Recently I went to the cinema to see the much anticipated Lego movie and as Emmet and his friends raced around to save the world, I was reminded of the importance of brand storytelling.

Jetstar is synonymous with low fares, but it’s most recent campaign aims to share more about the brand and what it has to offer. The Low Fares Are Just Part Of The Story campaign marks 10 years of flying and features Jetstar cabin crew and pilots at both Melbourne and Adelaide Airport along with shots of its new 787 Dreamliner. By using people to communicate its brand story, Jetstar is trying to create more personal connections with customers and positioning itself as more than just a low cost airline.

Cue Clothing has adopted a similar approach, but instead of employees Cue is using its customers to tell its brand story. Cue is asking customers to send in photos of them wearing Cue clothing between 1968 and 2008 for an updated version of its ‘You and Cue’ book.

We know every brand has a story to tell but the challenge is how to tell that story so it resonates with consumers in a meaningful way and delivers a better brand experience. One brand that has mastered this art is Disney – Disney creates movies filled with magic in order to generate a feeling of wonder and subsequently brings this feeling to life through its theme parks. As a result, wonder is the benchmark reaction for Disney. Disney’s brand proposition is anchored in storytelling and any movie or experience that doesn’t elicit wonder is off-brand. What we can learn from Disney and Lego is that brand story telling (like advertising and marketing) needs to start with understanding your consumers in order to ultimately deliver a meaningful brand story.