BrandScript Element 1 - Identify the Character

These are my notes from reading Donald Miller's book on Building a StoryBrand. Chapter 4 goes through the first stage of his BrandScript Framework which is about building a compelling character.

I'll be documenting my exploration into how to create a character profile for branding stories so that the target audience is able to relate to it.

If you want to check out the other parts of this series, the links are below:

1. Overview
2. Identify the Character
3. Create a Villain
4. Introducing a Guide
5. Give them a Plan
6. Call them to Action
7. Prevent Failure
8. End with a Win
9. Participate in Their Transformation
10. Brandscript your Website
11. The Narrative Void
12. The Marketing Roadmap

1. The Principle: The Character is not YOU

It's really easy to put yourself or your brand as the hero of the story.

Try not to.

People are ego-centric and focus on their own goals and problems. While they might find your story interesting, but it won't be as compelling as it would if you made them the hero of the story and show them how they can make a transformation in their lives.

The first time customers see your brand, they will be asking:

2. Build a Story Gap - Identify Desires

Good stories open up with a story gap. This is the gap between where the customer is now and where they want to be.

The only way to do this is to ask yourself:

Examples are:

• I want to stop my back from hurting
• I want to be look athletic
• I want to have more time to myself

While it's not prescribed in the book, I think it might be helpful to brainstorm a lot of potential desires to pick from.

Singular Focus

While the customer may have multiple desires that a brand can help them with, finding one singular point of entry helps to direct them through the main plotline.

The other desires can act as subplots that bring them surprise and delight.

But how do you pick which one?

Survival

When selecting the focal point of want for your character, look for something that is key to their survival.

Types of survival instincts:

• Conserving financial resources
• Conserving time
• Building social networks.
• Gaining status.
• Accumulating resources.
• The innate desire to be generous.
• The desire for meaning

Don't be vague!

One of the dangers of creating a character profile is choosing a desire that is too vague.

If the customer can't clearly understand what they get by engaging with the brand, they're less likely to take action.

Being specific and concrete about a particular desire makes them feel like you actually understand their issues.

Refinement

Once we've thought through and chosen our desire, draft up a short catch phrase that encapsulates the brand's proposition.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it feels like building a character profile for your branding story is about putting yourself in their shoes. It builds a connection with them. By creating a story gap around a single critical desire they wish to fulfil, you can create a compelling character that the customer can relate to and is interested in finding out more.

Exercises:

Let's try out what we've just learned.

Here are three examples I've tried. I went on to Google Maps to find any random businesses. Here are some in my local area. I just looked for businesses with websites and tried to do as good of a job as I can to identify who the customer is.

I've tabulated my practice here.

Business Name	What do they do?	Customer Attributes	Brainstorm desires	Survival Instincts	Single focus	Refine	Rationale
Kingsgrove Cats	Boarding house for cats	Owns cat Lives in area	Peace of mind, Time away, Travel	Conserving time	Travelling with peace of mind that my cat is safe	Travel without worry	Focuses on the desire to travel because sometimes it's impractical to go with pets. Owners want to make sure that their pets are looked after while they're away.
Mane Painters	Hair colouring	Female Lots of hair	Look amazing, Transformation, Colour	Gaining status	Transforming you with new hair	Feel new with fresh colour	Target the feeling that you get when you apply fresh colour to your hair. The shop provides multiple colouring services to choose from but they all try to do the same thing - give you a new look.
Little Leaves Piano	Piano teaching	High school student	Be able to play the instrument, look good to peers, interested in music, career in music, parents told me to learn	Gaining status	Play the piano to wow your friends	Wow your mates by making the piano sing!	I'm torn between two versions of this. From experience, I know there is a lot of drive from parents who want their kids to just progress through piano grades. I've chosen the other side which targets students that are personally motivated to learn piano. I've made the story focus on getting peer approval through musical ability.
Austral Bricks	Styled bricks	Home renovators	Build a strong house Be safe Have a quiet house	Gaining Status Conserving time The desire for meaning	Style your home	Your home. Your style.	Even though the desire to have a strong brick house is a valid path for pitching, the strength can be can be assumed by the brick product themselves. Those looking at brick homes are already quite wealthy so the things they tend to care more about is how they look. Giving the customer the ability to style their house plays into their desire to express themselves through the look of their house.
Hot Tyres	Sell Wheels and Tyres Wheel Services	Has car Needs new tyres	To drive Cost effective	Conserving money Conserving time	I want to drive	Keep rolling	Tyres and tyre services are needed when you've used your car for a while and you start getting wear and tear. The products seem to cater for the more cost sensitive customer. However, a more financially effective approach might be to focus on the ability to keep driving.
Duo Duo	Ice cream and Donuts	Sweet tooths	Satisfy craving Seeking Novelty	Desire for meaning	I want to try lots of interesting desserts	Taste the craft	Looking at their website, their front page showcases them as the hero of the story. "Obsessed with the craft..." I get that they want to convey that they are really good at dessert making. If we tweak it to "Taste the craft", it makes the story about the customer with the hint that these are specialist desserts.
Uturn Outlet	Second hand fashion	Fashionable	Look good Save money Reduce waste	Gaining status Conserving money Being generous	I want to look good without spending so much money	Create your own style	The hero wants to be fashionable but financially and waste conservative. Focusing on their desire to create their own fashion sense.

Practice yourself!

If you want to try it out as well, here is a form you can try to fill in. Copy and paste your results into a notepad on your computer to avoid losing your data. Refreshing the page will wipe it clean.

The Character

Imagine you are building a BrandScript for a company. Write up a character profile that you would use for the rest of the story.

Character Attributes

What does your character look like?

Desires

What does the character want?

Single Focus

Which desire is the most critical to their survival?

Refinement

Refine their ambition into a short statement

Rationale

What was your thinking behind your choice?