13 storiesEVERY TECHNOLOGY BRAND NEEDS TO TELL

THE13 Stories

In an increasingly commoditised technology market, the power of storytelling is creating unprecedented opportunities for forward-thinking brands: opportunities to engage, excite and convert; to build clear differentiation, enduring relationships and increased sales.

The science of human decision-making has never been so sophisticated, accessible or useful. With the role of emotion in purchasing behaviour now well established, brands are beginning to unlock the power of storytelling to build customer relationships that are more authentic, more human… and more lucrative.

For years, B2B marketers have laboured under the assumption purchasing is a predominantly rational process, based on business value; whereas B2C purchasing is a more emotional process based

on personal value. It is an assumption that dominates technology branding and marketing; it is an assumption that is logical, intuitive and entirely wrong.

Advances in behavioural economics, social psychology and neuroscience are redefining the way we build brands, develop strategies and drive sales. The research is clear: emotion is at least as critical a factor in B2B marketing as B2C, and effective storytelling is the key to its potential.

“B2B purchasing is a predominantly rational process... this is an assumption that is logical, intuitive and entirely wrong”

HUMANISING TECHNOLOGY BRANDS THROUGH STORIES

Although the mechanics of storytelling are emotional, the

impacts are highly practical. Squeezed by the dual pressures of contracting timescales and ballooning information, effective, intelligent storytelling

serves as a highly practical, much-needed decision-making tool for time-pressed buyers; a shortcut that controls information, reduces anxiety and facilitates confident decisions.

Rooster Punk’s 13 Stories approach allows technology brands to unleash

this power within their own sectors. To unlock the unique potential of storytelling as both a relationship builder and decision-making trigger; a source of inspiration for employees and motivation for customers; a means of increasing brand equity in the long term while maximising sales revenue in the short term.

translating emotion into action

why emotion?

“Intelligent storytelling serves as a highly practical, decision-making tool for time-pressed buyers”

The reasoning is clear: B2B sales and purchases carry much greater risk than B2C. Business performance must be monitored; value-for-money must be demonstrated – targets, reputations and careers are at stake. Nowhere is this dynamic more pronounced than in the technology sector.

In this context, an authentic emotional connection is the most effective means of building trust, gaining confidence and mitigating risk.

“An authentic emotional connection is the most effective means of building trust”

Stories are fundamental to the human condition. They are the means by which we make sense of the world and our place within it; the mechanism through which we generate meaning and attribute value.

In a marketing context, we use stories to make our brands, products and services resonate with the lives of

customers. We use them to infuse character, depth and personal significance into a sector that is often bland, superficial and impersonal.

In short, we use stories to provoke and preserve an emotional connection that builds relationships and drives sales.

WHY STORIES?

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world” Philip Pullman

01ORIGIN

03CONTRAST

07FOCUS

11IMPACT

12REACH

13AUTHORITY

08CULTURE

09COMPASSION

10PLANET

04PRODUCT

05EMPATHY

06INNOVATION

02PURPOSE

04: PRODUCT

EVERY TECHNOLOGY BRAND NEEDS TO TELL

THE13 Stories

Provide the foundation for all brand activity

Relate to customers by humanising your offer

Share your social impacts to give customers confidence

Use thought leadership to edge out the competition

Bring to life your point of difference

Achieve a balance of specialist expertise and wider appeal

Champion successes future customers can identify with

Create an emotional message that goes beyond profit

Project your journey to greater growth

Highlight the role your brand plays in sustainability

Communicate the nuts and bolts of your service

Empower employees to become passionate ambassadors

Clearly communicate your routes to market to build trust

How it all startedIn a largely adolescent technology sector renowned for its commercial bubbles, ephemeral start-ups and anonymous up-starts, heritage is gold dust. An authentic Origin story creates instant differentiation and gives customers and prospects confidence in your offer: your brand has roots; it won’t blow away.

Whether you’re a global technology brand or a start-up, your Origin story will

provide the foundation for all brand activity. It will help guide the development of internal culture, attract staff and improve customer service. It will infuse every interaction at every touchpoint with a recognisable, reassuring flavour.

Regardless of the age, size or sector of your business, it was started by someone, somewhere, for a reason. Our story architects will work with you to locate,

develop and articulate your Origin narrative. We will ensure it is authentic, engaging and threaded through the fabric of your brand.

“Every company has a launch. Few have an origin”

Why we are hereThe sole purpose of your brand is to send an emotional message that goes beyond profit, not just to give customers cheaper, better products and services, but to give them more time, more status, less stress. You may not know it yet, but this realisation will create a direct shortcut to better leads, bigger orders and increased loyalty.

A human-centred Purpose story, driven by deep customer insight,

demonstrates the role your products and services play in the day-to-day life of your customers. It establishes a sympathetic affinity with prospects and translates features and benefits into a relevant, resonant purpose.

In a sector defined by the ‘what’ and the ‘how’, we can help you find your ‘why’ – the meaningful difference you want to make in your market, category and the

world. Your ‘why’ is the single most compelling reason customers should choose your brand over hundreds of competitors. It’s an elusive, but transformative insight that lives not in your business, product or people, but out there, in the real lives of real customers.

In a sector defined by the ‘what’, we can help you find your ‘why’

Why we’re differentIn a crowded market, creating contrast between you and your competition is a pre-requisite for growth. However, in a sector built on rapid iteration and continuous innovation, you need an outstanding product and a superlative service just to get in the game. The brands that take home the chips have something a little more special.

Building on your Purpose story, a high definition Contrast story demonstrates how your offer is best placed to address your customers’ challenges. It goes beyond product features and service specifications to give your customers a tangible sense of the value you – and only you – can bring to their business.

Combining customer insight and creative communications, we can locate and articulate your point of difference and bring it to life in a way that gains attention and builds interest.

03: CONTRASTFrom reading the spec, to feeling the difference

Emotional engagement must be balanced with rational appeal. As we move through the decision-making process, the buyer mindset becomes increasingly detail-oriented, with factual information becoming the primary influencer.

With attention gained and interest aroused, your customer needs to attend to the nuts and bolts of product/service functionality and cost. A carefully-crafted Product narrative allows you to communicate the extended, detailed or technical information in a way that increases confidence and reduces anxiety.

The use of stories allows you to make this essential step in the decision-making process without further adding to the ubiquitous sense of information overload that plagues today’s tech buyers.

Through persona and scenario development we can help you create a Product story that casts customers as lead characters, market challenges as a quest and your brand as the hero.

04: PRODUCT

Regardless of what you sell, your business is solving problems

What we do

Our customer insightWith an unwavering focus on technological innovation, too many brands overlook their biggest asset: customer insight. Unless you can relate your innovation directly to your customer need, in a relevant and compelling way, you will never convert attention and interest into desire.

A considered, evidence-based Empathy story provides the filter

to attract customers who believe what you believe. It allows you to understand your customers’ challenges, establish affinity with them, position your offer within them and, ultimately, demonstrate how you can make their lives easier and their businesses better.

We can help you segment your customer base to develop tailored sub-plots that resonate with the

individual needs of each. A storytelling approach to the core marketing concept of segmentation allows you to humanise your offer and project it into the lives of your customers.

From technology-led to human-centred stories

How we move forwardIn a sector defined by rapid iteration and perpetual beta, your customers need confidence that your brand has the energy and passion to keep pace – if not take the lead – with their own rapidly shifting needs.

In this context, a constantly updated, ever-evolving Innovation story is a shortcut to greater confidence, stronger loyalty and repeat business. Building on your Empathy story, your Innovation story will cast you as your customers’ invaluable travelling partner on the journey to greater growth.

We can help you combine emerging market and technology trends with your own internal innovation narratives to create a Innovation story that is authoritative, energetic and constantly evolving.

06: INNOVATION

Standing still isthe new going backwards

While many technology brands thrive within niche markets, significant growth may depend on relevance across multiple verticals. Effective stories can help translate your sector-specific successes into narratives that resonate with wider markets.

A credible, yet accessible Focus story will allow you to achieve this balance of authenticity and wider appeal; specialist expertise, with more relevance.

It will allow you to build on your established strengths and impacts, and develop them into engaging, credible propositions for new markets.

Building on your Purpose, Innovation and Impact stories, we can help create a Focus narrative that aligns your offer with emerging market opportunities in a way that establishes credibility and demonstrates relevance. 

Our affinity with specific markets

07: FOCUS

Focus but with a wide lens

What goes on inside

08: CULTUREOrganisational culture is a brand’s single most valuable intangible

asset. Culture consists of the unwritten codes, norms and rules that infuse the atmosphere of a business and guide the decisions and behaviour

of its employees.

Culture drives innovation, productivity and customer service. It facilitates talent acquisition and retention. In short, culture drives performance, and stories define culture.

A credible, inspiring Culture story will empower employees as committed partners and passionate ambassadors. It will bring clarity to what is expected of every member of staff internally and will serve as a catalyst for employees to share and promote your vision externally.

Building on your Origin and Purpose stories, we can help you develop a Culture story that is both meaningful and motivating; a story that employees and stakeholders can participate in, influence and

contribute to.

Good stories aren’t told, they’re lived

The relationship between business and society is changing rapidly and radically. As demand grows for more authenticity and meaning, brands are under increasing pressure to be more responsible, more compassionate… more human.

While this insight is nothing new to the consumer brandscape, it

represents an untapped opportunity in a B2B context. A strategically-focused Compassion story will directly link your business operation to your social impacts and give customers the confidence that you have a purpose beyond profit.

Regardless of your brand, product or service our team will locate opportunities for your business operation to impact positively on internal and external communities and build a compelling Compassion narrative that connects them with your customers.

09: COMPASSIONour role in society

The new capitalism - now with added

conscience

The future of your sector is inextricably linked with the future of the planet, not as a challenge to reduce emissions, but as an opportunity

to inspire, enable and empower behaviour change and cultural shift; to innovate products, grow markets and increase sales.

Collaborative consumption, de-materialisation, the ‘Internet of things’, wearable technology are just a handful of the emerging sustainability trends driven by developments in technology.

The technology brands that thrive in the future will be the ones that have a credible and strategic link with positive environmental impact

and relevance in emerging economic models.

Working with stakeholders across your business, our team will tear up the CSR textbook and develop a state-of-the-art Planet story that will demonstrate an enlightened awareness of this emerging

sustainability space and highlight the role your brand plays in it.

Our place in the world

10: PLANET

Economic sustainability requires environmental

sustainability

Customer confidence is the single most important factor in the purchase decision-making process. However, in a sector blighted by security challenges, market bubbles and short-termism, it can be a highly elusive commodity.

A vivid, credible Impact story will leverage your previous results to reduce buyer anxiety and increase trust. It will reinvent the ‘testimonials and case studies’ approach to create immersive narratives depicting how your brand has overcome adversity and delivered tangible, measurable ROI through previous projects.

An effective Impact story will trigger prospective customers to switch suppliers; motivate new customers to increase their spend and inspire existing customers to share their experience. Building directly on your Product story, we will help you translate your existing customer triumphs into compelling ‘problem-solved’ narratives future customers can identify with and participate in.

11: IMPACTThe difference we’re making

From case studies to immersive narratives

Complex or confusing routes to market can result in information overload and compromised confidence for some customers. With its diverse, multi-layered business models, the technology sector is at risk from this phenomenon more than most.

Whether you sell direct (in-person or online) via channel partners or a combination of the two, a carefully considered, clearly written Reach story will clearly communicate your routes to market help build trust and speed up the customer journey.

At an emotional level, open and transparent Reach narratives make the honesty and integrity of your brand tangible. At a more rational level they serve as a practical guide for customers; helping them understand how and where to buy from you, service levels they should expect, and at what price.

Through a thorough understanding of your business model and your customer segments, we can help you craft a Reach story that increases sales, boosts efficiency and improves customer experience.

How we get your customers to buy from you

12: REACHTransparency plus communication equals clarity and trust

Intelligent thought leadership marketing creates a backdrop against which differentiation builds and sales increase. Done well, thought leadership activity subtly, effectively – and often cheaply – makes significant advances on customer mind space, edging out competition as it works.

An Authority story sends a strong signal to customers and competitors alike: your brand is about more than just products, services and sales. You are an industry leader, representing the wider interests of customers and employees, to the benefit of the entire sector.

Working with your internal team, we can help you identify, articulate and disseminate head-turning, thought-provoking content that gives your brand ownership over burning industry issues and critical future trends.

Your thought leadership

13: AUTHORITYGet to the future before everyone else

ready to create your 13 Stories?

Why 13 Stories? contact us

Rooster Punk can work with you to mine, craft and tell your stories sooner than you think. Brands are only as strong as their stories, and we’ll help you create powerful narratives that people identify with and believe in – stories that are worth talking about. So, if you’re an ambitious technology or digital company looking to humanise your brand, visit RoosterPunk.com to learn more.

Intelligent storytelling serves as a highly practical, and much-needed decision-making tool for today’s time pressed buyers. Stories act as a shortcut to control information, reduce anxiety and facilitate confident decisions. The mechanics of storytelling deliver on an emotional level to create real impact. Rooster Punk’s 13 Stories approach allows technology brands to unleash the power of storytelling to inspire and engage employees and customers to increase brand equity and maximise sales revenue.

RoosterPunk.com doodledoo@roosterpunk.com

@RoosterPunks

Rooster Punk is a creative agency crafting humanising stories for technology brands. We invest heavily in our people, culture and developing storytelling techniques to engineer narratives that are worth talking about.

We also care about the planet too. Our ‘Fundation’ is a non-profitable organisation that acts as a source of funding for charities and causes we passionately believe in. At the core of the Fundation is a desire to use fun, laughter and happiness as a way of changing human behaviour to bring hope and joy to those less fortunate than many of us.

Help us #unf*cktheplanet