Branding, part 2: your origin story

If you’ve ever enjoyed a Marvel comic or two, you might have come across the late and great Stan Lee, longtime creative lead behind many Marvel Comics characters like Spiderman, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil and so many more.

“None of us lives in a vacuum—none of us is untouched by the everyday events about us—events which shape our stories just as they shape our lives,” said Lee.

Superhero or not, Lee’s quote encourages us to recognize the interconnectedness of our lives and how external events influence our origin stories. Spiderman can agree, and though your origin story may not be as exciting as getting bitten by a radioactive spider or developing superhuman senses, there is a core reason why you invested in the tech and IT space. And maybe that was to be an IT superhero to a community in need.

As we mentioned in part one, every company has a story to tell. The trick is getting someone to listen. Defining what your brand represents doesn’t always have to come from focus groups and surveys; some of your brand's true identity lies in the fabric of its inception—your origin story.

“Branding is conveying your reputation in a quick story,” said Jason Williams, Ingram Micro creative director. “You can’t sit down with a tablet of paper and half an hour in a conference room to figure that out—it takes a lot of hard questions and accepting some hard answers.”

Answering classic who, what, when, where, why and how questions can get the thoughts churning in a pretty cool way to communicate with your audience. Here are some of our favorite tips for doing so, sans radioactive spiders:

Determine your fan base: Who is interested in your products or services? Dive deep into that information, like what they typically spend on technology, what their favorite music is, how they might dress, what movies they like—build an entire persona to start. And much like Marvel characters, each will have their own origin story and network of superheroes and villains—maybe even some you can swoop in and rescue. Just make sure to have that two-way conversation and listen to what your audience needs.

Unveil your superhero origin: Set the stage for your audience to connect with your story. Define that pivotal moment that inspired your brand.

Highlight your heroic mission: Define the driving force behind every heroic act and be clear why you and your team are passionate about making a difference.

Reveal your archnemesis (challenges): Think about the challenges your brand faced early on and share your resilience to them.

Embody your unique superpowers: Think about what makes your brand special—what makes you the unique superhero customers should consider?

Develop your character: Make sure it is authentic—what are your character’s beliefs, attitudes and tone of voice? Are these characters relatable and do they have depth? Think about your motivations, feelings and actions behind creating your origin story and its characters to truly connect with your audience.

Show, don’t just tell: Use visual elements, like video, art and graphics and share your story across a wide range of mediums—some people are more visual learners.

These tips can give context to why your brand is passionate about its business. Stay tuned to part three, which focuses on the common pitfalls of branding mishaps.

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Jackie Connor is a writer with more than 15 years of experience contributing to news publications and marketing teams. Since joining Ingram Micro in 2022, she covers technology services, financial solutions, sustainability and DEI.

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