Do It For The Story: Brand Stories That Stick

<html lang="" dir="ltr" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, user-scalable=yes"> <meta name="format-detection" content="telephone=no, date=no, address=no, email=no, url=no"> <meta name="x-apple-disable-message-reformatting">   <style type="text/css"> /* Outlines the grids, remove when sending */ /*table td { border: 1px solid cyan; }*/ /* RESET STYLES */ html, body { margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; width: 100% !important; height: 100% !important; } body { -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;} .document { margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; width: 100% !important; } img { border: 0; outline: none; text-decoration: none; -ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic; } table { border-collapse: collapse; } table, td { mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; } body, table, td, a { -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; } h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, p { margin:0; word-break: break-word;} /* iOS BLUE LINKS */ a[x-apple-data-detectors] { color: inherit !important; text-decoration: none !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-weight: inherit !important; line-height: inherit !important; } /* ANDROID CENTER FIX */ div[style*="margin: 16px 0;"] { margin: 0 !important; } /* MEDIA QUERIES */ @media all and (max-width:639px){ .wrapper{ width:100%!important; } .container{ width:100%!important; min-width:100%!important; padding: 0 !important; } .row{padding-left: 20px!important; padding-right: 20px!important;} .col-mobile {width: 20px!important;} .table-between-col-mobile {width:100%!important;} .col{display: block!important; width: 100%!important;} .col-feature{display: block!important; width: 100%!important;} .mobile-center{text-align: center!important; float: none!important;} .mobile-mx-auto {margin: 0 auto!important; float: none!important;} .mobile-left{text-align: center!important; float: left!important;} .mobile-hide{display: none!important;} .img{ width:100% !important; height:auto !important; } table.three-columns-layout tr td.col[width="160"] img{ width:100% !important; max-width:100% !important; height:auto !important; } .ml-btn { width: 100% !important; max-width: 100%!important;} .ml-btn-container { width: 100% !important; max-width: 100%!important;} *[class="mobileOff"] { width: 0px !important; display: none !important; } *[class*="mobileOn"] { display: block !important; max-height:none !important; } .mlContentTable{ width: 100%!important; min-width: 10%!important; margin: 0!important; float: none!important; } .mlContentButton a { display: block!important; width: auto!important; } .mlContentOuter { padding-bottom: 0px!important; padding-left: 15px!important; padding-right: 15px!important; padding-top: 0px!important; } .mlContentSurvey { float: none!important; margin-bottom: 10px!important; width:100%!important; } .multiple-choice-item-table { width: 100% !important; min-width: 10% !important; float: none !important; } .ml-default, .ml-card, .ml-fullwidth { width: 100%; min-width: 100%; } } @media screen and (max-width: 600px) { .col-feature { margin-bottom: 30px; } } /* Carousel style */ @media screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 0) { .webkit { display: block !important; } } @media screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 0) { .non-webkit { display: none !important; } } @media screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 0) { /* TARGET OUTLOOK.COM */ [class="x_non-webkit"] { display: block !important; } } @media screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 0) { [class="x_webkit"] { display: none !important; } } </style> <style type="text/css">@import url("https://assets.mlcdn.com/fonts-v2.css?version=1785851");</style> <style type="text/css"> @media (max-width: 640px) { .ml-4 .ml-btn-wrapper { text-align: left; } } </style><style type="text/css"> @media (max-width: 640px) { .ml-6 .ml-btn-wrapper { text-align: left; } } </style><style type="text/css"> @media (max-width: 640px) { .ml-8 .ml-btn-wrapper { text-align: ; } } </style><style type="text/css"> @media screen { body { font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; } } </style><meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"> <title>Do It For The Story: Brand Stories That Stick</title> <meta name="image" content="https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/2172142/vb0Cteh5w7Ai2z2kxrzyuitIVKeO2nB59Jn95s1s.png" property="og:image"></head> <body style="margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; background-color:#F4F7FA;"> <div class="document" role="article" aria-roledescription="email" aria-label="" lang="" dir="ltr" style="background-color:#F4F7FA; line-height: 100%; font-size:medium; font-size:max(16px, 1rem);">  <table width="100%" align="center" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="" background="" bgcolor="#F4F7FA" align="center" valign="top" style="padding: 0 8px;"> <table class="container" align="center" width="640" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="max-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0;"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center"> <table align="center" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td colspan="2" height="20" style="line-height: 20px"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-family: 'Inter', sans-serif; font-size:0px;color:#F4F7FA;line-height:0px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflow:hidden;mso-hide:all;"> <div style="display:none;font-size:0px;color:#F4F7FA;line-height:0px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflow:hidden;mso-hide:all;">  In the last edition of Do It For the Story, Dr Augusta Dorning reminded us that building a brand means showing up consistently, intentionally and as yourself. She reminded us that people connect with people before they connect with businesses. </div> </td> <td align="right" style="font-family: 'Inter', sans-serif; color: #111111; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> <a builder-link-id="-1" style="color: #111111; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline;" href="" data-link-id="195763336743224527" data-link-type="webview">View in browser</a>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="20" style="line-height: 20px;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table width="640" class="wrapper" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style=" max-width: 640px; border:1px solid #EAECED; border-radius:8px; border-collapse: separate!important; overflow: hidden; "> <tbody><tr> <td align="center">  <table class="ml-default" width="100%" bgcolor="" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style=""> <table class="ml-default-border" width="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" ; "> <tbody><tr> <td class="ml-default-border" background="" style="background-size: cover; background-position: center center;" valign="top" align="center"> <table class="container ml-4" width="640" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="color: #515856; width: 640px; min-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0;"> <tbody><tr> <td> <table class="container" width="640" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="" align="center" style="padding: 0 0" colspan="3"> <img src="https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/2172142/vb0Cteh5w7Ai2z2kxrzyuitIVKeO2nB59Jn95s1s.png" loading="lazy" border="0" alt="" class="img" width="640" style="display: block;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="col-mobile" width="50" height="0" style="line-height: 0;"></td> <td> <table class="table-between-col-mobile" width="540" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td height="30" style="line-height:30px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Edition #006   |   August 2026<br></p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><br></p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Hi <span class="redactor-component" data-redactor-type="variable-ml"></span><br></p> <h1 style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #000000; font-size: 36px; line-height: 125%; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; ;margin-bottom: 10px;">Brand Stories That Stick </h1> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><br></p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">In the last edition of <em>Do It For the Story</em>, Dr Augusta Dorning reminded us that building a brand means showing up consistently, intentionally and as yourself. She reminded us that people connect with people before they connect with businesses.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">This edition asks the next question - once you have their attention, what will make them care? Enter the wonderfully gifted Colin Skelton, Narrative Strategist and Facilitator, who gets to the heart of something many brands overlook: your message can be important, your purpose can be compelling, but without a story, it will simply remain information.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;"><br></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td class="col-mobile" width="50" height="0" style="line-height: 0;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>   <table class="ml-default" width="100%" bgcolor="" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style=""> <table class="ml-default-border" width="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" ; "> <tbody><tr> <td class="ml-default-border" background="" style="background-size: cover; background-position: center center;" valign="top" align="center"> <table class="container ml-6" width="640" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="color: #515856; width: 640px; min-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0;"> <tbody><tr> <td class="container" height="20" style="line-height: 20px; min-width: 640px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table class="container" width="640" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="row" align="center" style="padding: 0 50px" colspan="3"> <img src="https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/2172142/ZQDlpMP8SzUfpgnkOlntsl3SwTLHz9TageA5u5nd.jpg" loading="lazy" border="0" alt="" class="img" width="540" style="display: block;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="col-mobile" width="50" height="0" style="line-height: 0;"></td> <td> <table class="table-between-col-mobile" width="540" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td height="30" style="line-height:30px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <h2 style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #8da9c1; font-size: 24px; line-height: 125%; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; ;margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>How Story Makes</strong> <strong>Your Brand Sticky</strong></h2> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong></strong>By Colin Skelton</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">My little dog, Choona, is a cute wire-haired terrier with a feisty personality. She's getting on in age now and, unfortunately, has Cushing's disease. The good news is that medication manages her condition, so she can continue living a happy life.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">But getting her to take that medicine in the beginning was a real challenge. The vet handed me a bottle of little yellow pills and said, "Simply give her one of these twice a day at mealtimes." </p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Simple enough, I thought. But the first time I tried to give Choona her medication, she spat the pill straight out. So I hid it in her food. She ate around it. I tried cheese, biltong and even her favourite treats. But every time, she somehow managed to eat whatever was surrounding the pill and leave the medication behind, or eventually spit it out. A few times I even found the pill hiding in her wiry beard! She's a clever little thing.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;">But I was becoming concerned about the daily admin this was going to require. Fortunately, while telling a friend about my dilemma, he suggested putting the pill inside a dollop of peanut butter. I tried it and Choona happily licked it up without spitting it out, and swallowed the whole thing. Success!<br></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td class="col-mobile" width="50" height="0" style="line-height: 0;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="20" style="line-height: 20px;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>   <table class="ml-default" width="100%" bgcolor="" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style=""> <table class="container ml-8 ml-default-border" width="640" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="color: #515856; width: 640px; min-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0;"> <tbody><tr> <td class="ml-default-border container" height="40" style="line-height: 40px; min-width: 640px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="row" style="padding: 0 50px;"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="col" valign="middle" width="250"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td align="left"> <img src="https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/2172142/SsOsAueDhqKdfOTnWqYAkvAds2QTGgiETrxiFJHr.png" loading="lazy" border="0" alt="" width="250" class="img" style="display: block;"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td class="col" width="40" height="30" style="line-height: 30px;"></td> <td class="col" valign="middle" width="250"> <h2 style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #8da9c1; font-size: 24px; line-height: 125%; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; ;margin-bottom: 10px; margin-bottom: 0;">"What does this have to do with brand storytelling? Everything. The peanut butter is the story. The pill is your brand message."</h2> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="40" style="line-height: 40px;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>   <table class="ml-default" width="100%" bgcolor="" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style=""> <table class="container ml-16 ml-default-border" width="640" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="color: #515856; width: 640px; min-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0;"> <tbody><tr> <td class="ml-default-border container" height="20" style="line-height: 20px; min-width: 640px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="row" style="padding: 0 50px;"> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">While your message might be important, your purpose clear, and your product or service might solve a real problem, that doesn't necessarily mean people will care about it, remember it, or want to hear more. Story helps make the message more digestible. And, well, stickier, like peanut butter.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">This is why storytelling should sit much closer to the centre of brand strategy. Brands spend time defining purpose, values, features and benefits which are all important, but they don't always make people care. That's where story comes in.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">A good brand story creates an emotional connection. We remember moments that make us feel something, that move us emotionally, even in a small way. Storytelling gives the facts about your offering a human context by introducing people, struggle, desire, change and consequence. Instead of simply telling me what your brand believes and what it sells, it allows me to experience why it matters to me, and reveals how it will make my world a better place.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">A good brand story must also be relevant. The listener needs to recognise something of themselves inside it - their problem, their hope, their frustration, their aspiration being met, solved or addressed. A strong customer story quietly allows someone to think: that's me. And if they can see themselves in the problem, they can begin to imagine themselves in the possibility that follows.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">This is where story moves beyond simply communicating features and benefits. Done well, a story humanises your brand. A purpose statement can remain an abstract sentence until I hear the story of why the business exists. A product can remain a collection of features until I hear how it changed something for another human being, or how it enabled a better world for someone else. And if that person had the same challenge you have, that outcome becomes a reason to trust your brand. Their story becomes your story. And your brand becomes the promise of that desirable outcome.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">That story can begin as a simple conversation across a table - a founder talking about why they started, what happened along the way, what they care about. From there, it can travel into many other forms: a presentation, a video, a website, a campaign, a sales conversation, a piece of content. And while the format may change, the story travels. Brand equity is partly built this way, through memory, meaning and emotional connection accumulated over time. Story is remarkably good at all three.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">So make your brand clear, but then make it human. Give people a story they can enter, feel and remember, and cascade that story through multiple formats and iterations in your brand communications.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">That's how a brand begins to stick.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;">That is what <em>Do It For the Story</em> is really about - allowing people to see themselves in what you do and to understand not just what you offer, but why it matters to them.<br><br></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="20" style="line-height: 20px;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>   <table class="ml-default" width="100%" bgcolor="" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style=""> <table class="container ml-18 ml-default-border" width="640" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" width: 640px; min-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0; ; "> <tbody><tr> <td class="ml-default-border container" height="10" style="line-height: 10px; min-width: 640px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="row" style="padding: 0 50px; line-height: 1;" align="left"> <img src="https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/2172142/JDsaiyAa0UkFQ8xc4z8EXHILdGWjFuvAHip47XIX.png" loading="lazy" border="0" alt="" width="201.6969696969697" class="" style="display: block;"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>   <table class="ml-default" width="100%" bgcolor="" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style=""> <table class="container ml-20 ml-default-border" width="640" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" width: 640px; min-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0; ; "> <tbody><tr> <td class="ml-default-border container" height="40" style="line-height: 40px; min-width: 640px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="row" style="padding: 0 50px;"> <table align="center" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="col" align="left" width="250" valign="top" style="text-align: left!important;"> <h5 style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #000000; font-size: 15px; line-height: 125%; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; margin-bottom: 6px;">Ten & Co.</h5> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6px;">6A David Road, Gillitts<br>South Africa</p> <table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td height="16" style="line-height: 16px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table class="**$class**" role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center" valign="middle" width="34" ng-show="slink.link != ''" style="padding: 0 5px 0 0;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tenandcompany" target="blank" builder-link-id="1" style="text-decoration: none;" data-link-id="195763336753710290"> <img src="https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/icons/default/round/color/facebook.png" width="34" alt="facebook"> </a> </td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="34" ng-show="slink.link != ''" style="padding: 0 5px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ten_and_company" target="blank" builder-link-id="2" style="text-decoration: none;" data-link-id="195763336762098902"> <img src="https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/icons/default/round/color/instagram.png" width="34" alt="instagram"> </a> </td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="34" ng-show="slink.link != ''" style="padding: 0 0 0 5px;"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tenleyvoogt/" target="blank" builder-link-id="3" style="text-decoration: none;" data-link-id="195763336772584665"> <img src="https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/icons/default/round/color/linkedin.png" width="34" alt="linkedin"> </a> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td class="col" width="40" height="30" style="line-height: 30px;"></td> <td class="col" align="left" width="250" valign="top" style="text-align: left!important;"> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6px;">You are receiving this email because you opted in on the website or in person.</p> <table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td height="8" style="line-height: 8px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left"> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0;"> <a builder-link-id="-2" href="" style="color: #515856; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline;" data-link-id="195763336786216155" data-link-type="unsubscribe">Unsubscribe</a> </p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="40" style="line-height: 40px;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>  </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" align="center" width="640" style="max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </div> </body></html>

Be Part of the Conversation