Forget what adults told you as a kid. It’s time to make a scene and be disruptive!
Google. Sharpie. Tupperware. These are products. Actually, they’re not…
These are brand names. But their marketing and sales teams did such an extraordinary job advertising and selling these products in the market — we use these brands as an umbrella name for the entire category of product. Another term for this phenomenon is “a household name.”
Products that become household names weren’t the first of their kind to hit the market. They aren’t the last, either. But they are the everlasting.
How did they become the name that everyone recognizes? Disruptive storytelling…
Before I explain what disruptive storytelling is and how you can adopt the strategy, let me tell you about the brands behind this insanely powerful approach.
Disruptive brands are 100% committed to customer-centricity. They pick up on consumer trends before they even become trends. Where other brands become narcissistic and lose sight of what customers really want, these brands find gaps in the market — and fill them.
In a marketplace filled to the brim with brands trying to earn attention, one of the best ways to get it is by causing a disturbance of the norm. The right kind of shock value will have all eyes on your brand. One way to cause that disturbance is with disruptive storytelling.
Disruptive storytelling involves resetting the public’s narrative about your industry/product/service by telling a story that helps audiences view competitors as outdated and subpar. The challenge is aligning your product or service as the “better option” without saying it.
Here’s how you should structure your disruptive story:
- Tell the old story
- Empathize with the frustrations of your audience
- Explain why the old way of “doing things” is no good
- Suggest a new way of “doing things”
When you discuss the new way, don’t plug your product or service directly. Instead, speak broadly. Talk about the solution in a roundabout way to set up the new standard without actually saying that the solution is your product or service.
The Great Disruptive Storytellers of Our Time
Now that you know what disruptive storytelling is let’s look at a few brands that nailed it.
1. SALESFORCE
Founder Marc Benioff disrupted the sales software industry in 1999 when he left Oracle (a provider of on-premise software) to start a competing brand. How did his brand become one of the most recognized names? By inventing the differentiator, “on-premise” versus “cloud.” Salesforce illuminated the drawbacks of on-premise software and positioned cloud software as the safest and most reliable solution. From that point on, Oracle’s sales team had a new objection to overcome. Today, Salesforce is worth $50 billion and has a presence in thousands of businesses across the globe.
2. SQUARESPACE
In Squarespace’s commercial, they feature a frustrated John Malkovich trying to secure his name as a domain by calling the John Malkovich who owns it. Squarespace finishes the commercial by encouraging the audience to get their domain name before it's gone. As a who has come up with the perfect domain name only to find out that it's been taken, I enjoyed this commercial. It played into real feelings I’ve had as I’ve gone to a website that’s less than beautiful with the domain I want.
3. NETFLIX
Netflix was founded in 1997 to compete with traditional movie rental stores. They became the iconic brand we know today by reinventing the movie rental experience. They looked to their customers for inspiration. Nobody wants to leave the comfort of their cozy couch to go to a movie store. Why not deliver movies right to the renter’s front door? It didn't happen overnight, but eventually, the idea of physically driving to a movie rental store became archaic compared to ordering online or live streaming on the spot. Here’s one of their 1998 commercials. Even the most talented marketer couldn’t tell a story good enough to compete with Netflix. In January of 2014, Blockbuster officially died because of it.
4. PATAGONIA
While any company can go into a market and do something disruptive, it’s the brands that know how to stir a community into action that really change the world. Patagonia might not be a company that’s as well known as Ford or McDonald's. Still, it belongs on this list of disruptive brand examples thanks to its reputation for world-changing marketing strategies and exciting new products. A brand devoted to its mission statement, Patagonia decided to create a brand that built the best possible products for customers while protecting the earth at the same time. In 2011, they turned the traditional business call to action on its head by launching a campaign called “Don’t Buy This Jacket.” Patagonia is different from other companies in the retail space because they’re not simply trying to push a profit at all costs. Instead, they tell their customers not to buy what they don’t need and think twice before they spend their money.
MAKE A SCENE...
Your brand can become a disruptive storyteller, too. And — as you likely already know — there’s no better way to tell a compelling story online than with video. The right video marketing agency will complete your marketing team by bringing creative geniuses, expert storytellers, and talented producers to the table. A great video marketing team is also diligent about keeping up with current consumer trends and forecasting future trends. Together, you can create video marketing campaigns with the potential to turn your brand into a household name.
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