We often confuse storytelling with simplistic or childish activities. Yes, it’s true that we were frequently  read to as children. We loved story time at school and often were unable to go to bed unless a story was  read to us. So, what’s so meaningful and special about this activity that we continue to desire a story?     Quite simply, stories allow us to connect and engage. They form a bridge between us and the world  around us. They do this by putting us – human beings – at the center of an experience. We relate to  others and these stories allow us to follow along making their experiences relevant to our own.     Stories are fundamental to getting us to engage with brands, products, services. I work with numerous  companies on product development and design. I’ve worked with many wineries. All of them create the  same product – more or less. There may be subtle nuances between the wines, but in our design and  branding work we strive to uncover each one’s uniqueness. Each product’s reason for being. Each  product’s story. Storytelling in critical to the design process. It helps inform our creative choices. It gives  us a logical structure to all of our design decisions. Ultimately it is critical to the success of the wine  itself.     Let me give an example of my challenge. Many years ago, we were approached to help with the  branding, positioning and overall design of a new wine. We already knew that this product would be  successful due to the founder and his winemaker partner. One was a well-known NFL quarterback. The  other, a well-regarded winemaker already producing award-winning wines. Although, compelling at a  certain level none of that really matters to the consumer. Interesting, but not really relevant. Our  challenge was to uncover a story about these the founders that would create an emotional connection  between the people and the product. It needed a higher purpose beyond just great wine.    In the Module Two video, it mentions that storytelling is the difference between solving a problem and  creating a cause. Solving the problem of marketing a new wine would merely involve a tactical approach  maybe based upon activating some market dynamic. We could have selected this approach. It may have  “solved the problem” of marketing the wine. It may have led to some short-term success, but it would  have been an approach more suited to fast growth and then a quick sell strategy. Approaching the  challenge using storytelling as Andre Martin stated in the video creates a cause. This approach leads to  something more compelling and sustainable. This approach is especially critical for a consumer product.   We know that consumers are constantly scanning the shelves, connecting and selecting stories that are  relevant and engaging to them. They weren’t selecting the founders. They were selecting the story as  conveyed to them on the lable.    The story we uncovered was based upon the two founders returning back to their hometown to reignite  and reexperience all that was great about the place, the people, and the memories. We told the story of  Doubleback. Although this was based upon the two founders, it also was a theme that resonated and  was relevant to many. Knowing the audience is also a critical part of storytelling. Not only was it  relevant. It was also a story that they could envision or be a part of as well.     Once we uncovered this story, we were then able to expand upon it. We tied it to visual design cues. We  created variations or sub-chapters to help convey further aspects of the product and the marketing. In  fact, I think that a good indicator of a great story is its ability to be told over and over again while still  retaining the emotion power and connection. This is exactly what the Doubleback story did and  continues to do. It is not just a wine. It is a story.

We’ve also studied other strategic tools, such is the learning launch. Although we didn’t launch our  “ideas” out into the marketplace to test if a specific positioning, product configuration, or price point  was desired, feasible, and viable. We did take our key assumptions or story variations and refined and  crafted them in order to test them to understand how they connected and how we needed to adjust  and refine them further. And, once we found our story, we then were able to test numerous design,  messaging and associated marketing materials to ensure that they still resonated and conveyed the  Doubleback story.

