Meet Your Brand’s Main Character

Let’s get something straight: your brand isn’t the quirky best friend in someone else’s story. It’s the main character brand.

Or at least—it should be.

But most businesses act like they’re terrified to claim that role. They settle for being “nice,” “professional,” or “reliable” in that bland, corporate-chic way that tells me absolutely nothing about who they really are.

If your brand were a novel, would anyone read past chapter one?

No? Time for a rewrite.

Why Most Brands Are Stuck as Background Characters

Here’s the truth: most brands don’t have a voice problem. They have an identity crisis.

They want to be everything to everyone.
They want to be “authentic” without saying anything specific.
They want to be “professional” but forget that being memorable is professional.

They end up reading like background characters in someone else’s story. Flat. Generic. Instantly forgettable.

And they forget this one crucial fact:

People don’t buy products…
→ They buy stories.
→ They buy characters.
→ They buy vibes.

Your brand already has main character brand energy somewhere inside it. But you’ve buried it under corporate jargon, templated brand colors that look like everyone else’s Pinterest board, and “mission statements” that read like ChatGPT on Ambien.

How to Claim Your Main Character Brand Energy

Ready to stop being a side character in your own marketing?

Here’s how to own your brand’s main character energy:

1. Pick a POV and Own It
Stop watering down your voice to please everyone. Who actually matters? Speak to them like you know them better than they know themselves.

Main characters have opinions, quirks, and flaws. So should your brand.

2. Define Your Character Arc
Where is your audience going? What transformation do they get by buying from you?

Your brand is the guide. The audience is the hero.

3. Build a World They Want to Get Lost In
Your visuals and copy aren’t decoration. They’re worldbuilding.

You’re not selling products or services—you’re creating a world your audience wants to inhabit.

Even without a blockbuster budget, you can do this with consistent, immersive storytelling that makes your main character brand impossible to forget.

4. Be Polarizing on Purpose
Main character brands aren’t liked by everyone. That’s why they’re interesting.

If your brand offends no one, it excites no one.

Pick a side. Plant your flag. Write like you’re talking to your people—not trying to avoid pissing off the wrong ones.

5. Stay Consistent, Not Boring
Consistency isn’t reciting the same line forever. It’s staying true to your vibe and values even as you evolve.

Think character development, not a broken record.

Your Audience Wants a Hero, Not a LinkedIn Bio

You can have main character brand energy.

But you have to stop writing it like a resume and start writing it like a novel people can’t put down.

Want more on brand storytelling? Check out Shopify’s guide to brand storytelling.

And if you’re ready to plot your brand’s next chapter, you know where to find me.