I curse a little in this one

To be honest, I’ve never really been a fan of the Brand Story method of advertising. I understand why it’s effective but it has just never appealed to me. For example, those Tim Horton’s commercials (I don’t remember if they’re still on the air or not) where they would tell a heart warming story about a father and son being reunited thanks to Tim Horton’s coffee or something like that. I guess those aren’t as much a brand story as a story about the brand’s products but I’m still choosing to count it. The commercials were well done but I never really got the connection between this and coffee. It’s one thing to tell the story about the company themselves, but this was a different angle I never really understood.

I’ve always been more for a blunt style of advertising. If it were a Tim Horton’s ad all you have to do is show me a cup of coffee and someone yelling “GOD DAMN THAT’S GOOD COFFEE. BUY 12 OF THESE RIGHT NOW!” I would immediately run to the nearest Tim Horton’s after seeing that. That’s all I need. The story angle never really made me want a coffee. It does give you some respect for the company though, so on that level I guess it works. Maybe I don’t really have a point here I don’t know. I think what I’m trying to say is that while I do feel that brand story can be a very effective way of advertising; I think there is a time and a place for it. Tim Horton’s isn’t really a company that needs to travel that route.

I do have an example of one I thought really worked well. Just last night I saw a commercial for Schneider’s that goes the brand story route by telling the roots of the company and provides details about their background. They focus on how long the company has been around and been committed to providing great customer service and making sure their products are safe for everyone. Considering what is currently going on in the world of packaged meats, I say smart move on the part of Schneider’s for this one. It really helps make customers feel confident about the product and gives their brand a good image by letting the audience know their meat won’t, well kill you when you eat it. So there we go, an example of an area where it doesn’t work, and an example where I feel it does work.

I absolutely understand that companies want to tell the story of their brand to give it an image and a personality. It completely makes sense. I simply believe it’s not really a method that needs to be used for some companies. I guess I’m just more about the product itself and why I should buy it. If the flavour of your gum lasts a really long time, then I’m going to buy it. I don’t care if your company uses its money to fund kids going to camp, or to fund illegal monkey fights in Mexico. In fact I’ll probably buy it faster if it’s the second one.