Maria's PR Tips

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Once upon a time, brand strategy was just about slogans, color palettes, and a nice headshot. But in 2025, building a brand feels less like constructing a billboard, and more like writing a novel.

Because let’s be honest: every strong brand is a story.
And every good PR strategist? A world-builder in disguise.

📚 Narrative Isn’t Optional, It’s Identity

In fiction, world-building is the invisible scaffolding of a story: the geography, the customs, the laws of nature and nuance that make the plot believable. It’s the reason we believe in Hogwarts, in Westeros, in the neon skyline of a cyberpunk Tokyo.

Brands work the same way.

According to Mills and John’s research in Brand Stories: Bringing Narrative Theory to Brand Management, the strongest brands mimic fiction by rooting themselves in three elements: plot, character, and purpose. Nike isn’t just selling shoes, they’re building a narrative of human potential. Duolingo’s owl isn’t just a mascot, he’s a cheeky protagonist in your learning saga.

When public relations is done well, the brand stops being a product and becomes a setting. Customers don’t just buy from you, they live in your world.

💬 Storytelling Is the Strategy

Public relations has always been about persuasion, but today’s PR isn’t just pitching a press release, it’s cultivating a sense of meaning. That’s why Cision calls storytelling “the art” of brand communications. It’s not about tricking anyone; it’s about transporting them.

Fiction authors already know the secret: if you want people to believe in your message, make them feel like a character inside it. Don’t tell them what your brand stands for, show them through atmosphere, tone, and emotional stakes.

AgilityPR reinforces this, noting that the most effective campaigns today are the ones that don’t feel like campaigns. They feel like confessionals, journal entries, or personal letters that happen to be shared at scale. It’s fiction’s oldest trick: make it feel true enough to cry over.

🌍 Even Imaginary Brands Need Real Rules

What’s fascinating is that this applies both ways. In the world of film and fiction, even fake brands need coherent identities. A 2023 research paper by Bernini and Guida explores the history of fictional brand design, from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation in “Alien” to Los Pollos Hermanos in “Breaking Bad.” These aren’t just props, they’re brands with tone, voice, visual identity, and internal logic.

So what happens when we reverse-engineer that idea?

If fictional brands need consistency to feel real, then real brands need story to feel alive. Your mission statement? That’s lore. Your logo? That’s a family crest. Your community engagement strategy? That’s world politics. Every campaign is a chapter.

🧠 From Copywriting to Cartography

Whether you’re a novelist outlining a fantasy realm or a publicist prepping for a media blitz, you’re asking the same questions:

• Who are the characters in this world?
• What do they want?
• What do they believe?
• And what makes this world feel real?

The only difference is whether your audience is turning pages or scrolling.

🌟 The Takeaway? PR is Storytelling With Stakes

In both fiction and public relations, world-building is an act of empathy. It’s about giving people a place to belong, whether that’s a kingdom, a coffee brand, or a climate movement.

So next time you’re crafting a campaign or reworking a brand’s bio, pause before listing features or stats. Instead, ask the author’s question: What world are we inviting them into?

Because in 2025, good PR doesn’t sell a product. It offers you a passport.

💬 Your Turn

Have you ever loved a brand so much it felt like a fictional universe you wanted to live in? A logo you’d wear like a house sigil? Tell me in the comments, I want to celebrate the storytellers who make everyday life feel like magic.