Author: Robert Mighall
Publisher: LID Publishing
Reviewer: Helen McCall, account director, Tangent Snowball
Ever wondered what it would be like to cross the line from academia into full blown brand consultancy, with the dual perspective of the intellectual and the commercial that brings? Author Robert Mighall has crossed that particular rubicon, giving him a unique authority on applying creative narratives in corporate settings. In this book he discusses how the key to building powerful brands lies in telling powerful stories.
The book takes a wander through the history and folklore of storytelling in Western culture, before looking at what the components of successful brand ‘stories’ are, and how to best tell those stories across relevant outlets. This couldn’t be more relevant for us as marketers as our channels for brand ‘storytelling’ become ever more fragmented across social media and content marketing.
As B2B marketers, we can lose sight of the fact that when we communicate about our brand, we’re talking to human beings. Only Connect helps us remember that finding the right brand story, and telling it in an appropriate way, helps build emotional bonds between the brand and the reader that in turn engender trust.
The style of the book is story-like and easy to digest; there are a lot of personal anecdotes and direct examples from brands that the author himself has worked with. This all helps bring colour and illustrate not just ‘what’ but ‘how’, with examples from both B2B and B2C. The key take-out from the book is the understanding that identifying your brand’s story, and telling that well, is a communication tool of great potential power.
Star Rating: 4/5
