Organizations on the rise have a clear compelling story to tell, which is engaging to their audience, while being authentic to them. When companies lose the plot of their own story, that is when they start to die. Similarly, up-and-coming organizations that fail to comprehensively articulate their story fall short of achieving their full potential.

Thoughtful companies typically develop some kind of brand strategy to account for the story they want to tell. But strategy and execution are two very different things. There are various reasons why strong strategies don’t get implemented. Sometimes organizations lack the internal will. Sometimes they are just too busy.

But just as often, potentially effective messaging strategies are not deployed because people don’t know how to do it. The strategy either doesn’t spell it out clearly enough, or it involves elements that the organization is not equipped to fulfill.

That’s why it’s useful to think of a brand strategy in terms of a screenplay. (Obviously, I was watching the Oscars last night) A screenplay is a plan or a blueprint for a movie, an act of storytelling on a large scale. I recently spoke to a producer about a screenplay of mine he is interested in developing. He said: “I can’t start without a strong screenplay. I can find a director. I can find actors. But without a good screenplay, nothing good happens.”

The same may be said of articulating a company’s story. A good screenplay includes the main characters and their motivations, as well as the real-life action in which these characters move, think, speak and live. Everything that goes into the movie, the big story, is accounted for in the screenplay. At the same time, there is enough flexibility that the talented people who bring it to life have room to improvise and add their own creativity.

Is your company’s story or your client’s story truly coming to life? Does the plot work? Do the main characters engage your audience? And most importantly, does your audience care? Let us help you develop your brand’s screenplay. Contact us today at: joe@relativitywriting.com.