Resurrecting Retail by Doug Stephens

Author:Doug Stephens [Stephens, Doug]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Figure 1 Publishing Inc.
Published: 2021-04-13T00:00:00+00:00

A Nike store in Shanghai exemplifying the brand’s focus on spaces that become key storytelling and customer acquisition points in the market

When dissected, the brand’s stories tend to follow a very classical model, using a construct found in Greek mythology. First, there’s always a protagonist, one who sets out to achieve a goal or con­quest. Along the way, seemingly insurmountable obstacles present themselves. When giving up and accepting defeat might have been easier, the protagonist digs deep for the ethereal courage and strength to overcome the obstacle. It doesn’t matter if the protagonist is a star athlete or a regular person just like you or me; the story is one of triumph over adversity, strength of character, and the sheer human will to cross the finish line, be it metaphorical or otherwise. The morals conveyed in each story, whether the now iconic “Just Do It” or the more recent “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,” are universally relatable ideas. All of it derives from classic Greek mythology. And it works.

Nike consistently creates rich and compelling story lines that anchor deeply with its customers. Once the story is written, the company recruits participants to bring it to life — for example, Michael Jordan’s motivational story of Failure, in which he recounts the many performance missteps and shortcomings that he conquered on the way to success. The story then manifests itself across all touchpoints and invites customers to become characters in it, at every brand touchpoint both on- and offline.

The point is that Nike, as a brand and retailer, isn’t in the business of selling shoes. It’s far bigger than that. It’s in the business of human performance, perseverance, and achievement. That’s a very different idea, and one that is far more difficult for its competitors to reverse engineer than is a pair of running shoes.

This is not to suggest that the quality and performance of a Storyteller’s products don’t matter. They absolutely do. The difference is that for storytelling brands, products are an occupation. They are not a preoccupation. What matters most is that the story the brand is telling in the market is always being refreshed, rewritten, and recast to maintain connection to customers. It’s the story the customer is buying. The product is just the material artifact.

For Storytellers, their physical stores become stages and studios through which those compelling stories can be told. Stores, whether online or off, aim at drawing the customer into those stories and, in doing so, galvanizing a long and enduring relationship that can play out across all channels and formats.

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