Brand Stories - Participants as Storytellers

How we made emotional brand images visible through a narrative approach

A company in the B2C services sector wanted to gain a deeper understanding of how its brand is perceived by consumers. Not on paper, not in advertising campaigns, but in everyday life. How does the brand live in people’s minds? What images does it evoke? What kind of character do they attribute to it?

Previous findings from traditional brand image surveys had remained vague. The brand was described as “modern,” “likeable,” and “reliable.” Attributes that appear in almost every brief, yet provide little real direction. What was missing was depth. A genuine sense of how the brand is actually experienced.

The stories were statistically evaluated and condensed. The company received brand insights in the form of stories—written by the people for whom the brand is intended. This made character profiles tangible: as a friend with depth and infectious optimism. As a colleague who listens well but rarely becomes specific. As a travel guide who is knowledgeable and provides the group with a sense of security.
We analyzed role distributions and action patterns, resulting in a well-founded character profile of the brand. The process behind it: BRAND|VIEW—a format that combines narrative scenarios and projective techniques from qualitative research with quantitative analytics.
The stories had an impact. They stuck. They touched the teams within the company because they were not constructed but came directly from the target group's perspective. No one had to stage the storytelling of the results. The research provided the stories along with it.
In workshops with various departments, they became the basis for discussions, aha moments, and realignments: in tonality, design, and the way the brand is discussed.