In every narrative there is inevitably information omitted for various reasons, sometimes in order to intentionally obscure/simplify the plot or because specific agendas cannot be made known to the public. The background information or history behind the story, video or news report you are viewing is known as a back-story.

A back-story usually involves the history of the individuals involved, their environment, socio-cultural data and other information relevant to the visible narrative. Plugging in the back-story for your website, marketing campaign or product is not only a great way to distinguish it from the competition but an excellent method of persuasion that works incredibly well.

You don’t push the features of the your product or the value of your idea by repeating its benefits again and again. Instead, you promote a back-story which situates you within a favorable context. Talk about origins. Talk about your history. Talk about subcultures. You tell a story, one that precedes the already visible. One that supplements the existing pitch.

Image Credit: convenience store

Here’s a good example. In March 2008, Ian Usher, a resident in Australia decided to auction his life away on Ebay after splitting up with his wife. He wanted to start afresh by selling most of the items which comprised his life, which included his house, mountain bike, television, access to his friends and details of his favorite bars. The winner will even be given a fortnight job trial with his employer, a rug store owner.

So he set up a website giving everyone else the backstory on his offer. You can read about his reason for doing this, see pictures of his house, learn about his lifestyle and even check out his workplace. All these data fill in the gaps and frame what is essentially a bulk sale of one man’s possessions. The extraneous context accentuates the offer perfectly.

Many major media outlets covered his story yesterday, which marked the start of an Ebay auction that’ll will end on the 29th of June. This media buzz and attention was developed primarily because the whole setup had a compelling backstory. Compare and contrast a man ’selling his life’ to a man ’selling some possessions’. You get the idea.

You can do the same for marketing campaigns. It’s more than just promoting benefits. When you want to create buzz and engage your audience, try to frame your brand within a favorable context by creating a backstory, one that provides information which enhances your selling narrative. People will connect with your backstory and share it with others.

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How Using a Back-story Will Improve Your Marketing Campaign and Brand Identity

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