Indian Couture needs compelling Storytelling!
Indian couture sells dreams, imagination, craftsmanship and its heritage — however, it neglects the art of storytelling. As an old Indian proverb says, “Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.” Indeed, good stories draw people in.
With the advent of digital media, luxury brands now have the opportunity to weave the fabric of their fables in an interactive, immersive and compelling way, across all customer touchpoints. They have the opportunity to convey the brand’s unique value proposition in a tone of voice that best suits them.
It is a brand’s attribute of storytelling that distinguishes it from its competitors. However, what most of the brands are focusing on is their content strategy rather than indulging into the experiential storytelling.
Content strategy v/s Brand’s Storytelling -
Content strategy turns the brands into publishers. Here brands specifically create content around topics that they know their audience will be interested in, instead of telling people about how interesting the brand itself is.
Whereas, brand storytelling is a cohesive narrative of the facts, feelings and interpretations that are shared about the business by the company itself, its customers, its community and the public in general. The brand communicates its core values and uniqueness while establishing a distinctive connection with their audience.
Many luxury brands talk about craftsmanship, experience, design, bespoke and exceptional service. However, that remains insufficient. To build a loyal customer base, they need to convey what unique value they create specifically for them by the things they do exceptionally well.
While the content that is published about the brand does contribute to brand storytelling, it is only one of many elements of a brand’s story as a whole.
Brands need to start with the “WHY” -
In the words of Simon Sinek — the brand needs to know why does it exist? Why should consumers be inspired to purchase their product? Humans want to belong to communities and culture. They identify with brands that articulate why. It is only then they will be interested in the “what”. The Indian Couture market is mostly dominated by bridal and ethnic wear. It has access to world’s best craftsmanship. What makes one couture house different from the other would be based on the origin of its artwork, the inspiration behind the curation of designs, its unique choice of local craft, the community it wants to resonate with and how it adds value the society. These distinctive factors need to be supported with a clear and distinctive “why” and also narrated throughout the customer journey.
Re-defining the art of narration -
However, there are a few exceptions that push themselves far beyond merely beautifully shot campaigns.
As the Royal Bengal tiger sits fiercely yet poised, brand Sabyasachi places the city of Joy in the heart of every Indian bride. It invites you into the world of grandeur where one loses the sense of time. Symbolic to the bygone days in Kolkata, the brand gives out a mystical aura that is strongly rooted in its Indian tradition.
In the ever-changing world of digital, Sabyasachi consciously and creatively engages with its audience through several touch-points. With 4.5million followers on Instagram, it delivers meaningful hand-curated content which beautifully falls in sync with its personal values.
1. Stories in micro-moments: The brand delivers authentic stories in a bite-size amount that captures the viewer’s attention quickly but leaves a lasting impression. Sabyasachi distinguishes its core value of quality craftsmanship by narrating it through encapsulating stories. From sharing Tagore songs and poems to his favourite quotations from Umraojaan, brand’s cultural driven content transports you back in the era of classical times.
2. Collaboration: Sabyasachi X Band Baajaa Bride, an award-winning reality show where couples from across India, irrespective of social status, were featured for their unique love stories fraught with struggles and conquests. Those selected were given a “Sabyasachi makeover,” which includes being dressed in designer’s signature clothes and jewellery. This show helped the brand reach a far greater demographic of its audience and also put forward its emotional belief. It showcased empathy and instigated a sense of confidence in an Indian bride. By building a genuine human connection, it conveyed the importance of putting a customer’s dreams and aspiration before the brand.
3. Audience as storytellers: Sabyasachi believes in making customers the face of its brand. The “real brides” and their “real stories” serves as a strong touchpoint to all the aspiring ones with a desire to embrace the ethnicity of the culture.
As a true story unfolds over a number of different chapters, Sabyasachi’s brand storytelling is no different. Slowly yet gracefully it has extended its artistic endeavour even to the world of storytelling.
What makes your brand human?
Storytelling is one of the most ancient and powerful tools for effective communication. It has always been and shall remain to be human-centric. As human are genetically drawn to well-delivered stories, a memorable brand story is what will help build a loyal community.
In the ever-changing digital space, the channels of communications have evolved and so has the audience’s expectations. However, the need for compelling and interactive conversations remain unchanged.
To sustain in the longer-run brands need to question themselves — How does it touch and transform people’s lives? How does it put a positive dent in society? In short, does the brand have a soul?
When brands get this right, they can create extreme value. This allows them to price for it, and to develop further the luxuriousness in the category in which they play. The value is created through the brand and its story. Products are simply part of the brand’s value delivery system; they don’t create the added luxury value by themselves. The brand does.
In modern luxury, brands must strive to relate to their audiences truthfully and purposefully. It is only through authentic narratives that the brand can optimize on it. Brands who understand the importance of delivering value through a story are the ones to stand out and, ultimately, turn into a legacy.
