In 2024, brands are increasingly recognising that there’s more to a 360-degree communications and marketing strategy than being on multiple platforms. What it’s really about is creating a seamless, interconnected experience that intertwines with the consumer journey. The emphasis has shifted towards crafting narratives that flow naturally across all touchpoints, ensuring each interaction reinforces the brand’s story and values.
It sounds intuitive but can be tricky, leading many brands to wonder if they’re getting it right. Let’s take a closer look at what we have learned as a brand identity agency about 360-degree branding and how you can adjust your strategy to leave an impact.
Unlock the Power of Integrated Storytelling for Lasting Brand Impact
As today’s consumers encounter a plethora of both online and offline touchpoints on a daily basis, successful brands are using integrated storytelling, also known as 360-degree branding, to ensure their campaigns tell a consistent story across every possible channel. But that doesn’t mean brands are limiting their creativity—in fact, they’re working hard to create deeper messaging by launching multi-faceted omnichannel campaigns that are tailored to different platforms and work together to support the overarching narrative while driving organic engagement from the ground up.
A great example of this is Nike’s “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” campaign for the Summer Olympics. Based on conversations with athletes about what it takes to be a winner, the campaign rolled out with a splash. It was impossible to miss, as it was featured on almost every touchpoint: OOH, TVC, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and even on-ground activations at the Olympics in Paris.
Nike wove in the same message in formats that worked best for each medium, be it larger-than-life imagery and bold statements for OOH and Instagram (we’re seeing increasing similarities between these two mediums), a rousing TV spot narrated by Willem Dafoe, short “tape recordings” of Olympic athletes’ monologues on TikTok, and a physical exhibition titled “Art of Victory” at the Centre Pompidou, an iconic landmark in Paris.
The gritty, ruthless, whatever-it-takes-to-win messaging sparked discourse but also aligned with the competitive spirit of the Olympics, which garnered a massive viewership of 3 billion. As a result of the marketing campaign, Nike emerged as the leading brand associated with the 2024 Summer Olympics, capturing 14.1% of respondent recognition, according to a global survey.
A Guide to Integrated Storytelling
So how can you take a page out of Nike’s book and apply this type of integrated storytelling strategy to your business to achieve similar success? Here are a few tips:
1. Build a Seamless Brand Narrative
Consumers expect a consistent brand story across digital, physical, and experiential channels. They want the same story told in different ways. A cohesive narrative will help them identify your brand in the unending stream of information they receive on a daily basis.
For instance, the Mutant team crafted a campaign for the launch of Tim Hortons in Malaysia that focused on an overarching message of community and warmth across brand, PR, and social media. From press releases to social media posts on Instagram and TikTok, down to responses to direct messages, we’ve set the tone for the experience customers would receive when visiting a Tim Hortons outlet and helped them stand out from the competition.
What this means for your brand:
Start by defining your brand’s core values and purpose. Then, brainstorm ways to express these values consistently across all your marketing channels. Remember, consistency leads to familiarity and trust.
2. Create Versatile Content
A truly effective 360-degree marketing strategy hinges on adaptable content. Reports and whitepapers, infographics and data – all of it can be repurposed, tailored, and adapted for every touchpoint. Rather than siloing content, you should develop and adapt content for different channels. This will go a long way toward improving both brand awareness and ad recall.
What this means for your brand:
When creating content, consider how it can be repurposed for different channels. Can a blog post be turned into an infographic? Can a video be broken down into shorter social media clips? This approach saves time and resources while ensuring your message reaches a wider audience.
3. Use AI Tools to Support Storytelling
AI tools can significantly enhance productivity by simplifying the process of integrated storytelling. With comprehensive prompts, AI tools can assist with generating ideas, storyboarding, and providing rough drafts. You can include tools like ChatGPT and Canva, which have AI integration, in your daily workflows to speed up the storytelling pipeline and supercharge your brand’s storytelling and content abilities – allowing you to focus on refining your brand’s unique voice and message.
What this means for your brand:
Experiment with AI tools to brainstorm ideas, generate social media captions, or even create initial drafts of blog posts. Remember, AI is a tool to enhance your creativity, not replace it. However, always be sure to review and refine AI-generated content to ensure it aligns with your brand’s voice and values.
Exploring the Power of Data-driven Branding
Branding serves as the framework for a 360-degree marketing strategy by ensuring consistent messaging across all storytelling efforts. It keeps the core message true to your brand’s identity and reinforces key values in the audience’s mind.
When you’re undergoing rebranding or a new branding exercise, it is important to conduct research and attain data that helps you have a better sense of your own brand as well as your competitors. In a time when consumer preferences are shifting faster than ever before, a data-driven approach ensures that branding efforts meet the target audience’s needs and desires. In short: research and data can help you pinpoint what works and what doesn’t so that your brand isn’t just working off of vibes and hoping for the best.
Comprehensive research like consumer surveys provides rich data and insights into market trends, competitor positioning, and customer perceptions – all vital for crafting a strong brand identity. Anchoring branding exercises in research ensures that the decisions made are strategic rather than subjective – based on data-driven findings rather than gut feelings.
Data can also help you identify gaps in the market and discover pain points that you and your competitors share – which could open up new marketing opportunities previously undiscovered and unexplored. At Mutant, we strive to understand our clients’ customer sentiments so that we can craft relevant and impactful brand messages, campaign strategies, and visual identities for our clients.
We recently worked with a major bank in the region on how to do a brand refresh to enhance its competitiveness and relevance to customers, taking it through an extensive brand audit and conducting stakeholder surveys to identify areas of improvement. We reset the look and feel of its touchpoints, developed key messaging, and improved its brand identity to better resonate with its target audiences.
We’ve also worked with a legacy cord blood bank to position it as a trustworthy and approachable brand by introducing softer colours and an updated medical illustration style in its visual identity. The rebranding exercise was informed by a sentiment analysis of the brand and its competitors and interviews with its stakeholders, resulting in a consistent brand voice that better resonates with its audience.
Leveraging User-Generated Content (UGC) to Enhance Your Storytelling
UGC, or “User-Generated Content,” refers to any content—text, videos, images, reviews, and more—created and shared by consumers rather than by the brand or a social media content services company. Examples include customer reviews, social media posts, and even comments. TikTok creators, for instance, often post reviews raving about their favourite places, food, and products.
Though many brands have realised that they can get creative in the comments section of their social media channels, there are still those that tread carefully. For example, just this summer, the anime VOD company Crunchyroll removed their comments section to “reduce harmful content” and avoid angering their audience.
However, as perceptions of online interactions evolve, brands must continue to engage with users authentically and memorably to foster brand awareness and loyalty.
To make the most of this, consider these two UGC strategies:
1. Co-create Content with Your Consumers
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Brands that involve their audience in creating content and campaigns will win the marketing game. Whether it’s through witty (but on-brand) banter in the comments section, embracing UGC, or even rolling out collaborative product and service development, brands can foster deeper engagement that amplifies brand voice and messaging.
This strategy has been on the rise for years, especially with the impact of partnership ads between brands and creators. A study found that Duradry lowered its customer acquisition costs (CAC) by 29% by working with authentic creators who already love and use their deodorant.
Take action:
Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your brand on social media. Run contests or campaigns that incentivise UGC creation. Feature user-generated content on your website and social media channels to showcase real people enjoying your products or services.
2. Build Your Community
Encouraging UGC and user interaction will organically build and nurture communities that advocate for and champion your brand. Consider creating platforms where your consumers can connect, share experiences, and contribute to the brand story. This could involve fostering engagement through comments, social media fan clubs, branded apps, or in-person events.
Take action:
Foster a sense of belonging by actively engaging with your community. Respond to comments, answer questions, and show appreciation for their contributions. Create exclusive content or experiences for your most loyal customers to reward their advocacy.
Craft Your Brand’s Lasting Legacy
Ultimately, the aim of 360-degree branding is to create an integrated campaign that tells a consistent and engaging story while also humanising your brand. This approach can not only boost brand awareness and ad recall but also foster trust and loyalty – all of which are essential in today’s hyper-competitive landscape.
Don’t let your brand get lost in the noise! By embracing 360-degree branding, you’ll be on the path to a stronger brand identity that is not only memorable but resonant.
Need help evaluating your 360-degree strategy? Drop our strategic communications agency a line at [email protected] so we can work together on your brand.