Master The Art Of Brand Storytelling

Summary

Sweat Equity Podcast Summary Episode: Master The Art Of Brand Storytelling
Release Date: June 30, 2025
Hosts: Alex Garcia & Brian Blum

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Introduction to Brand Storytelling

In the episode titled "Master The Art Of Brand Storytelling," hosts Alex Garcia (A) and Brian Blum (B) delve into the intricacies of effective brand storytelling. They argue that many brands falter in storytelling because they focus too much on themselves rather than their audience. Alex emphasizes, “brands are not good at storytelling... it's all for your audience, it's not about you” (00:00). The discussion sets the stage for exploring a robust framework to help brands craft narratives that truly resonate with their target demographics.

The Three-Part Framework: Origin, Hero, and Promise

Alex introduces a three-part framework essential for impactful brand storytelling:

1. Origin:

   • Definition: The founding reason or the unresolved problem that sparked the creation of the brand.
   • Example: Alex shares a story about his content studio, Nibble, highlighting how switching to iPhone videos led to better TikTok performance despite lower production costs (02:28).
   • Key Questions:
     • What problem or tension led to your creation?
     • What was a pivotal first win?
     • Can friends articulate your origin story?

2. Hero:

   • Definition: The customer portrayed as the protagonist on a journey facilitated by the brand’s product.
   • Example: Alex discusses how beauty brands position their customers as heroes striving to eliminate imperfections like acne scars, thereby framing their products as essential tools for transformation.

3. Promise:

   • Definition: The clear transformation and social proof that the product delivers.
   • Example: A jeans brand might promise "the only jeans you can wear in the summer," emphasizing comfort and practicality.

Brian complements this by highlighting how Late Checkout excels in creating a cohesive narrative across all its marketing channels, effectively world-building and forming a universe where each campaign piece is a part of a larger story (00:33).

Examples of Effective Brand Storytelling

Late Checkout and Nibble are cited as exemplary brands that master storytelling through consistent world-building and relatable content. Brian praises Late Checkout for their world-building, stating, “every campaign, every photograph, every carousel, everything they do is part of this larger story” (00:33). These brands demonstrate how storytelling can create an immersive experience, making customers feel part of a larger narrative.

Implementing Storytelling in Content Marketing

The hosts discuss the evolution of content marketing, asserting that content now dictates marketing strategies. Alex remarks, “content is above marketing in terms of the hierarchy” (20:20). They emphasize the importance of creating relatable skits and memes that align with the brand’s origin and promise, thereby fostering a deeper connection with the audience.

Brian adds that brands should focus on specific moments or rituals that their target audience relates to. For example, a spices company might center their story around the preparation process, creating content around everyday cooking rituals that resonate universally (18:50).

The Shift of Content’s Role in Marketing

Alex and Brian argue that content has become the cornerstone of modern marketing. They note, “content dictates all of the rest of them” (21:39), suggesting that without compelling content, other marketing efforts like SEO or affiliates lose their effectiveness. The discussion underscores the necessity for brands to prioritize storytelling in their content strategies to stay competitive.

Origin Stories and Brand Alignment

The conversation highlights the significance of having a clear and relatable origin story. Alex advises, “if you can’t stand out for who you are, AI is going to tell everybody else's” (07:39). Brian echoes this by emphasizing the need for brands to connect deeply with their audience’s values and experiences, making the origin story a magnet for customer loyalty (17:58).

The Importance of Consistency and Brand Soul

Consistency in storytelling is crucial for maintaining a brand’s soul. Alex warns against brands “selling out,” using Dr. Squatch as an example of a brand that thrived until acquisition diluted its original spirit (14:34). Maintaining the creator DNA ensures that a brand remains authentic and retains its loyal customer base.

Audience Engagement and Long-term Customer Relationships

The hosts discuss the importance of building long-term relationships with customers through storytelling. They argue that a compelling story not only attracts customers but also turns them into loyal advocates. Alex mentions, “95% of your potential customers are not in market for what you want right now,” emphasizing the need to nurture these relationships over time rather than relying solely on immediate sales tactics (27:18).

Future Trends in Brand Storytelling

Looking ahead, Brian suggests that storytelling will evolve into episodic content, where each part of the narrative is treated as an episode, enhancing engagement and memorability. He cites a footwear brand, moea, as an example that utilizes episodic storytelling to highlight different aspects of their products (25:16).

Alex concurs, noting that creator DNA in the C-suite will become increasingly important as brands continue to prioritize authentic and relatable content (22:33). They foresee a future where social media managers and content creators play pivotal roles in shaping brand narratives, potentially replacing traditional marketing roles.

Conclusion

The episode concludes with Alex and Brian reaffirming the critical role of storytelling in modern marketing. They encourage brands to ditch outdated avatar-based marketing and instead focus on crafting authentic, audience-centric narratives. By leveraging the Origin, Hero, and Promise framework, brands can create compelling stories that not only attract but also retain loyal customers.

As Brian aptly puts it, “If you're not good at telling your story, you have no chance to win in the next five years” (07:39). This powerful reminder encapsulates the essence of the episode, urging brands to master the art of storytelling to thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape.

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Notable Quotes:

• Alex Garcia:
  “Brands are not good at storytelling... it's all for your audience, it's not about you.” (00:00)

  “If you can't stand out for who you are, AI is going to tell everybody else's.” (07:39)

  “Content is above marketing in terms of the hierarchy.” (20:20)

• Brian Blum:
  “Every campaign, every photograph, every carousel, everything they do is part of this larger story.” (00:33)

  “If you have an origin story that people connect to and fully aligns with them, you're not just going to buy from you one time. You're going to form a habit.” (12:52)

  “Content is the most important layer in marketing. We're seeing all these brands too on Twitter that are nine-figure brands trying to figure out organic.” (22:33)

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Stay Tuned:
In the upcoming episodes, Alex and Brian promise to conduct brand audits and provide deeper insights into effective storytelling strategies. Don't miss out on dissecting your brand’s narrative to ensure it resonates powerfully with your target audience.

Transcript

[A]

All right, so something that we keep talking about is brands are not good at storytelling. And my opinion is the reason why is because they don't understand the main part of telling a good story, which is it's all for your audience, it's not about you. And brands are always trying to say, this is how we began, this is, you know, why we do what we. And it's like it misses the point of a target audience, you know. So today's episode I'm looking to go over and a three part framework for any brand to identify how to tell better stories about themselves that will resonate with their target demo. What do you got?

[B]

So I'm maybe piggybacking off of that and going to be thinking about and talking about this brand called Late Checkout. Late Checkout is one of my favorite brands when they talk about telling this larger, cohesive story that every campaign, every photograph, every carousel, every reel, anything they do is all part of this larger story. They're an amazing example of world building. And also what I think is really what brands should be doing, which is like, you're not just world building, you're building a universe. And then like you're, you're building worlds that are your campaigns and your series inside, inside of that. And they do a 10 out of 10 job of this. Then I'm also going to be talking about how to actually take those stories and create like these sequential stories on IG. So when we look at 6 posts, 9 posts, 12 posts, you're going to see this more from brands where they're going to be essentially have a series of 6 to 12, 15 posts that tell a story from beginning to end, almost as if you just watched a short film. If you started at the first post and, and go to the, to the last post. Because I do think storytelling in this age of AI and being able to whip up creative and things that look very cinematic, very fast storytelling is the moat. It's funny because I saw a tweet years ago that's been like just implanted into my, into my head where somebody was like, everybody says storytelling is the best marketing, but point to me, one brand that actually storytelling is the core of their marketing that's successful. And I'm like, and that guy's just been so wrong. And like, I don't know who the person is. And every time I think about this, I just want to like show him examples of amazing brands that yeah, they literally, you know, they, they tell storytelling is the center of their entire universe and are absolutely crushing It. So I got some, some heat as well. But go ahead, dive into it. What's the framework? Hit me with it.

[A]

Yeah, so the, the framework is three parts, like I said, and it's Origin, Hero and Promise. So the origin is sort of your founding why. It's the tension behind what caused you to have your idea. So, you know, this can be your first win that triggered you to realize, you know, I, I've gotten really good at this with telling the story about Nibble as an example. So Nibble is my short form content studio and I always lead with this story from when I was running a brand where I say we had spent all of this money on paid ads, we were spending all this money on photo shoots, campaigns, et cetera, chopping up the footage and then putting it into the ad account. It was working well. But then I decided to shoot on iPhone a video of people using our product and that turned out to perform well on TikTok and outperformed every other ad in our ad account. So when I tell that story, all of a sudden it's confirming a lot of things in people's heads. They're thinking, yes, the cost to produce ads has increased, but actually the effectiveness of that high production has decreased. And so in their head, I've already kind of set the table of this is the story, this is the origin, you know, the founding why behind my business. And that kind of, you know, aligns our expectations, right? It's, it's why we're both in that situation to talk to them. This can extend to anything, you know, especially for a streetwear brand. You know, you're rocking Cherry right now. It's like he probably just didn't see garments that fit the designs that he wanted to wear. You know, I was shopping at XYZ Men's store and couldn't find anything that felt stylish but still kept our California spirit or something like that. You know, there's always sort of this founding why. And I think you see a lot of people, you know, trying this, experimenting with it, and then maybe missing on some of the general storytelling principles of context conflict. Context conflict. But that's number one is what is your origin. Number two is the hero. And this is really your customer. This is your customer as protagonist, if you will. So the journey that they are going on as a part of your product experience. So think beauty, right? You're getting rid of red spots, acne scars, whatever it is. You can think of telehealth where GLP1s are taking people from a Previous place to a new place. Like, every supplement has this. But essentially your customer is your protagonist. You know, that is your brand story, is that you are helping people, you know, go on a journey. Which plays into the final part of this framework is the promise. Right? So the promise is the clear transformation and social proof of your products working. This can be data driven. You know, we help people lose x percent of their body fat in 8 weeks. We help people debloat by 30%. We help people gain muscle by 20%. We help people go be more confident in the wild. We. You know, there's a million of these, right? Another example is there's a jeans brand. I think it was Mott and Bow. Mott and Bow or something.

[B]

One for, like, people with big legs.

[A]

No, not. No, I don't. I don't get the big legs.

[B]

You don't get those ads, bro.

[A]

No, no. They look at my calves and they're like, nah, he needs some skinnier jeans. No, I don't. I don't get the tree trunks. But this, they would say the only jeans you can wear in the summer. Because in your head, you're like, oh, yeah, like, it's really hot. Like, I can. I can literally feel the moisture and the sweat and, like, the humidity on my legs. When you say that statement, like, denim in a hot summer night. Humid, like, terrible. And so I immediately think of that benefit, that transformation that they took me through in that brand story. So those are the three. And not only. It's easy to kind of like, say that, right? Like, origin hero promise. Okay. Kind of basic. But what are some questions you can ask yourself to arrive at a better place for each one of those core pillars? So I've got five questions for the origin. So number one is, what unresolved problem or tension sparked your creation? This is something you personally felt personally experienced. It's a really easy way for you to just articulate and set the table for somebody of why you're doing what you're doing. That is critical because a lot of people will. Any negative comment I'll get on, like, a video sometimes will be like, this is just jargon or why does this matter? It's so irrelevant. Word salad. You know, they basically call me Kamala Harris and.

[B]

You know, why are you making us lose subscribers right now?

[A]

No, I'm just saying there was a word salad analogy. And so, you know, but people, it's because this doesn't resonate with them. And I would actually go as far to say, like we mentioned at the top of the episode. If you're not good at telling your story, you have no chance to win in the next five years. Because if you can't, AI is going to tell everybody else's. And so if you can't stand out for who you are, like who you personally are, you have no chance, literally zero chance in the world.

[B]

More so Yesterday in cut 30, like, in. In the first week, we always go through, like, hooks and what are the different hooks? And then we go through. We try to set the, the tone for. Hey, you're going to be doing a lot of script writing. Here's like, essentially a very bad script and a very good script. And we use a. A framework for scripting, which is nothing new, but it's just like problem, agitate, solution.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And very similar to this for the origin story. The example I use is like, hey, if I was talking about why I started Marketing Exam. And back when Marketing exam was just like the newsletter and breaking down case studies, verse. If. Yeah, if I'm just breaking down why I started it, the bad script was like, hey, what's up, y' all? So today I'm gonna be talking about why I started Marketing Examine. First five seconds right there. Six seconds. There's. There's no reason for you to care as to why I start Marketing Examine. Right. But if all of a sudden I start and I say, I hated Harvard Business Review so much that I started a company in spite of them, all of a sudden, my origin is now one. It. It's more relevant. It's going to get you to nod and be like, yeah, I feel that, like, that's kind of 100%.

[A]

Someone's going to resonate with what you said.

[B]

Exactly. Like, I'm, I'm. I'm like making my origin story very relatable to the viewer and then also, like leveraging Har Business Review within those first three seconds.

[A]

And specific. There's no fluff in that. You just, you. You explicitly said exactly what your purpose is. And, you know, so there's that. Right. An unresolved problem or tension that sparked your creation. The next one. I think this is really key in terms of, like, how you continue to tell those stories, like what moment, quote, or epiphany best dramatizes that spark. Right. So this is a great opportunity to be like, you know, Michael Jordan's quote transformed the way that I thought about xyz. Like, you bring in sort of your inspiration. You know, we have the Virgil Kobe, Muhammad Ali, Steve Jobs mural behind you. It's like when people see that we got Kobe back here, we got MJ back here. Like, when people.

[B]

Guys, we have Serena, too. We have Serena, too.

[A]

Yeah. For the people who didn't like the Kamala Harris joke, we got Serena.

[B]

We have Serena Williams.

[A]

But no. So we immediately have those things which connect you to people who those are going to resonate with. So, you know, it allows you to bring in something else. Like, what was your inspiration? What was something that clearly guided you towards that place? If you don't have one, find one, bro. Yeah, like, it's, like, not that hard, but it is so helpful to you. And the next one. How did early obstacles, you know, shape your values? How did they shape your product? Right. Like, I think this one, I've talked about a glassware brand that did a really great job with product storytelling called Fleur. And this was so good to me here. He basically, this was one of the best product storytelling analogies I've ever heard, where he goes, I wanted to use cool glassware, but every time I would pour my coffee in it, it would break because the glass they used to make it was cheap. And all you can think about is, like, cool glassware exists. It's garbage. This guy actually made a quality one. Cool. So that's why it's $12 instead of 4. And so it's like, he talks about an early obstacle that he faced, and he's like, yeah, all my stuff would, like, break because the hot espresso was breaking hot. You know, low quality glass then introduces you to his product features. How those product features came about from the obstacle, two others. It's like, can you find a pivotal first win? You know, like, what's a way to signal traction? Because people don't want to be first all the time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Everyone's seen the chart of early adopters all the way to laggards, and most people don't want to be an early adopter for you. So naming your first pivotal win, like, creating that traction. We talk about chunky fit guys a lot. They do that really well, where they're like, we just upgraded our manufacturing capacity because we're having so much demand and success. It's a really good way to kind of name that win. And then the last one, I think this is kind of a good sanity check, is like, ask your friends, like, why did. Why did I start this company? You know, and listen to what they say. Because if you can't get, like, two very similar answers from separate people, then you haven't been clear enough about what your origin story is or what your why is so I think that's another one is like, can the people that loosely know about this but are not actually plugged into it articulate what you're clearly doing.

[B]

It's so important now where it's easier than ever to launch a brand. Right. Like, I always call this Canva Brands. You know, if I want to start a brand tomorrow, I can get on Canva. I can make the packaging, I can make the apparel and there's no origin, but I could get something up and running with Org and then with organic, I could get some kind of traction pretty fast if I know what I'm doing. Your origin. Your origin, sorry, is the reason people are going to connect to you. Right. And like on some philosophical, like, is why somebody's going to care and pick you over your competitor.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

If they feel fully aligned with. With you. Right. Like midday squares and them trying to take down big chocolate companies or in, I know, feastables, like what you were mentioning too, where they were reaching out about being ethical.

[A]

Like, he's doing that hardcore right now. He's. He's saying Hershey's uses slave labor and I don't.

[B]

Yeah. And like he. And that's going back to his. And now he's kind of positioning it as his origin story, though.

[A]

Meanwhile. Meanwhile Hershey's isn't doing anything. Right.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, they're not even Hershey's sleep at the wheel, that they're not even there to defend themselves. They're going to sue them in two years for. For slander or something. You know what I mean? And so it's like that's how you know, being content led can help you just get ahead and separate yourself before the competition even knows what just happened.

[B]

There's another chocolate brand. We've talked about them. I think it's like Tony's Chocolate.

[A]

Do you know Tony's reps?

[B]

Yeah, Tony's Chocolate. Like, they're another brand where they're. If you want to talk about like being first movers within that space of being like ethical chocolate. They were that before Feastables. Do they have Mr. Beast? No, but there are so many elements of their bar and what they do and what they stand for that they're totally focused on the exploitation of Coco. So. And that's the reason though, that people are going to always buy them consistently and like form it into a habit. That's the other thing I don't think people think about when an origin story. If you have an origin story that people connect to and they they feel like they're a part of and fully aligns with them. You're not. They're not just going to buy from you one time. You're going to be part of their habits. Right. We were talking with, with Cadence this past weekend, and there's so many people that feel fully, like, associated with that brand that they're going to consume Cadence forever. It might cost a little more to acquire them. It might take more effort on the organic side, but they're going to, again, like, fully be bought in with them.

[A]

As long as Cadence doesn't lose.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The soul of the brand and like, the creator DNA that Ross and George have. Obviously, like, those guys know this stuff. And I think oftentimes what happens is brands will sell out and become, you know, like Dr. Squatch getting acquired by Unilever. I don't know if you saw that. What an innovative, great brand. I always, you know, when I was making fun of them for doing the Sydney Sweeney thing, which I was wrong about, by the way. They crushed that. But because when I initially did it, when I initially did my video, they did a launch video with Sydney Sweeney, and I thought that was it. I didn't know there was a collector's item coming eight weeks late. Like, I know.

[B]

I saw that. I saw the. Who was it that did a breakdown? Someone did a breakdown, like, yesterday, the day before.

[A]

I don't know. I'm not giving free pop. I can't.

[B]

I know. I know who it is. I know who it is. Yeah, but he did a breakdown. It was. Yeah. Just talking about how they. They did the whole thing. They sold, like 5,000 jars of the bath water.

[A]

Yeah, the bath.

[B]

Which is. Which is great.

[A]

It's so funny. And like, imagine Unilever signing off on that. They wouldn't. No way. They like a bathwater joke. Are you kidding me?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Some middle marketing manager, some HR person is going to come in and be like, we can't offend our audience. They're going to be like, your audience loves that.

[B]

Actually, we saw it firsthand with. With. On it. You know, on it got remarks said.

[A]

He, like, polygamy, that they got acquired by Unilever.

[B]

Is it Unilever or Unilever?

[A]

It's British, so I don't care.

[B]

Okay. They got acquired by them as well.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And that brand died off. The gym popped back off. But, like, the actual supplement died off. You don't even really see Joe Rogan talking about it or promoting it. They were. They signed Jake Paul. That died off. Like, there was so Much that they, they were doing that was working and like no soul.

[A]

No soul. Yeah. I mean, and which is kind of just the natural life cycle of anything. But I'm just saying I, I, I would be fascinated with, with cadence. Right. It's like that is they're going to be so good for so long until something changes. Right. And it's like there's almost something there too. Which was at the beginning of this, what we were talking about, which is like, how do you rediscover that soul in that story? Yeah. But that's for larger brands.

[B]

The last thing I'll say on the origin part is what Humantra does. Right. What Cadence does. Right. What these brands do. Right. When it comes to origin story is their origin story is positioned in a way that they know exactly who they're talking to. Right. Humanitra is talking to the everyday individual that, that wants to look better, feel better. They want their skin to be a different way and be hydrated. Right. And that's, and so their origin story needs to be centered around that cadence is just try like the, the way Ross talked about it was I care about the three hour window of before you train, while you train and like after you train. That's it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know what I mean? Like everything else, everybody, like everybody else could fight for the, the other time, you know, in somebody's day. I only care about that window. And so I'm only talking to athletes that experience that window. Therefore my origin story has to be rooted in that window.

[A]

Right.

[B]

When you talk like that and you position your origin story like that, it's a fucking magnet.

[A]

Yeah. And everything naturally follows.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I think that's, that's a really big piece that a lot of people miss about this advice is it feels trivial to say or maybe to not live. But that's why he's gonna continue to drop great products until he moves to a different routine. Everything will be centered around that three hour window. I just keep like, I got, I put up a story about, you know, submit your brand and we'll do kind of like a breakdown slash audit of your stuff. And a lot of these folks, I got a gelato company, I got a dent, you know, repair company, I got like just such a wide range of businesses. And to your point, it's like, how do you drill in on that two hours? You know, one of them was a spices company, which we'll do a breakdown on the next episode. But if you're a spices company, like you own the, the preparation process.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Like that is all of your content goes into the preparation process. And when you narrow that focus, you can come up with like relatable skits and memes and stuff like that to, you know, like something as simple as, like when you salt a steak and you pat it down and then you got to wash your hands and then you got to salt the other side, pat it down, wash your hands. Like that, own that. Right? And it's like such this micro niche moment, but it's like so felt universally by everyone that would potentially use your product. Yeah, I think that is a really underrated thing. We talked about that with Midday Squares all the time. We talk about all these people who own a routine or they own a specific time of day.

[B]

I think the, the part that people mess up is they just look at the avatar, right? They look at, okay, who's the person that's going to buy our product? It's going to be Brian, who lives here and drives this kind of car. And it's like, yeah, maybe.

[A]

Yeah, but what about.

[B]

It's. It's. It's literally the person that like you're saying when they salt their steak, it is a ritual. They're putting music on and it's like, okay, that is the person we're talking to. Because now, like, now think about all the ideas. It's like, okay, we're gonna do a collab with what's that, that stereo or that speaker. That Marshall. Like we could do something with Marshall, right? And now it's piggybacking off. You could build a story off of that. And like that's how you have to think about these, these moments.

[A]

But I'd so agree with you that the avatar thing is so dated.

[B]

So dated.

[A]

Because we have a, we have a client that's very, very large business and like their marketing team just thinks about things in that exact, like, textbook way. Right. And it's like, bro, throw the textbook out. The more that I'm talking to people, you realize people go marketing first. You know, like content used to be a function of marketing and now I think content is above marketing in terms of the hierarchy. Like, it is so dominant in terms of like a. Your ability to have a leg up on competition. Feastables, Hershey's, great example. Like pro Hershey's can't compete.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How could they possibly hire the 300 people it takes to have the DNA to even be on feasible's level from a content perspective, like, over the long term? That is insane. Right? It's one thing to say, like feasibles reach this valuation in five years. Hershey's is 120 years old, maybe more. What does this look like in 10 years? They've fully eaten their lunch, it's ball game over. And so, you know, content comes first above the marketing. Not as like just one aspect of it. Like people used to be like, our content marketing is one thing, SEO is another, you know, affiliates another. It's like, no, it's like content dictates all of the rest of them.

[B]

There was a really good article that I read, I don't know, three, four years ago that I was talking about. Social media managers and content creators are going to be the new cmos.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And it was spot on. And this idea of like the social media manager is going to have the best pulse on marketing and what works. Because they're going to be able to build a brand from, from scratch with their iPhone.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And just with ideas and stories and editing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, and, and they're going to be the ones that are now going to be running this show and we're watching it happen, unfold in, in real time. And it's awesome. It's honestly awesome to see. But yep, the, the argument's there, like content is the most important layer in marketing. We're seeing all these brands too on Twitter that are nine figure brands that built their entire ecosystem off the back end of Meta now trying to figure out organic and it's like, yeah, dude, they're going to have to recreate their entire team.

[A]

I mean this made like 34 year olds into boomers overnight. Like that. That's what's insane about it, I think is like so many people that didn't adapt and in like 2021 and go through the pain and cringe of like caring about TikTok as a channel. And now it's like, bro, if you can't connect with people organically because you keep seeing, I keep seeing this on Twitter. And you'll love this because this is actually foundational if people, if you're a longtime listener, sweat equity. Here's a little bit of Alex and Brian origin story. So do you remember the first Marketing Examined article you wrote about Grind where I was taking spark ads of our top performing videos and driving better results on TikTok ads than I was on Meta. Like people will earnestly tweet that out as a growth hack in 2025. Like respected individuals in the D2C world, like a Zach Stuck or like a David Herman. Like these guys, like these Twitter personalities, I guess they do something and they'll tweet that out as like an innovative thing. You know, Sharma launched like a white page, a whitelisting agency. Right. And it's like, bro, we were doing that in 2022.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, like this was like a growth hack in 2022. So it's the same thing over and over. Like what, what were you doing three years ago, five years ago to actually prepare yourself for the future? If you're right now, founder led content is so obviously the only place that this will go. Creator DNA at the C suite. And so obviously the only place any of this is going to go. Ditch the avatars, ditch them, tell people about your origin and make sure that you deliver the last part of the framework, which is a promise. Right. What is the concrete change someone is going to see as a result? Using your product with feastables. Not to go back to it, but they're gonna probably have less sugar overall. They're probably health and wellness conscious. Virtually everyone under 35 is. So that's something about it. Concrete change. What emotional payoff. And this could be anything from confidence, freedom or belonging accompanies that change. So I think we've seen this with the run club stuff and now we're seeing it with the coffee and chill, like all of it. It's like people are looking for a sense of belonging. They want, you know, places to feel like they're part of a community. So that's your promise to them. If you come to us, we will provide you with friends and community and all this stuff while, you know, having good habits. How do you back that promise? With data testimonials and social proof. You know, we talk about that a lot. It's like, how do you anchor yourself in a clear number that allows someone to think about the transformation and then last is just giving that promise in everyday language, you know, like, do not sound like a corporate drone at all costs.

[B]

The thing that I'll add to, to it is when I talk, when I think about that same framework and I think about what the next evolution of it is and, and how you could be ahead of the times on the content. It's now thinking of each one of those parts of the framework as an episode and having their single episode. There's a brand called moea, I think it's called, and it's like a footwear brand that completely made out of plants. And so they just launched, they did a collection, they had like the central character and each they put out an episode essentially for not following the framework exactly, but following A framework similar. You know, where episode one is about X, about the problem, and there's a central character and the character comes in and they have this dialogue and like. And then they, they, they. They have episode number two and episode number three. And that, I think, is the next wave of it where you take this overarching theme in this framework and you drop a product and you have episodes for those. Those aspects. We have a campaign that we're shooting in the UK next month or next week, and it's very similar where I have three different characters that I'm working with. The product has. Has multiple benefits, but, like, we're focusing on three main benefits, like the more mainstream benefits. And we have skits that we're going to be doing. Not skits. Like, we have, like, vignettes and, and kind of like these mini scenes for each one of those problems and each one of those solutions or promises. And then it'll get rolled out in that kind of. I think it's 15. 15, like 15 days.

[A]

It's perfect.

[B]

Roughly.

[A]

Yeah. And then it'll outperform everything else they've done and, like, make them constant in people's minds so that more people are seeing them all the time and then ready to act when they're actually in market.

[B]

For sure. People underestimate association.

[A]

There's God, dude. The thing that I keep coming back to is, like, 95% of your potential customers are not in market for what you want right now. That streetwear brand, Drolet de Monsieur, whatever. I'm in love with them, and I haven't bought from them yet. They're gonna get my ass on some. On a crazy aov. Yeah, crazy. Like, but I, I discovered them eight months ago. I dove into them three and a half pause and like, you know, you.

[B]

Gave it three and a half. You gotta keep going, bro.

[A]

Yeah. And. And you know, now I bet you I. I pulled trigger on, like, a $4,000 order. Like, it'll be like a crazy order because I'm so excited about it that I'm ready. So it's kind of like 95% of these people are not just going to buy on your freaking Facebook ad tomorrow. You know, there are a lot of products, and that's a segment I want to do later, which is status versus utility. Like, are people buying for status or utility? Like, to give a really hardcore example, Drollet or GLP1s. You know, utility of a GLP1 is, I'm gonna get skinny, so I'm gonna start that tomorrow. But Drole it's like I actually don't need them for anything until like September when weather gets colder or something. So it's like are you buying for status or utility? And how that should shape your marketing strategy. But 5% of people that know about your brand are ready to buy that day.

[B]

It's a small, small.

[A]

And so your goal should be to expand that entire pie rather than try and just capture more of the 5% which is what a lot of people do with SMS and email and all of this other channels.

[B]

This has taken a turn. But the other aspect that I think is very important with storytelling is the fact that you can have like, you can create a specific story to form this perception in somebody's head. And then if you're a smart brain, you can create a space that's way more accessible. And I know I just took a hard turn but what I mean by that is like I told you I went to ALD for the, for the first time in New York, right? I went and spent AOV like a lot at, at ald, right?

[A]

Don't tell the people.

[B]

I'm not spend a lot of money on it.

[A]

I want you to stay relatable.

[B]

You're already getting, you know guys, I got a neck. Oh my mom, I got a neck tattoo. Yeah, she doesn't know yet.

[A]

I mean on the other side, on the other side of this camera is a different man because right now they see your left side but on your right side is, is, you know, I.

[B]

Mean but the interesting part right was there was a select group of people that went into ALD just to look because they're such fans but they can't.

[A]

Afford enjoying the experience or they're the.

[B]

Person that like just wants to get like they've been saving up to just get the hat from ald, right? The cafe had a line. The cafe was popping non stop because of the story that they tell that like hey, this is exclusive. Not everybody could buy this. Having that accessible touch point makes people like die hard fans. Because hey, I can go get the six dollar latte or whatever dollar eight latte. And that's just something I've been thinking about dude, where it's like if you are this high end luxury brand, have something that is more accessible to then the the other end. That is like the thing that I want to attain and it's like totally. I can't spend $5,000, I can't spend $1,000 yet here, but I could go spend $6 and I still get to say hey, like I have an ALD something, right. And that's just been in my, in my head since we went to, to New York. And then it made me kind of think of, okay, like kith does that as well. Like you have kids treats if you're not buying kith which is more accessible or more attainable than, than ald. Like I could go to kith streets and I can buy an ice cream or I could buy milkshake and you know, and I get to have that, that association with you.

[A]

You feel kiss through the like cup and through like the presentation of it. And when you are ready a year later, maybe you saved up a little more. You get that jacket, right? So like, yeah, in my.

[B]

My whole thing is that's only because of storytelling. There's a reason that happens is because you see Ronnie on a million dollar cigarette boat, right? You know, in Lake Como and you're like, I wanna, I want to be him.

[A]

Yeah. I want, I want that life.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I can taste that life a little.

[B]

Exactly. And that life is.

[A]

I've saved up some money to purchase from this brand and like it's an 18 month purchase cycle versus, you know, just the last click attribution on your meta. Yeah, that's the moral of the story. We got some more heat next week. I think that's probably a good place to start. Stop. And then we'll do your segment just all the way through. And then we'll do the Submit your brands. If you're watching this, send your brand to us because the episode after the next one, we're gonna just be free game all day long. So that'll be like, I think the July 4th.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Week after July 4th episode will be just straight brand audits. So.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, we got some incoming heat that I'm excited about.

[A]

Yeah, cool. All right, we'll catch you all next week.

[B]

Peace.