Marketing explains. Storytelling connects.

(Part 1 of 2)

Most businesses believe their job is to clearly articulate their value proposition. That’s marketing.

But the brands that endure—the ones people advocate for, defend publicly, and return to without incentives—are operating at a different level entirely.

They’re not optimizing for explanation. They’re optimizing for identification.

They tell a story that allows the audience to see themselves reflected in the brand.

Stranger Things (yes I’m going there) didn’t win by over-explaining the Demogorgons or mapping every rule of the Upside Down. It trusted the intelligence of its audience. It invested in emotional equity—friendship, belonging, fear, courage, and coming of age.

When I watched the finale in a packed theater on New Year’s Day, the energy wasn’t about plot mechanics. It was about shared experience. Everyone in that room was connected to the show because it activated something personal.

That’s the strategic shift businesses need to make heading into 2026.

Here’s a useful lens for you:

Start paying attention to the brands that consistently hold your attention.

Not what they sell—but why they keep pulling you back.

What are they making you feel? What part of you are they speaking to?

That’s not accidental. It’s strategy.

Stop trying to convince people to buy.

Start building brands people want to belong to.

(Part 2 tomorrow: what this shift actually looks like in practice.)

One change changes everything™️

x Laura