Humans are messy. Your stories can be too

I’m not really sure when the whole ‘brands need to be perfect in everything they do’ started, but I don’t buy it.

The reality is: if you want to do remarkable things, you’re going to fall on your face a few times.

When it comes to storytelling, I think brands feel a pressure to ensure every story they tell is uplifting, inspiring or aspirational.

I disagree.

As humans, we’re all a bit messy. Whether that’s disorganized, struggling to get ahead, or just trying to do our best to get through — life is hard, and often messy.

The idea that, as a company or a brand, you can only tell perfect stories of perfect people is inauthentic and I think does more harm than good.

When we Storyfind, we’re often looking at what a character wants. Their desire is what motivates them as a person to show and and put in their best effort. But so often, those journeys are filled with heartbeat, loss, failure, or sorrow.

When we remove those pieces of the story to make it fit into a brand, we lose their humanity and what makes them connect with a broader audience.

As an audience, we connect with characters that we can see ourselves in. If we gloss over the substance to make things perfect, we’ll isolate the exact people we’re trying to build better connections with.

People are messy. I’m ready to see more brands embrace that side of our shared humanity. I bet the brands that do well will rise above the noise.

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