Wow this was such a good read! Just recently I was discussing the difference between story telling and making an impact.. now I know the right word is ‘lore’.
Love the way you explained this here! Building a world people can step inside of and recognize instantly is something I want to do and you just opened a door of infinite ideas for me with this paragrah: "Every time you’re tempted to tell people what you stand for, ask yourself whether you could show it instead through the next five pieces of content you make. That’s where lore lives." THANK YOU! 🔥
Thank you!! For us branding novice's breaking down Lore I can actually grasp. Also the Hogwarts tattoo is lolllllll - but such a great point. My friend has one and I judge her for it but she's in the lore and I am not!
This is so true and something that is going to become even more and more important in marketing, because lore also builds community.
Case in point: A band I love, Viagra Boys, does the lore thing super well.
Yes, you can go to their show just to enjoy the music, or, if you're like me, you can write “LÖS” on your forehead (to match lead singer Sebastian Murphy’s tattoo) with sharpie, and suddenly you’re in this little sub-community of people who... get it.
Viagra Boys even have this recurring “Shrimp Tech” thing across their videos and album art. I watched an interview recently where the interviewer and Sebastian were literally eating, and the interviewer NEVER asked thought to bring up "Shrimp Tech" even once, and the comments were full of fans like: how do you miss that???
This is such a good read and I believe lore will move us away from the empty quick-fix brand hacks and tactics towards more thoughtful and distinctive brands!
From a comms seat this resonates hard! So much of what we call "brand storytelling" is really just message discipline all dressed up. Lore is what happens when the message discipline has been so consistent for so long that the audience starts finishing your sentences for you. A24 is a great example of this in the wild, their marketing campaigns centered around their portfolio of movies create their own worlds.
This is exactly how I feel about the layers and world building of brand experiences: “Every time you’re tempted to tell people what you stand for, ask yourself whether you could show it instead.”
The spaces you choose to host in, the details you choose for the props, the voices you choose to put on stage, how you seat people or offer them a way to think about things differently — all choices that show them who your brand is, without telling them. And build the trust in the lore. Great piece!
Wow this was such a good read! Just recently I was discussing the difference between story telling and making an impact.. now I know the right word is ‘lore’.
Thanks so much for breaking this down!!
i’m so pleased you enjoyed it. i hope it was helpful!!
Love the way you explained this here! Building a world people can step inside of and recognize instantly is something I want to do and you just opened a door of infinite ideas for me with this paragrah: "Every time you’re tempted to tell people what you stand for, ask yourself whether you could show it instead through the next five pieces of content you make. That’s where lore lives." THANK YOU! 🔥
Thank you!! For us branding novice's breaking down Lore I can actually grasp. Also the Hogwarts tattoo is lolllllll - but such a great point. My friend has one and I judge her for it but she's in the lore and I am not!
This is so true and something that is going to become even more and more important in marketing, because lore also builds community.
Case in point: A band I love, Viagra Boys, does the lore thing super well.
Yes, you can go to their show just to enjoy the music, or, if you're like me, you can write “LÖS” on your forehead (to match lead singer Sebastian Murphy’s tattoo) with sharpie, and suddenly you’re in this little sub-community of people who... get it.
Viagra Boys even have this recurring “Shrimp Tech” thing across their videos and album art. I watched an interview recently where the interviewer and Sebastian were literally eating, and the interviewer NEVER asked thought to bring up "Shrimp Tech" even once, and the comments were full of fans like: how do you miss that???
That’s exactly what you’re describing: IYKYK.
This was really insightful! Made me look back at some of my own Lore that I had created without even realising!! - thank you!
This is such a good read and I believe lore will move us away from the empty quick-fix brand hacks and tactics towards more thoughtful and distinctive brands!
Omg she just talked to me, so for my work I just really need to have my own lore ok got it now I think I’ve a clear narrative thanks sophieee
I already have a lore for myself but for my business universe is different
This was so good!
Thanks!
From a comms seat this resonates hard! So much of what we call "brand storytelling" is really just message discipline all dressed up. Lore is what happens when the message discipline has been so consistent for so long that the audience starts finishing your sentences for you. A24 is a great example of this in the wild, their marketing campaigns centered around their portfolio of movies create their own worlds.
YES STORIES ARE PARABOLAS LORE IS A SINE CURVE I also love the spiral / concentric circle graphic!!!
oh, yes. you have something here.
So many great points! Building lore def makes the discovery more fun for the audience
This is exactly how I feel about the layers and world building of brand experiences: “Every time you’re tempted to tell people what you stand for, ask yourself whether you could show it instead.”
The spaces you choose to host in, the details you choose for the props, the voices you choose to put on stage, how you seat people or offer them a way to think about things differently — all choices that show them who your brand is, without telling them. And build the trust in the lore. Great piece!
Good distinction!
Such an interesting take and certainly something I’ll come back to whilst I’m building my own brand on Substack