What’s a story worth telling? One that drives real conversations.
Good brand managers relish the challenge of creating a brand preference in competitive categories. Of course, the real question underlying this challenge is: How do we create real conversations?
Some brands do this consistently and well.
You’d find iconic brands such as Nike do this by taking on issues which are thought-provoking, sometimes taboo. Topics which the “silent majority” relates to but does not discuss openly.
What gets this “silent majority” to express themselves? A stimulus. A stimulus which stirs the right chords within us and compels us to initiate a dialogue.
AegonLife chose such an issue and told a story which telling impact. There are many good learnings worth emulating for brands, especially in competitive categories such as insurance.
A compelling story. #BondofProtection
Important facets of the story.
- The occasion. The brand chose Raksha Bandhan, a festival which celebrates the strong brother-sister bond. It should be expected that several brands would pick this occasion (and they did!). It was both an opportunity to use the occasion as well as a challenge to stand out and get the brand’s voice heard.
- The issue. An issue which is not spoken about very often. The issue of accepting differences. Differences in personal preferences and beliefs.
- Contextualizing. Aegon chose a storyline which connects the occasion and the issue meaningfully.
- Creative. A short, but power-packed, engrossing video.
- Connecting it to the brand. You’d see several “digital-only” videos but only a few which show the connection between the category and the story. The brand weaved its promise beautifully.
Watch this video and see how this creative communicates a message through a compelling story. Worth observing is how it ties in the brand’s promise around protection – “For those who protect. From those who protect”.
An impactful story.
Media spends to “boost” video views are commonplace. Do such “boosted” videos drive real conversations? From the right audience?
Media spends can drive reach. But resonance is something else. Resonance amplifies reach.
The Auris platform was used to measure impact. Here is what we learned.
- The conversation volume shot up multiple times the usual. Perhaps over 100x. Important to draw the distinction between reach and conversations. The latter reflects “resonance”.
- A story which struck an emotional chord. The topics of discussions reflect that the buzz was driven by emotion. Consumers relayed that the story was “real”.
- A category which sees <20% participation from the female audience saw almost equal participation. Such campaigns which engage a distinct consumer segment can help expand market share. Imagine a very small slice of viewers suggesting AegonLife in dinner table discussions. Or better still imagine them buying an Aegon policy on their own.
Such storytelling is what helps a brand create a preference for itself, and in the process to transition from “also-ran” to category leaders.