Building Trust — A Foundation for Growth

Everyone loves an animal metaphor: The dog is universally seen as a trustworthy companion. Loyal, long-term, there-for-you — just like the relationship you’re developing with customers!

In the ever-evolving world of marketing, trust isn't just a buzzword—it's a key principle that either propels your brand to greatness or, if lacking, leaves it stranded in obscurity. It’s the foundation that’s required before you can build your dream business.

As Richard Branson says, “The important thing is that you've got a strong foundation before you start to try to save the world or help other people." In 2025, the game is all about authentic experiences, and building trust is no longer an option - it's a necessity.

Everyone loves an animal metaphor: The dog is universally seen as a trustworthy companion. Loyal, long-term, there-for-you — just like the relationship you’re developing with customers!

This is an exciting era for brands because they are not just sellers but storytellers. The “Yell and Sell” approach of “buy now, hurry in” is being overtaken with lifestyle integration that delivers a long term relationship with consumers - not a quick buck.

Consumers are turning to brands for expert guidance and leadership. We saw it ten-fold during the height of the [insert P-word no one wants to talk about anymore!] as people didn’t know what to expect, how to behave, and got lost in a sea of opinions and uncertainty. As such, Brands are playing an increasingly more important role in people’s lives.

Here’s the deal. Consumer behaviour is undergoing a seismic shift. Brands are no longer bystanders; they're the influencers shaping the choices of everyday individuals, but there’s a problem. According to Harvard Business Review, “More than 80% of customers consider trust a deciding factor in their buying decisions, despite the fact that only 34% trust the brands they use."

Are you positioned accordingly? And have you recognized your immediate opportunity? You can fill the gap. Be the player they do trust.

So how do you do it? Here are the essential ingredients: Share your journey, show your values, and demonstrate your transparency. With well-crafted storytelling, you can frame your Brand as one of Authenticity and Value.

The benefits are impressive:

• Build Relationships with Customers: Connect with your audience in a way that's more ‘Netflix and chill’ than boardroom formal. A deeper connection that sets you apart.

• Increase Brand Quality Perception: Elevate your brand’s image by ditching the corporate jargon and embracing authentic, relatable storytelling.

• Streamline Your Sales Process: Become the brand people choose with confidence, making their decision-making process smooth and efficient.

According to the State of Marketing Report, “83% of marketers believe it’s more effective to create higher quality content less often." It’s not about bombarding your audience; it's about hitting them with content that’s meaningful.

I like to look at three key story solutions that we can put to film and position strategically along the customer journey:

1. At the Awareness Stage you can tell your Origin Story—Your brand's epic saga. The obstacles you overcame, and the passion for the work your brand does in the world.

2. At the Consideration Stage, take viewers Behind the Curtain and share your Mission & Vision Story—The scoop on why your brand exists, the mission it's rocking today, and the blockbuster vision driving its success.

3. Decision Stage, share your Impact Story (or Success Story)—Conversations with your brand’s fanatics, this is the story of how your Brand has a positive impact in the lives of your customers. In some situations, this may also take the form of a testimonial.

In a world where attention spans seem shorter than a cat video, short-form video reigns supreme. According to the HubSpot Blog Marketing Trends Report, “Short-form video is the #1 media format." These stories don’t have to be long but they do have to exude a sense of care, even wonder. Host a longer cut on your website, but repurpose it in bite-size chunks in your social media. Let this messaging permeate your written content, your podcasts, or whatever other forms of outreach you do.

One last note on the look & feel… Typically our approach to this type of content is what we call documentary-style branded content, produced with a dash of cinematic swagger. Interviews with key stakeholders, a flow that reflects your journey, and visuals that scream 'your brand'. But noodle it around until you find a good fit for your brand style. The key is to do it authentically. With AI generated content becoming more recognizable, be sure you share your story with a healthy degree of truth and sincerity.

The trust-building journey today isn't a stroll in the park; it's a vital base to build on. After all, as Richard Branson suggests, a strong foundation isn't just smart—it’s the ticket to a blockbuster success story.

Reach out if you need support in creating your Trust Foundation.

-Love, Your Media Dept.

The Power of Transformation in Brand Storytelling

One thing that often gets overlooked when businesses and brands create content is the idea of transformation.

That might sound daunting at first—after all, transformation implies change, growth, and sometimes even struggle. But at its core, it’s what people are instinctively drawn to. When we watch a story unfold, we’re looking for that shift. Something needs to change from the beginning to the end. It’s not just the destination—it’s the journey through that process that grabs our attention.

So how do you bring that idea of transformation into something simple—like a social media post, a blog, or even a company profile video or sales video?

Here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to be complicated.

It can be as simple as showing two beats—the before and the after. For example, when we work with clients in the renovation world, we often show a house before the work is done, and then after. The difference is immediately clear, and the transformation is obvious.

When we watch a movie, the transformation might include complications, growth, resistance, and setbacks. But in brand content, sometimes the story only needs those two beats. And that’s okay.

The key is contrast. The more clearly you illustrate the difference between before and after—whether it’s a product, service, or personal journey—the more compelling the story becomes.

So take a look at the content you’re creating. Are you clearly highlighting the transformation? Are you showing the shift, the change, the contrast? It’s a small detail that can have a huge impact on how your audience connects with your brand.

-Love, Your Media Dept.

Gain an Edge with Three Essential Brand Stories

Putting storytelling at the centre of your brand’s public-facing journey will allow customers to connect to it in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Let’s discuss, shall we?

I like to talk about Brand Storytelling because I think it’s underrated. Even among big, multinational brands. So this is an area where savvy entrepreneurs can find an edge. When done well, it’s a powerful tool that can have a significant impact on its audience (customers).

Every entrepreneur should be telling 3 essential stories to build their brand: Origin Story, Vision Story, and Why Story. These narratives encompass where you came from, where you're going, and the spark that ignites your passion and drives your business. Stories have immense power to shape how your audience perceives the world. As a business tool, storytelling can solve problems within your organization, enhance your brand, and inspire audiences to become loyal customers. While there are many types of stories, these three should form the bedrock of your brand's content experience.

Let’s dive into each one:

The Origin story serves as a powerful tool to launch a new product or service and introduce your brand to a new space. Additionally, as a nice byproduct, it reawakens enthusiasm for your products and services by deepening connections with customers who already know you.

The Why story is exceptional at fostering trust, increasing brand awareness, and forging deeper connections with customers. It's often said that customers buy your "why." I like to say that in an ideal customer experience, individuals align so closely with your company values that their purchases become a form of expression for the connection they feel.

The Vision story is a captivating narrative that gains support for your brand's cause - your underlying mission and desired future. It reveals the direction you're heading, the utopian world your brand aims to create, and the exciting products or services that will change the world.

A recent example of an Origin story that touches on the many values that drive the business.

These three story types play a pivotal role in shaping how customers experience your brand. Furthermore, the exercise of working through their development offers significant benefits to your organization. Exploring the key points you wish to convey helps you distill your story to its most important and poignant elements.

What medium should you use? All of them. Find ways to weave it into you newsletter, your interactions. But most effective and scalable is on film. A well-crafted short video is easy for your audience to ingest. Am I biased because I make movies? Maybe. But I have also witnessed its effectiveness. This type of pillar content gets attention.

Our original brand story dates waaaay back to 2009, but our clients took notice.

Does it need to be three separate stories? Not necessarily. You have the flexibility to consolidate the key reveals into a single piece. A compelling example of this approach is our own company story, crafted into a 10-minute video back in 2007 (probably a little long by today’s standards). Surprisingly, it generated more buzz than our television shows and films combined (at least, at the time!). Go figure. Clients would reach out to us, expressing their admiration for the video on our website. It's a bit old now, but it was unique in its structure. And while simple by design, it touches on the three tenets we’ve discussed here and conveyed our passion for filmmaking.

Deep down, I have a penchant for helping entrepreneurs with brand storytelling. Being one myself, I understand the journey. And have tremendous admiration for the tireless spirit of the passionate entrepreneur, that courageous leader that mixes business with the pleasure of creating.

Where you came from, where you’re going, and why you love what you do - share it fearlessly with the world and allow your audience to deepen their relationship with you and your brand.

If you need the helps of a professional storyteller to create your Brand Stories, let us know. It’s what we love to do.

Four things holding your brand back from leading in the content game

Like any form of marketing, building your brand through content requires a long-term commitment, regularity, and patience. But the results of your efforts will in turn be long-lasting and a much deeper connection with your customers than the old yell-and-sell approach. Gone are the days of those in your face, price-driven campaigns: “Buy now. Hurry in. 50% off!” This is a new era where a strong relationship with your customers can allow you to raise your prices, not drive them down. It’s no longer a price battlefield but a value battlefield played out on content platforms.

And like all good things, a slow build can have lasting benefits and payoff.

First, some terminology. When we look at content branding, we’re talking about servicing your prospects and customers with content that delivers value and builds your brand beyond words. Today, it’s happening best through video, but also blogging, podcasting, and storytelling on social media outlets. It’s about your brand becoming part of a lifestyle, an ethos, and a trusted resource in the lives of its patrons. While this can take on many forms, it’s time to recognize that your brand is a broadcaster and publisher. Let’s say that again: Your brand is the broadcaster! And must take on that role to effectively grow and stay relevant. And every day that passes, is one more day wasted in the life of your beautiful brand reaching out into the world and having a positive impact. 

It’s an exciting time in content creation. For example, the biggest brands in the world are developing television-style, high-quality shows specifically for YouTube. But is Nike’s latest YouTube series about shoes? No. It’s about young people doing cool things. The most Nike thing about it is that it represents the culture of their shoes. The essence of brand-building. Companies like Patagonia are releasing hour-long documentaries directly on the home page of their website with filmmaker Q & A’s that follow the premiere. Are these docs selling jackets? Not directly, no. They’re selling environmental activism, a massive part of the Patagonia culture. And that’s something that every human with even half a heart can get on board with. 

And so buying the product becomes a form of expression for people who align with the brand values. That’s a beautiful opportunity for brand-builders.

But scaling your content supply to profitable levels can be daunting initially. So let’s take a look at a few of the enemies that may be holding your brand back. By addressing them, we can surmount them. Going full tilt with content requires courage on the part of your business, a bold vision, and in some organizations, busting through the buzz-kill of bureaucracy to make it happen. So here are some tips for putting to rest the reluctance to build your brand with content.

1. CONSISTENCY. “We don’t know how to do it consistently. What should it look like? Can we create volume and quality long-term?”

Some say, shoot it and get it up - the immediacy is what matters. Others hold out for highly-produced pieces. The reality is that there is room in your arsenal for both - potentially. Consider the intended perception of your brand. Where does the idea of quality rank with your brand? Are you a discount brand? A prestigious brand? This will determine what ratio to use of produced content to candid content. In an ideal world, one might argue everything should look produced. But in reality with the convenience of iPhones, for example, making the most with what’s available in the moment is sometimes all that matters. Especially when a pandemic sweeps through and complicates certain types of production. But keep in mind the immortal words of Marshall McLuhan, the media theorist and philosopher: “The medium is the message.” If your medium is a crappy, phone-shot video, your message is also perceivably less valuable by default. 

2. COST. “Can we afford to produce content at a high volume? There’s no line in the budget for that.”

The answer: produce it at scale. It may take some time, but determining what volume of content generates the margins you’re looking for is key to making the cost work. In other words, make it pay for itself. While the initial investment may be tough to swallow for a while, effective content will pay for itself over time, and often faster than you might expect. How long? Consider an initial investment period up front and set some goals for it, measure its reach, and track correlations between engagement and sales. And use those numbers to factor your next scale up. And when studying the numbers, don’t confuse the effectiveness of the content with your campaign reach strategy. In other words, if your video isn’t performing on Facebook, look deeper to see who’s watching and how much you’re spending on promotions before drawing conclusions. Also, look for ways to shoot a high volume at one time to save on the costs and spread out its release.

3. SUPPLY. “How do we create enough good stuff? What the heck will we show after our initial ideas are used up?”

Don’t worry, your brand is a rich supply of content. You’d be surprised what you’ll find when you peel back the layers. There are ways of mining it for the long haul. Here are a few tips to get you thinking in a value-driven direction… Why not share your process, share your struggles? And build on that. Share other people’s stories related to your brand. Notice we didn’t say share the features and benefits of your products. No. Brand building is about the journey. The heroism. The everyday people rising out of mediocrity. There’s a rich supply there just below the surface.

4. TIME/PERSONNEL. “We don’t have the people-power to make this happen. We’re exhausted just thinking about it!”

The answer here is: Outsource. Find a content supplier who gets it - a producer or production partner who gets excited about ideas that are outside the box, and who can add to your marketing vision. In addition, a partner who can expand your content’s reach through internet marketing savvy could help you get the most out of your investment. Remember, storytelling is at the heart of this process, and that’s a job for a professional when it comes to representing your precious brand. Skilled editing is key too, as turning nothing into something will prove valuable to you along the way.

Now, fast-forward into the future and consider what you’ll see when you look back. Along side your beautiful brand will be the journey, documented and shared for all. A legacy, if you will, that tells the story of the rise of your brand - out of mediocrity, and into its full glory. 

This story can start today, even if you won’t feel ready until tomorrow.

-Your Media Dept.