Thread helps companies find their story and use it to make happier employees, better products, more loyal customers, more productive workplaces and generally a better world.
At the heart of every great brand is a story that tells us why the brand exists, and why the world is better for it. When you land on the right story—one that is authentically true, aspirational and meaningful to others—it inspires people to not just buy your products, but to believe in your brand.
A powerful story cures the brand confusion that happens when everyone is moving fast in different directions. It’s the touchstone that reminds everyone who you are and what you believe in (and, just as important, who you’re not and how to prioritize). When everyone is pointed in the same direction, it makes day-to-day decision-making easier, reminds coworkers why hard work is worth doing, and ends the meaninglessness of one-off marketing messaging.
If any of these challenges sound familiar, a Thread brand narrative can help.
Industry research, internal interviews and competitive analysis are just the tip of the iceberg. In the discovery phase, we are searching for the reason why people should believe in what you’re putting out into the world, and that requires a deep dive. Who does the brand want to be 15 years from now? What customers will get us there? What do those people care about, believe in, talk about, read and listen to? Our goal is to bring your brand into alignment with the slice of influencers who will grow the social capital and revenue of the brand.
There’s a gap between where your company is now, and where you want it to be. A brand truth and supporting core values help bridge that gap. The discovery phase will lead us to your brand truth, the reason your company or organization exists beyond making products or providing services, giving customers and coworkers something tangible to believe in. Brand pillars help everyone who works with the brand to make decisions that are in line with the narrative. They’re the guardrails to living your brand story.
While the first two phases build a rational case for the new brand direction, the narrative builds an emotional one. The narrative doesn’t explain the nuts and bolts of your business; rather it’s the story that makes those nuts and bolts sing. Similar to a brand manifesto, a narrative uses metaphor, evocative language and writerly magic to paint a picture that shows what your organization stands for and believes in.
It usually takes 3-4 months to work a brand narrative project from start to finish.
Your brand narrative lays the foundation for your story strategy. It’s the road map you’ll use to create brand communications going forward, from product stories to website copy and content marketing. Thread can also hop on board to help with any of these projects. We love working copy for our brand narrative clients because all of that upfront story strategy makes writing decisions easy.
Thread also offers custom workshops to help train your team on your new narrative identity. Typically attended by marketing teams but open to anyone, our half-day and full-day narrative identity workshops are designed to make sure everyone is on board with your new direction. The goal is to build consensus, excitement and confidence so your team can use your story strategy in all brand communications going forward.