-of-mouth communication. (pg. 16)
Authenticity: The audience does not perceive the story to be phony, contrived, or a transparent selling effort. (pg. 16)
Involving: The audience is drawn into the story, empathizes with the characters, responds cognitively, emotionally, and/or behaviorally. (pg. 16)
Strategic message: Relevant to its audience and clarifies or enhances the brand vision, customer relationship, organizational values, and/or business strategy. (pg. 16)

A Signature Story Is Not a Set of Facts (pg. 17)

A signature story is a narrative, not just a list of facts. This is a key conceptual distinction. (pg. 17)
While facts provide underpinning, they aren't the story itself. (pg. 17)

Signature Stories Need Not Replace Facts (pg. 18)

Facts can seal the deal, provide substance to make the case more convincing. (pg. 18)
Embed facts into the story, place facts after the story, place facts before the story. (pg. 18)

A Signature Story Can Be Short (pg. 19)

A signature story can be short on details but involving. (pg. 19)
Condensing stories to a few words can be a useful exercise. (pg. 19)
Even a metaphor can be a story. (pg. 19)

A Signature Story Can Be in the Minds of Customers, Employees or Others (pg. 20)

Unique to an individual; more powerful and more likely to be retold. (pg. 20)

A Signature Story Can Be Borrowed (pg. 21)

Look to role models and their signature stories. (pg. 21)
Adapt them for your own organization. Marc Benioff's story is mentioned as an example. (pg. 21)

Challenge: Preparing Organizations to Use Signature Stories (pg. 22)

Understand the power of stories. (pg. 22)
Find organizational support for developing and leveraging them. (pg. 22)
Demonstrate the power of stories. (pg. 22)
Create a mechanism for grabbing them, tailoring them, depicting them, and using them effectively. (pg. 22)
Develop a set of strategic messages. (pg. 22)
Listen obsessively to your customers. (pg. 22)
Offer incentives to employees to identify potential signature stories. (pg. 22)
Know your organization’s heritage. (pg. 22)
Identify some signature-story role models. (pg. 22)
Have organizational structures and processes. (pg. 22)
Create a storytelling culture. (pg. 22)
The next chapter introduces sets of signature stories and discusses the enhanced power and challenges that they create. (pg. 22)

Sets of Signature Stories (pg. 23)

Phil Jackson: “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” (pg. 23)

Skype Connects (pg. 23)

Music conductor in New York created a symphony played by subway musicians via Skype. (pg. 23)
Pilates teacher taught clients from New York via Skype. (pg. 23)
Sarah from Indiana and Paige from New Zealand connected daily via Skype. (pg. 23)
Together, these stories tell the basic story that Skype enables creative people to do amazing things, some life-enhancing and others life-changing. (pg. 23)

Signature-Story Sets, Telling the Same Strategic Message (pg. 24)

Companion stories add interest, energy, and visibility; a story set can express the depth and breadth of the strategic message. (pg. 24)

Elaboration Stories (pg. 25)

A master story can be elaborated with other stories that add depth and interest. (pg. 25)
The Tesla growth story, Molson mountain hockey rink story, L.L. Bean stories about Leon Bean. (pg. 25)

Varied Applications (pg. 26)

A signature story can involve an application, either featuring a product offering or a customer. (pg. 26)
The application can gain depth and freshness when repeated with different applications. (pg. 26)
Skype stories, Blendtec's "Will It Blend?" challenge. (pg. 26)

Different Plots (pg. 27)

The Clydesdale stories for Budweiser: nearly every year since 1996, a new story has appeared in a Super Bowl commercial with a different plot and characters. (pg. 27)

Different Spokespersons (pg. 28)

A story with the same theme can be told by different story spokespersons or heroes. (pg. 28)
Charles Schwab financial firm used stories of 12 CNN anchors. (pg. 28)

Different Perspectives (pg. 29)

A story can be made more interesting by telling it from different perspectives. (pg. 29)
charity: water signature stories introduce different perspectives, as can be seen with the different stories told with the charity:water example. (pg. 29)

Why Multiple Signature Stories? (pg. 30)

Multiple signature stories with the same strategic message have two main motivations: to create interest, energy, and visibility; to provide breadth and depth to both the core story and the message. (pg. 30)

Multiple Strategic Messaging (pg. 31)

Some sets of signature stories involve multiple strategic messages. (pg. 31)
Tailored to each business unit, need is particularly prevalent in b-to-b contexts. (pg. 31)
IBM Watson Health, Prophet case studies. (pg. 31)

Challenge: Signature Story Overload (pg. 32)

Organizations that believe in signature stories and find successful ways to leverage them face another risk: story overload. (pg. 32)
Screening, keeping it fresh, lead or priority story, a composite story, synergy, a story bank. (pg. 32)

Signature Stories Create Brand Visibility and Energy (pg. 33)

Oprah Winfrey: “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” (pg. 33)

Red Bull - the Astonishing Feats (pg. 33)

Red Bull gets its brand visibility and energy from a host of exclusive events, often involving unusual and sometimes astonishing feats. (pg. 33)
- More Details: Red Bull's marketing strategy heavily relies on creating brand visibility and energy through sponsoring and organizing extreme sports events. These events, such as the Red Bull Stratos space diving project, generate media attention and associate the brand with adventure, risk-taking, and pushing boundaries. By aligning itself with these astonishing feats, Red Bull enhances its brand image and attracts a target audience that values excitement and daring experiences. (pg. 33)

Knorr Soup - Love at First Taste (pg. 34)

The key value proposition of Knorr soup is flavor. (pg. 34)
Its "#LoveAtFirstTaste" program was based on a 12,000-person survey. (pg. 34)
- More Details: Knorr's "#LoveAtFirstTaste" campaign aimed to reinforce the connection between Knorr soup and delicious flavors. By surveying 12,000 people about their flavor preferences, Knorr gathered insights to create personalized soup recommendations. This approach not only highlighted the product's key benefit but also engaged consumers in a meaningful way, increasing brand awareness and loyalty. The campaign demonstrated how understanding consumer preferences can drive successful marketing initiatives. (pg. 34)

Always - Like a Girl (pg. 35)

The program’s linchpin idea—to empower girls during a time in their lives when confidence and self-esteem can be low—would be shown by redefining the term “like a girl.” (pg. 35)
- More Details: The "Always - Like a Girl" campaign challenged the negative connotations associated with the phrase "like a girl." By showcasing how girls and women perform tasks with strength and determination, the campaign aimed to redefine societal perceptions and empower young girls during a critical stage in their development. This initiative generated significant positive media coverage and resonated with audiences worldwide, solidifying Always' brand image as a champion for female empowerment. (pg. 35)

Why Signature Stories? (pg. 36)

Signature stories are ideally suited to provide visibility and energy to brands because they can attract attention, draw people in, and provide a reason to pass the story along. (pg. 36)
Visibility creates relevance and credibility. (pg. 36)
Energy makes a brand seem fresh and exciting. (pg. 36)

Why Visibility? (pg. 37)

Visibility is a potent brand asset. (pg. 37)
People like the familiar, creates credibility. (pg. 37)

Why Energy? (pg. 38)

Brand with insufficient energy may be forgotten, seem bland, and old-fashioned. (pg. 38)

Signature Stories Gain Attention (pg. 39)

When a speaker says, “Let me start with a story,” your attention focuses. (pg. 39)
Also more engaging and has more detail so that the audience can visualize and empathize. (pg. 39)
Stories draw people in. Stories create a relationship between the subject and the product. (pg. 39)
Be fresh and different, create the expectation of meaningful rewards, create uncertainty and suspense, create emotional involvement with characters, have a recognizable story type. (pg. 39)

Signature Stories Spawn Social Communication (pg. 40)

Multiply the exposed population and send some stories into viral territory. (pg. 40)
Passing along a signature story also enhances its ability to gain and keep attention. (pg. 40)
Offer influence, self-involvement, other involvement, message involvement. (pg. 40)

Challenge: Connecting the Brand to the Signature Story (pg. 41)

Brand as the hero, a brand surrogate as the hero, a story that reflects the passion of the customer base, supporting programs that carry the brand name, prominent display of the brand as a story sponsor. (pg. 41)

Signature Stories Persuade (pg. 42)

Used to deliver results with examples and detail. (pg. 42)
Jewish teaching story - “Truth, naked and bold, had been turned away from every door in the village…There, she dressed Truth in story, warmed her and sent her out again.” (pg. 42)

“They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano” (pg. 43)

Persuades to excel high pressure context that also benefits listeners emotions. (pg. 43)

The Persuasion Task (pg. 44)

Stories influence associations/beliefs, create liking, and influence behavior/intentions. (pg. 44)
They also are easier to interact, look cool too. (pg. 44)

Stories Persuade More Than Facts (pg. 45)

Persuasive power has been known throughout time - Aesop’s Fables. (pg. 45)
Resonate more, and is more logical. (pg. 45)

Stories Affect Brand Associations (pg. 46)

Charity: Water – the power of clean water, with a change in people lives. (pg. 46)
Molson - a passion for hockey, example rink in the clouds. (pg. 46)
Always - a brand that helps girls transfer in adulthood. (pg. 46)

Stories Create Liking (pg. 47)

Transfer one object to likeness, so when a liked story advertises a brand. it’s effective. (pg. 47)

Stories Affect Behavior (pg. 48)

Involves audience that has a story to do with them. Great to give more behavior for certain brands. (pg. 48)

How Stories Persuade (pg. 49)

Elevating narrative transformation results in statistically a great impact on story -consistent associate/ Beliefs. (pg. 49)
Emotional levels with actions, so when you listen to a happy tone, and see a sale. (pg. 49)

Framing a Subcategory (pg. 50)

Creates a new brand name. A great brand that is associated with new must-haves. (pg. 50)
Signature stories help make a association come alive to be a must see by fans. (pg. 50)
Ex DiGiorno - Delivery pizza with the convenience of Frozen pizza. (pg. 50)

Challenge: Keeping Signature Stories Alive (pg. 51)

Reminders with symbols, and to remind and support brand at same time. (pg. 51)

Higher-Purpose Signature Stories Inspire (pg. 52)

Elevating messages to touch a broader audience to provide benefits in multiple areas. (pg. 52)

Lifebuoy’s “Help a Child Reach 5” (pg. 53)

“Every year, two million children fail to reach their fifth birthdays, often because of diseases like diarrhea and pneumonia, the incidence of which can be sharply reduced with good handwashing techniques.” (pg. 53)
Videos for the Indian village of Thesgora, saw more effective numbers. (pg. 53)

A Higher Purpose and Signature Stories (pg. 54)

Higher purpose for a goal like challenge for an offering - Apple. (pg. 54)
Inspiration involves an elevated aspect. (pg. 54)

Two Higher-Purpose Challenges (pg. 55)

One Challenge - To gain credit for the Purpose, by customers, because many can make a self benefit from support aspect. (pg. 55)
Elevate story qualities as an influencer or brand to boost your outcome. (pg. 55)
Find an effective program with support, to reduce a loss of credit. (pg. 55)

Wy Higher-Purpose Goals and Programs? (pg. 56)

Employees also need help for purpose in today’s world. (pg. 56)
They want to share passion and beliefs with companies they work for. (pg. 56)
Higher purpose can create high level employees with more benefits. (pg. 56)

A Higher Purpose Enables Signature Stories (pg. 57)

Introducing a higher purpose with meaningful programs or offerings often has a hidden benefit: “It will generate or liberate powerful signature stories that touch people emotionally and draw them in with vivid characters.” — and significant challenges!.” (pg. 57)
This is achieved with a personal brand by making sure your brand matches the companies (pg. 57)
Offering a product or making changes to reach a wider audience with care. (pg. 57)

Signature Stories that Beat Stand-Alone Facts (pg. 58)

Make you believe and value for you and potential product or new business to explore. (pg. 58)
Make sure it helps make you to a high point. (pg. 58)

Challenge - Creating a Higher Purpose (pg. 59)

Look at your Employee interactions. (pg. 59)
Have more assets, skills and help programs. (pg. 59)
Look for the benefits of your products to the audience. (pg. 59)

Signature-Story Audiences (pg. 60)

Reach a certain audience to help better influence strategy and to build a strong relationship.- John Kotter - “We learn best .and change from hearing stories that strike a chord within us.” (pg. 60)

Barclays - “How a Brand Regains Trust” (pg. 61)

They had a brand crisis that led to brand damage. (pg. 61)
In financial and banking sector with reputation problems . Decided had to make a change with programs and support. (pg. 61)
Had more new communication and strategies. (pg. 61)

Reaching Your Audiences (pg. 62)

When an organization seeks buy in for its strategic Message what do you focus on? (pg. 62)
Focus on customers or potential clients. (pg. 62)
Employees and a key leader with high levels. (pg. 62)
Create or provide values with respect and to make friends with potential friends. (pg. 62)

Customers (Potential Customers) (pg. 63)

The more the customer trusts or knows about a product will the higher chance he/she purchase. (pg. 63)

The Importance of Strategic Messaging (pg. 64)

Find more benefit to there brands, and to find relationships between them or goals. (pg. 64)

Building Power through Stories: Role of the Signature Story. (pg. 65)

Gain attention , then more value over time and the long haul with the message. (pg. 65)
Make impact power through message (pg. 65)

Remember: (pg. 66)

As long as there is engagement with the clients or company the product stays. The strategy stays successful. (pg. 66)

Challenge: Gaining external exposure for the signature story- (pg. 67)

There is no magic to it, but to keep exposure to make a plan of what will make the strategy flow and work to benefit from it (pg. 67)
Knowing quality over quantity will benefit more. (pg. 67)

The Internal Audience—Employees (pg. 68)

Communicating the strategic message internally is key to building a strong culture that can deliver on the message’s goals, but takes team work. (pg. 68)

Learning the Strategy (pg. 69)

Step 1 create strong message from team and value from clear source from message. (pg. 69)

Believing the Strategy (pg. 70)

Employees should believe the success of the work with results with a substance by their names to believe. Create stories of this. (pg. 70)

Living the Strategy (pg. 71)

Needs power from an amazing service offer, new thinking too, which will influence inspiration . That makes people care. (pg. 71)

Reminder to Gaining Story Exposure Internally: (pg. 72)

You’ll only need small reminders overtime to keep the story going for people to understand. And to connect with more of the story. (pg. 72)
More new benefits will encourage more from what you get. (pg. 72)

The Executive Team (pg. 73)

Articulating the Brand Vision and Organization Values (pg. 73)
Signature stories are usually believed to make a impact by showing all different strategies or values for business will be reached to help. (pg. 73)

Creating the Vision (pg. 74)

Create how you feel would to create a brand team. (pg. 74)
All sides come together and have different types of ideas. (pg. 74)

Communicating the Vision (pg. 75)

Need have communication from stories with big support. (pg. 75)
This can build credibility. (pg. 75)

Finding a Using Signature Stories Effectively (pg. 76)

Get a communication leader to follow. So no loss will occur from the path. Can also influence and communicate more with others to believe this works. (pg. 76)
You can follow, then create what that helps to communicate. (pg. 76)

That’s the main power , and that all must have power. Implementing a Story Drive Program (pg. 77)

This power provides more value and power through this book to show what matters . And too see what comes from the best of it . For future events to come. To come with new angles! (pg. 77)

Sourcing Signature Stories (pg. 78)

Pauling - “ The way to get the good ideas to to get lots of ideas to then throw the bad ones away.” (pg. 78)

Coca-Cola’s Happiness Machine. (pg. 79)

Build a stronger relationship for people to build a stronger social network. (pg. 79)
Used video star on cokes “Happiness machine.” This had a regular coke vending machine to get more followers. (pg. 79)
The idea would work the message and also give the company to a bigger audience that’s for sure. (pg. 79)

Creating or Finding Signature Stories. (pg. 80)

Knows Strategic message. (pg. 80)
Let a Spectrum to emerge. (pg. 80)
Buy into a test or philosophy. (pg. 80)

Owned vs. Borrowed Stories (pg. 81)

Find something that could help the strategy instead of looking or following another group but by showing strength and to take the company to 2 source . (pg. 81)

Story Heroes (pg. 82)

Brand ambassador to provide help by getting new product/ services out for the brand, and getting more exposure too the new product. By building support. (pg. 82)

Customer Stories (pg. 83)

Help provide a good customer relationship because many know how these brands will also affect the market value. (pg. 83)
Look at LinkedIn - And social network. (pg. 83)

Customers - Share stores about pet to see how their product affect. To know and be part of more. If done correctly , get support from people/ buyers.

Creating Signature Stories

Strategic Messaging

Strategic messaging that persuades, energizes, and inspires.
David Aaker is the author.

Praise for Creating Signature Stories

Linda Boff, VP & CMO, GE: A great story for storytellers, shining example for brands, marketers, and those who recognize the power of signature stories.
Cheryl Burgess, CEO, Blue Focus Marketing: Effective brand storytelling cuts through noise and skepticism to connect.
Peter Guber, Chairman and CEO, Mandalay Entertainment: Signature stories are authentic and engaging, energizing brands to persuade and inspire employees and customers.
Kevin Lane Keller, E.B. Osborn Professor of Marketing, Tuck School of Business: Builds a rich, practical framework for creating signature stories.
Philip Kotler, S. C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor: Signature story gets deep into the consumers’ consciousness; company’s job is to find and guide its signature stories.
Jerry Lee and Katy Choi, Partners, Brand and Company: Creating Signature Stories will bring more clarity, more direction, and more life for brands.
Ann Lewnes, Executive Vice President & CMO, Adobe: Great story-telling and the power of word-of- mouth have never been more important.
Rich Lyons, Dean Berkeley Haas School of Business: Personal signature story had emotional impact. Now it’s my turn to thank Dave.
Jagdish N. Sheth, Charles Kellstadt Professor of Marketing Emory University: The science behind successful story telling in marketing, CREATING SIGNATURE STORIES is the book!
Joe Tripodi, CMO Subway and former CMO of Coca-Cola, Allstate, and MasterCard: Critical elements of signature storytelling give us a roadmap for higher levels of personal engagement.
Chris Tung, CMO, Alibaba Group: Helps brands structure and create signature content to engage consumers effectively.

Other Books by David Aaker

Aaker on Branding: 20 Principles that Drive Success
Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant
Three Threats to Brand Relevance (e-book)
Spanning Silos: The New CMO Imperative
Building Strong Brands
Brand Leadership (with Erich Joachimsthaler)
From Fargo to the World of Brands: My Story So Far
Brand Portfolio Strategy: Creating Relevance, Differentiation, Energy, Leverage, and Clarity
Managing Brand Equity
Strategic Market Management (11th edition) (with Christine Moorman)
Brand Equity and Advertising (edited with Alexander Biel)
Marketing Research 11 Edition (with V. Kumar, Robert Leone, and George Day)
Advertising Management 5th Edition (with Rajeev Batra and John Myers)
Multivariate Analysis in Marketing (2nd edition)
Consumerism: Search for the Consumer Interest (edited with Georgy Day)

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: What Is a Signature Story?
Chapter 2: Sets of Signature Stories
Chapter 3: Signature Stories Create Brand Visibility and Energy
Chapter 4: Signature Stories Persuade
Chapter 5: Higher-Purpose Signature Stories Inspire
Chapter 6: Signature Story Audiences
Chapter 7: Sourcing Signature Stories
Chapter 8: What Makes a Signature Story Strong?
Chapter 9: Your Professional Signature Stories—Understanding Yourself
Epilogue: 12 Takeaways
About the Author
Endnotes
Index

Acknowledgments

Inspired by Jennifer Aaker's work on the power of stories.
Gratitude to authors who explored storytelling.
Thanks to Prophet colleagues.
Thanks to Morgan James Publishing.
Thanks to Dan Cooreman, copy editor.
Thanks to family for support and inspiration.

What is a signature story?

Flannery O’Connor: "A story is a way to say something that can’t be said any other way"

Founder Story Example: L.L. Bean

Leon L. Bean invented a new boot due to cold, wet feet: Maine Hunting Shoe.
Refunded money when 90 of 100 pairs leaked.

- Shows innovation culture, heritage around outdoors, commitment to quality, concern for customers.

Offering Story Example: charity: water

Natalia in Mozambique got clean water thanks to charity: water.
She is now always at school and on time.
Natalia became the president of the water committee.

- Story puts a personal touch on charity: water's efforts.

Brand Story Example: Molson Canadian

Built a hockey rink high in the Purcell Mountains.
Players selected based on their personal stories about hockey.

- Shows Molson shared its customers’ passion for hockey.

Customer Story Example: IBM Watson Health

Orlando Health leveraged Watson technology for a new health management system.
Streamlined processes, transitioned to payment models that reward coordinated total care.
More than 10 percent improvement in first-year measures.

- Relevant to other health care networks.

Growth Story Example: Tesla

Elon Musk presented his four-step growth story in 2006.
Step 1: Build a high-end electric sports car.
Step 2: Build a more affordable four-door, luxury sedan.
Step 3: Build an even more affordable sedan.

- Step 4: Provide zero-emission, electric power generation options.

Borrowed Story Example: Columbia Pictures Entertainment

Peter Guber re-energized Columbia using the story of Lawrence of Arabia.
Lawrence’s daring attack on Aqaba inspired the firm.

- Story clicked, and “Aqaba” became a rallying cry.

Using Stories to Communicate Strategic Messaging

Stories are powerful, content is king, communicating a strategic message is extremely difficult.

Three Observations

Stories are orders of magnitude more powerful than sets of facts.
Content drives success in the new era—and content is all about stories.
Communicating a strategic message is extremely difficult.

Tactical vs. Strategic Messaging

Tactical story: Used to achieve a short-term communication objective.
Signature story: Communicates a strategic message, enduring, relevant asset that can provide continuing direction.

Barriers to Story Use

People think communicating facts is more efficient.
No story works for all four points.
Audiences are always rational, motivated, and able to find and process objective information.
Difficult to find and leverage great signature stories.

Defining Signature Stories

Story: A narrative that portrays actual or fictitious events or experiences with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Signature story: An intriguing, authentic, involving narrative that delivers or supports a strategic message.

Qualities of Signature Stories

Intriguing: Grabs attention, stimulates word-of-mouth communication.
Authenticity: The audience does not perceive the story to be phony, contrived, or a transparent selling effort.
Involving: The audience is drawn into the story, empathizes with the characters, responds cognitively, emotionally, and/or behaviorally.
Strategic message: Relevant to its audience and clarifies or enhances the brand vision, customer relationship, organizational values, and/or business strategy.

A Signature Story Is Not a Set of Facts

A signature story is a narrative, not just a list of facts. This is a key conceptual distinction.
While facts provide underpinning, they aren't the story itself.

Signature Stories Need Not Replace Facts

Facts can seal the deal, provide substance to make the case more convincing.
Embed facts into the story, place facts after the story, place facts before the story.

A Signature Story Can Be Short

A signature story can be short on details but involving.
Condensing stories to a few words can be a useful exercise.
Even a metaphor can be a story.

A Signature Story Can Be in the Minds of Customers, Employees or Others

Unique to an individual; more powerful and more likely to be retold.

A Signature Story Can Be Borrowed

Look to role models and their signature stories.
Adapt them for your own organization. Marc Benioff's story is mentioned as an example.

Challenge: Preparing Organizations to Use Signature Stories

Understand the power of stories.
Find organizational support for developing and leveraging them.
Demonstrate the power of stories.
Create a mechanism for grabbing them, tailoring them, depicting them, and using them effectively.
Develop a set of strategic messages.
Listen obsessively to your customers.
Offer incentives to employees to identify potential signature stories.
Know your organization’s heritage.
Identify some signature-story role models.
Have organizational structures and processes.
Create a storytelling culture.
The next chapter introduces sets of signature stories and discusses the enhanced power and challenges that they create.

Sets of Signature Stories

Phil Jackson: “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”

Skype Connects

Music conductor in New York created a symphony played by subway musicians via Skype.
Pilates teacher taught clients from New York via Skype.
Sarah from Indiana and Paige from New Zealand connected daily via Skype.
Together, these stories tell the basic story that Skype enables creative people to do amazing things, some life-enhancing and others life-changing.

Signature-Story Sets, Telling the Same Strategic Message

Companion stories add interest, energy, and visibility; a story set can express the depth and breadth of the strategic message

Rövidke: