»  birdsong gregory

Remember the mythology stories you learned back in school (Zeus and his thunderbolts or King Arthur and his sword)? Myths are narratives about divine or heroic beings, arranged in a coherent system, passed down traditionally, and linked to the spiritual or religious life of a community. In earlier cultures, myths allowed us to project ourselves into these compelling, exciting stories and to imagine interactions that never took place.

While the clumsy machinations of the Greek gods may today read like a bad soap opera, our need for and ability to create new myths help companies sell products and build brand loyalty throughout the marketplace. There’s clearly a Google mythology. And a Starbucks one as well.

For some reason, we feel differently about brands like these than we do about, say, Seattle Roasting Company or Altavista.

Here at birdsong gregory, our Charlotte NC ad agency occasionally has the opportunity to help a client create a new brand (or reinvent an existing one), and we think about the process in terms of creating a new brand myth. To accomplish that, we make sure there is a compelling, rich story, not just a product or a pile of facts. We aim for a story that promises (and delivers) a heroic outcome. And there needs to be growth and mystery as well, so the user can fill in her own blanks. Because at the end of the day, whether we’re working on marketing communications, logo design, or foundational brand development for one of Charlotte area clients, we aspire to create something that will truly connect with the intended audience.

Remember people use a Dell, but they are an Apple.