18.213 Cairo

BRAND STORY BITE #7

WHAT IS MY CUSTOMER THINKING ABOUT IN 2023?

Covid-19 will be remembered in history as the pandemic that put the globe on “pause”.

Economies froze, airspace suspended, businesses shut down, e-commerce exploded, health systems collapsed and the simple act of human connection was eradicated.

Is there a silver lining? Maybe.

Uncertainty and crisis is an opportunity to “lean in” to where our business wants to go next. And, how we want to be perceived post-crisis in a very different world.

So, as customers who have we become?

SELECTIVE in who we choose to trust

LOYAL to brands that truly MATTER.

INFORMING ourselves about BRAND VALUES and ETHICS

CHOOSING to buy ONLINE rather than in a shop or mall.

CONSUMERISM has been replaced by MINIMALISM

LESSON:

Creating a customer profile in 2023 is not only about demographics but more importantly PSYCHOGRAPHICS.

EXERCISE:

Get a piece of paper and draw a person that you think is your ideal customer. And, ask yourself how is she/he feeling? What does she/he dream about? Who do they aspire to become? What problem keeps them up at night?

Stay tuned for more about your ideal customer in Brand Story Bite #8.

# profiling

BRAND STORY BITE #6

WHAT DOES YOUR BRAND STAND FOR?

As an entrepreneur, startup, or small business owner EVERYTHING started with a dream or a BIG IDEA.

You saw something that wasn’t working or that didn’t even EXIST and you made an intention to make it happen.

You created a solution for that problem.

And then, sometimes everything simply aligns - the right “market timing”, ideal customer, economic landscape and the magic of the Universe (yes, I believe in magic).

Your brand becomes VIRAL.

And, everyone is sharing it on IG stories because they SEE THEMSELVES in what you STAND FOR.

They believe in your STORY.

A compelling BRAND STORY is what they REMEMBER.

They forget all the shiny features and benefits but they CONNECT to WHY your product has meaning for their lives.

LESSON:
Every brand has a purpose that goes beyond just SELLING, in 2023 consumers are overloaded with products, services and information. Their attention is limited to who they will NOTICE.

EXERCISE:
Dig very deep into your brand DNA and remember what inspired you to start your product or service and start writing down your PURPOSE, your BIG WHY. That is the first chapter of your brand narrative.

BRAND STORY BITE #5

GLOBAL RECESSION, CHATGPT & STORYTELLING

If we were to unpack the past 3 years, Pre COVID and currently Post COVID ( yes, that is a thing) what market story would we share?

Confusion, turbulence, uncertainty and the ability to ADAPT & PIVOT very quickly.

But, what interests me the most as a brand storyteller is the human impact.

How has it changed how we lead, inspire, manage and create with our TRIBES (i.e teams, clients, suppliers and markets)?

Storytelling is about empathy and meaning that is grounded in VULNERABILITY.

Being brave enough as a brand to SHARE difficult realities.
But, guess what that’s where the magic begins, in connecting authentically with your customers.

CHATGPT is a powerful tool that speeds up the process of CREATING all kinds of content.

But, does it infuse your content with SOUL?

LESSON:

Crisis is hard. But, it’s what you do with it that matters.

EXERCISE:
Ask yourself what are my top challenges today and write them down. Then try and STORY-TELL them as a compelling narrative that persuades your customer to engage.

BRAND STORY BITE #4

WHAT'S BEHIND YOUR UBER RIDE?

Like all great brands, Uber started from a personal experience.

On a snowy December night in Paris, 2008, Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp stood shivering while they waited for a taxi.

None came. Fittingly, the company started right then as a half-serious joke about ordering a private limo through an app.

After that night, Camp and Kalanick went their separate ways, but the idea stuck with them both.

Pretty soon after, “UberCab” was born.

In March the following year, the two co-founders had developed the app and proceeded to test it in New York in 2010 using just three cars.

Returning to Paris in December 2012, they launched Uber — exactly three years after the app was first conceived there.

The company has grown exponentially since then, revolutionizing the meaning of travel along the way.

Yet one of the most inspiring elements of that journey is the way Uber has come to tell its story in every element of the brand.

Uber’s entire platform — from the app to the tone of voice and design — is a masterclass in branding.

(Source: LOOKA)

Lesson: Think creatively about how you tell your story in every element of your brand, both on and offline. Consider how to augment your existing brand elements into memorable items that convey who you are and what you do.

EXERCISE:

What OPPORTUNITIES do you have to deepen your customer’s experience with your brand?

STAY TUNED FOR BRAND STORY BITE #5 tomorrow.

BRAND STORY BITES #3

DID YOU KNOW?

Nike's first pair of running shoes was inspired by waffles.

Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman was having breakfast with his wife one morning in 1971 when it dawned on him that the grooves in the waffle iron she was using would be an excellent mold for a running shoe.

Bowerman, who was a track and field coach at the time, had been searching for a way to make shoes lighter and faster.

Oregon's Hayward Field, where he worked, was transitioning to an artificial surface and "Bill wanted a sole without spikes that could grip equally well on grass or bark dust."

He was talking to his wife about this problem over breakfast, when the waffle iron idea came into play.

"I picked out a couple pieces of jewelry and things that had stars on them, or things that we thought would indent or make a pattern on the soles" .

"We were making the waffles that morning and talking about (the track)".

As one of the waffles came out, he said, 'You know, by turning it upside down — where the waffle part would come in contact with the track — I think that might work.’

"So he got up from the table and went running into his lab and got two cans of whatever it is you pour together to make the urethane, and poured them into the waffle iron."

The rubber mold inspired Nike's first shoe, the Waffle Trainer, which debuted in 1974.

(Source: The Insider)

LESSON: What is more powerful, sharing the Origin Story of how the Nike sole came into being or just sharing that it is a great shoe with lots of SHINY features?

EXERCISE:

Go to a quiet space where you can be mindful and reflective with no distractions. Get a piece of paper or just use your phone and ask yourself: What is my Origin Story? And, do I have one?

Stay tuned for Brand Story Bite #4 with another fascinating global brand story.

BRAND STORY BITE #2

Storytelling IS:

What your Brand really stands for, it’s YOUR BIG WHY! Why you exist?

It shares what inspired you to create YOUR brand in the first place.

It’s why you wake up every morning ( and night) to make it happen despite all the HARD stuff.

It is your true North, your Purpose and what you believe will SERVE your clients specific PROBLEM.

It taps into more than just the NEEDS of your customer (mind) it connects your brand to their emotions (heart).

It’s is the ultimate path to PERSUADING them to BUY INTO your product or service.

A compelling Brand Story gets your customer excited about the CHANGE your product or service can have on their lives.

It replaces a list of boring facts and figures of WHAT the brand offers.

It makes your brand memorable and REMEMBERED, because
our brains are wired for STORY.

Stay tuned for examples of some powerful global brand stories in tomorrows Brand Story Bite #3 powered by 18.213.

BRAND STORY BITE #1

The MYTHS around Brand Storytelling

Storytelling is NOT…

A fancy word for your Mission Statement

Only used as a Storyboard for an Advertisement

A marketing trend that will go away with AI and CHATGPT.

Can only be achieved if you know how to write.

Is only expressed through WORDS.

A powerpoint 30 slide presentation

A description of WHAT your product does

A sleazy “sales pitch”

Stay tuned for what STORYTELLING IS in tomorrows Brand Story Bite powered by 18.213.

DO YOU OWN A SMALL BUSINESS?

Tomorrow I will be launching "BRAND STORY BITES"

What is it?

Valuable branding tips that WORK for helping you build your BRAND STORY in the current market recession we are all experiencing.

Why is your Brand Story Important in 2023?

Because consumers are fed up of brands that don't STAND FOR SOMETHING THAT MATTERS and are INAUTHENTIC.

Your STORY is what connects your customer to an emotional need that can makes them feel:

SAFE/ BEAUTIFUL/ POWERFUL/ WORTHY/ RESPONSIBLE/ SMART/ CONNECTED/ HIP

So, BRANDING is really about sharing a STORY worth listening to and that engages your customer with what they BELIEVE IN and that SOLVES A VERY SPECIFIC PROBLEM.

Keep following this page for BRAND STORY BITE #1 every morning!!!!!

THE LIFE OF A WINDOW...

Once upon a time in 2012
A magical window came to LIFE on Street 213

It shared the STORIES of a....

Fashion Designer
Jewelry Makers
Contemporary Artist
Mosaic Social Activist
2 Social Enterprises
Online Health Coach

Flash FORWARD to 2021

A Pandemic stopped the world as we know it.

The Window became a place where people could FEEL A BRIEF MOMENT OF JOY!!!
The Window belonged to the whole community.

It transformed into a SOCIAL PROJECT.

Yesterday the Window is open again.

To spark the initiative, with one simple question:

WHAT DOES KINDNESS MEAN TO YOU?

So far, 6 people have been kind enough to reply, here is what they answered:

"Kindness if giving to others the love you receive"
" Kindness is a smile"
"Kindness is helping people"
"Kindness is helping people, being there and Giving"
" Kindness is smiles for others"
"Kindness is putting others before yourself"

Maadi Peeps...
Drop by and share your answer if you have a moment, and if my lights are on come by and have a coffee and a chat.

Sahar

Opening the curtains of my window after a PAUSE of time and SPIRIT!

Excited for the next chapter of my creative journey as an EXPERIENTIAL STORYTELLER and POPUP EVENT ARCHITECT for Egyptian brands that STAND FOR A NARRATIVE THAT MATTERS!

Bring it on!