Designing stories with difficult messages

Sometimes, businesses find themselves in dangerous waters when trying to engage their audience through emotionally charged popular narratives. Often enough, we see businesses initiating or tagging onto sensitive conversations involving race, politics, skin colour and gender; some nail it, others damage their brand catastrophically, and most end up making their conversations seem unauthentic. Remember how the race to position themselves with the Black Lives Matter movement came out for most brands? Those who didn’t filter the narrative through their own brand personality, or present it through their true views and ideas, had their audiences disengaged, and sometimes even enraged. That awkward Pepsi ad, which only became famous as a tone-deaf disaster of a story, is probably the best example. 

Engaging with popular narratives is a good thing to do; It shows that the brand is alive, current, listening and responding to the world that its consumers live in. But, not every brand can tag onto every narrative. It must be authentic; there must be history, connection or reason; And most importantly, it must be delivered right through the business’ persona, values, and tone of voice.

When we were helping the in-house team at Rithihi—one of Sri Lanka's most beloved saree boutiques—to identify its brand voice and story styles, it became important to demonstrate how to engage with certain topics that were sensitive. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in India, as the death tolls were sky-rocketing, it was insensitive to talk about the beauty of sarees handmade in areas like Banaras, Kanchipuram and Ludhiana, which were devastated by disease. It was important to address this, and convey the brand's authentic emotions towards the catastrophe; However, it was a highly emotionally-charged topic and there was already growing criticism on how some brands were delivering their messages. We created a newsletter with stories that celebrated the skill and beauty of artisanal communities affected by the pandemic. The message was approached through Rithihi's values, while the response to the situation was framed through the brand's personality framework. The stories, as always, were delivered strictly through the brand voice that we carefully identified for Rithihi. As a result, the message was authentic in reflecting Rithihi's true views and sentiments, and it was well received. This story led to creating many meaningful conversations between the business and its audience.

During Sri Lanka's economic crisis in 2022, many hospitality businesses struggled to articulate why it’s still worthwhile to visit the island along with the reasons for the peaceful protests that were sweeping across the nation. It was a challenging message to coin. However, it couldn't be ignored or overlooked by any business inviting people to visit Sri Lanka; especially with the spread of misinformation and sensational news making Sri Lanka appear unsafe. Here's how we helped one of our longstanding clients in hospitality to articulate this message with the earnestness and sense of humour true to their brand voice.

These kinds of emotionally charged narratives are where a brand's true strength in communications is tested. In both these instances, the brand articulation framework that outlined the business values and the voice were the key tools in getting these stories right. 

A well-articulated brand persona and voice are the most important tools you have when navigating through complex or sensitive narratives. They are your frameworks to be truthful and authentic.

If you want to find out more on how we consult and create stories to help businesses navigate through challenging messages, and complex narratives, send us a message.

Why truth is fundamental to commercial stories

The trust that a business cultivates with its audience has a lot to do with the truthfulness in the stories that it tells. Especially now, in our age of misinformation driven into hyperdrive with deep fakes. From my experience in designing stories for business, I’ve understood that truth is fundamental. It’s the basis of a good business story that forms a real connection between businesses and people.

Remember a good story told by a business that led you to forming a connection with that brand; it either tapped into your desires, fears, anxieties, comforts, amusements, or aspirations by offering solidarity, by resonating with you or by providing a solution. But, imagine if you later found out this story was not exactly factual; it would most likely alter your entire perception of that business. Why, though? Why isn’t an untrue business story easily acceptable as fiction, like we would embrace a movie or a comedy skit? This is where context is everything in a story. People generally associate a business story with reality; a product or a service they can use. Unless stated, or presented through the work of an artist, performer, or an influencer whose stories are known to be fictional, business stories live in the context of reality where truth is imperative. For example, see how we set the context for this fictional story for a client. Also see this funny story that needed no explicit context because audiences already recognise the work of these creators as fiction. 

However, the product qualities or values told in a fictional story by a business must still be true. For example; in a campaign video that went viral, tech giant Apple’s team, including CEO Tim Cook, is portrayed having a meeting with Mother Nature played by Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer. In a compelling narrative, Apply cleverly uses a formidable Mother Nature’s demand for sustainability updates to talk about the company’s innovations across materials, clean energy, and low-carbon shopping as well as its work in restoring natural ecosystems. The story ends with Mother Nature being pleasantly surprised, as Apple successfully presents itself as on track to meet targets for its 2020 pledge to reach net zero across Apple’s entire carbon footprint by 2030. The story also doesn’t miss the opportunity to unveil its first carbon-neutral product, an eco-friendly Apple Watch. This story has won Apple admiration for transforming a boring sustainability report into something that has humor, entertainment, and facts while also achieving what all companies want with their content—going viral. It’s genius storytelling. Or, is it? The story has also created significant backlash bringing the spotlight to Apple’s already existing reputation for creating products that quickly become obsolete and limiting the ability to repair—both highly unsustainable policies. This has led to accusations of greenwashing and dismissal of Apple’s sustainability claims; unfortunately, even the ones they uphold. This is a case that highlights the importance of making communication not only interesting but also authentic. In the long run, honesty is at the core of stories that build trust. Brands should proudly claim their victories while being honest about their shortcomings and what they’re still working on. For brands that prioritize longevity and build a legacy of reliability over short-term profits and virality, honesty is key when it comes to communication.

Truth is fundamental to business stories; it’s non-negotiable. Even in entertainment, where fiction is a norm and readily welcomed by audiences, truth holds enormous value. Just think about the weight it adds to the value of a story when you read the line ‘this story was based on a true incident’ at the end. Truth is so valuable; never, ever compromise or downplay it in business stories.

When a brand is truthful in its communication, it establishes credibility. Consumers grow to trust a brand that doesn't mislead, change narratives, or overpromise. This means transparent communication about products, services, and business practices; it builds trust because consumers always appreciate more knowledge and a deeper understanding of their purchases. 

Honesty in branding and business communication is not just a moral or ethical consideration; it's a strategic one. It builds trust, credibility, and loyalty, ultimately contributing to a brand's long-term success and financial growth.

Truth is one of the most fundamental aspects of a good business story; but, there’s more to building a successful conversation between a business and its audience. We always encourage clients to tell true stories, or present truth through the entertainment of fiction; this paired with conscious intention that comes from your company’s values, a rational relevance built to your audience through the message, and the ritual consistency of a well-rounded brand personality, language, voice, and tone maintained right throughout can form a great connection with between a business and its audience. Without these elements, your brand stories will also remain lost in the digital noise, deleted unread from inboxes, or overlooked on the feed. To find out how we can help your business tell its real story in ways your audience can draw value from it, get in touch.

The call to adventure; a short guide to the Explorer archetype

The desire to explore and put curiosity into action is one of the traits that have shaped our civilization. It's a mindset that pushes us to discover and get to know this universe better. It’s this call for adventure that led us to traverse oceans, map continents, pursue scientific inquiry into unchartered territories, and venture into space. It connects us as a global community, breaking down barriers and fostering understanding between people from different places. This call to adventure is universal; but, it’s more deeply ingrained in some people, leading it to be considered a personality archetype in Jungian psychology. Called ‘the Explorer’, we use this archetype in storytelling for businesses. 

The Explorer archetype embodies the spirit of adventure, curiosity, and a thirst for the unknown. It resonates with businesses and people who are eager to discover new horizons, both externally and internally. The Explorer seeks personal growth, freedom, and authentic experiences beyond the ordinary. The Explorer is one of the twelve archetypes of the universally recognized patterns of the human psyche as theorized by Carl Jung—the Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology. We use them for commercial story design. We created a more detailed guide to understand archetypes; it’s recommended as a supporting read to understand why Jungian archetypes provide a great framework to typify business personas.

In this short guide focusing on the Explorer archetype, we cover:

• Explorer businesses

• The Explorer in stories

• Why many businesses relate to the Explorer right now

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Explorer businesses

From our work, we’ve seen certain types of businesses that naturally lend themselves to the Explorer archetype. Businesses in travel, adventure, historical and cultural tourism—like tour operators, museums, heritage locations, and adventure experience companies—are a natural fit for the Explorer archetype. They cater to customers seeking new experiences and the thrill of travel, inviting audiences to explore the richness of the natural world, history, and human heritages. Another closely related business sector is outdoor and sporting gear and wear. With their offer of apparel or equipment giving solutions to outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers, these companies also embody the spirit of adventure and exploration with ease.

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But, the explorer goes beyond these mentioned natural fits. If your business values freedom, authenticity, and adventure, it can successfully project the Explorer archetype in stories and identity. We use a Brand Articulation Framework to identify your business persona, with archetypes being one of the major tools we use.

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Exploration and adventure is an idea that transcends traversing the physical world; it applies to ideas and thinking too. We’ve seen a fair share of businesses that involve scientific, tech or innovation to embody the Explorer archetype in terms of uncovering new possibilities, pushing boundaries, and encouraging curiosity. Other natural projectors of the Explorer archetype are, environmental and conservation organizations dedicated to exploring and protecting the natural world, culinary businesses—such as food tour companies or restaurants offering a variety of international cuisines catering to food explorers seeking authentic taste experiences and travelling retail and pop-up shops including concept stores with a sense of wonder, enticing customers to follow or explore something beyond the ordinary.

1904, The ruined cities of Ceylon. Cave, Henry. Hutchinson & co., London. See the Explorer postcard pairing and story we created from this using PD rights.

The Explorer in stories

When we work with clients that have a prominent Explorer archetype, we often create stories that revolve around adventure, self-discovery, and the quest for the unknown. 

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The classic story arc of adventure where a protagonist embarks on a quest, gains an extraordinary experience, and returns transformed—whether it's a guest experiencing a resort, a yoga retreat, or a dish or beverage that transports them—are great stories for Explorer businesses. For many of our Explorer clients in adventure travel or recreation, we create stories that focus on explorers venturing into uncharted territories; like jungle trails, surf expeditions, lesser-known histories, or navigating major changes through symbolic journeys. 

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When we work with clients who are healers, fitness gurus, or yogis, Explorer narratives centered on an individual's inner journey of self-discovery and personal growth leaving one's comfort zone to explore new aspects of themselves, become particularly useful. Narratives involving journeys through time to explore different past eras or learn about historical figures are particularly effective for Explorer brands that connect to historical locations, resorts and holiday homes.

When we work with artists, musicians, or design studios that embody the Explorer in their brand persona, we often make stories that share their creative processes, staying true to themselves, and seeking inspiration. There are many story arcs and narratives that resonate with the Explorer archetype by capturing curiosity, adventure, and the pursuit of new horizons—whether external, internal or symbolic. They often inspire audiences to embrace their journeys of exploration and growth.

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It’s interesting to create stories that speak to the Explorer archetype in the audience too; we once created a series of written and visual stories for a merchandise collection designed specifically to help travellers take back the memories of the places they experienced in Sri Lanka; see this collection in our client’s store, and read this story about how we created the city story series. Another time, we created a story series as a series of postcards that considered the traveller audience of a hospitality business with a dominant Explorer archetype.

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Why many businesses relate to the Explorer right now

In our work, the Explorer is one of the most popular archetypes that we encounter among businesses. The Explorer has always held the fascination of the collective psyche; the volumes of pop culture and media, films, books, television shows, and documentaries with exploratory themes, adventure, and self-discovery through the ages tell us that the Explorer has been a beloved facet of the human mind for a very long time. 

However, after 2022, there’s a notable and significant resonance with this archetype among businesses—particularly, new ones. We think this Explorer archetype's relevance in the general business mindset has much to do with the start-up culture and entrepreneurial mindset of the time. Most decision-makers, particularly entrepreneurs, are Explorers themselves. It’s natural for business founders’ and custodians' personalities to influence the brand, allowing their desire for personal growth, fascination with diverse cultures, and a longing for adventure and discovery to seep into the business persona as well. There is also a renewed interest in travel and a desire to explore beyond one's immediate surroundings in contemporary culture; particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic which prompted reflection on the importance of rich life experiences. Societal shifts toward embracing diversity and inclusivity encourage people to explore and appreciate different cultures while growing awareness of climate change and environmental issues prompting exploration and appreciation of our planet, and the rise of remote work and digital nomadism have also contributed to the rising popularity of the Explorer.

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Our most frequent Explorer brand clients are in hospitality, food and beverages, health and mental well-being, and the creative industry. When we create stories for them, we make sure we bring out the traits that highlight their sense of adventure, resourcefulness and ability to stay authentic despite shifts in time and place. See how we helped a resort with an Explorer identity communicate how they stayed true to their offer during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis; this was a story designed to show how an Explorer persona used its superpower to stay true to self in the thick of changes within a seriously challenging context where the government had imposed strict import restrictions leading to ingredient limitations for their eclectic menu based on recipes around the world. To find out how we can tell your Explorer stories, get in touch.

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