I confess: I’m never not buying Heinz ketchup. The flavor. The nostalgia. The annoying glass bottle at the diner where I smash the heck out of 57 symbol while watching my burger get cold.
Have you ever felt weirdly loyal to a brand? The kind where you don’t just buy their product—you defend it to your friends?
Chances are, that company nailed this one storytelling question:
“What does our product say about our customers?”
People don’t just buy products. They buy identities. They buy a feeling about themselves.
Relatable Problem: Your potential customers like your product but don’t feel a deep connection to your brand.
Pro Tip: Answer the Identity Question in your storytelling:
- Who do they want to be? Every purchase is a reflection of identity.
- How does your product confirm that identity? Does it make them feel smarter? Stronger? More innovative?
- How do you make them believe in that identity? Through testimonials, visuals, and stories of people like them.
Now, want to watch that brand loyalty disappear in a heart beat? Ask Canadians how they feel about Heinz ketchup. Not having anything to do with the current tariff war, Canadians turned their back on Heinz after the 2014 closure of a long-standing Heinz factory in Leamington, Ontario, then known as the “Tomato Capital of Canada”. The loss of hundreds of jobs felt like a betrayal and sparked a massive backlash. French’s, another ketchup brand, sprung into action with Canadian-grown tomatoes, further fueling the “ketchup war” and is now the #1 seller in The Great White North. You can check out the 20 minute Ketchup Wars documentary for all the juicy details.
Feeling Canadian pride was the gamechanger. How would you protect your brand story in light of a backlash?
Hint: Ask how you want them to feel and then get them there.