Clarity Beats Cleverness
There’s a quiet revolution in branding. It’s moving away from clever slogans, pretty logos, and dense “About Us” pages. It’s moving toward a disciplined science: the art of telling a clear story that puts the customer in the hero’s seat—not the spectator’s.
After listening to Donald Miller’s StoryBrand masterclass, it hit me how many founders, product teams, and marketers throw money at the wall but can’t answer the simplest question a customer asks:
“How will you help me survive, thrive, and save calories doing it?”
If your messaging is muddled, opportunity burns. Worse: business slips to someone who mastered clarity. Miller’s warning is blunt: “If you confuse, you will lose.” A message fails when it’s unclear. Clarity is a function of story—not clever copy.
Why Story Works: Two Laws of the Brain
Miller begins with a diagnosis: most businesses express themselves in ways that are confusing, self-indulgent, or overly complex.
Why? The human brain follows two laws:
It seeks to survive and thrive.
It tries to conserve calories.
We buy solutions not for novelty alone, but because they promise progress: solve a problem, reduce friction, or open possibilities.
But we are bombarded with thousands of messages daily. The brain takes the path of least resistance. Anything that creates cognitive strain is tuned out. Your message has to be crystal clear. Anything demanding mental effort is gone.
The First Principle: Own a Problem
Where do you start? Miller’s answer is simple: own a problem.
Customers act when invited into a story where they are the hero. Your company is the guide, not the protagonist. The best sound bite isn’t how you started, or your love for your mission—it’s how you solve a specific frustration.
Define in vivid, simple terms what the customer wants.
Example: selling fences? Don’t get poetic about tradition. Say:
“We build sturdy, beautiful fences that keep your family safe and your yard private. Call us for a quote.”
One clear benefit. One unambiguous solution. No jargon. No cleverness. No wasted calories.
Clarity works because brains work that way. Amazon’s website is ugly but effective. Words matter more than design flourishes. Functional clarity converts.
Seven Sound Bites: StoryBrand Formula
Miller breaks messaging into seven repeatable sound bites. Not slogans. Functional hooks guiding the customer without cognitive overload:
What does your hero want?
State it plainly. Example: “A faster website,” “A better night’s sleep,” “A fence that keeps the dog in.”
What is the problem they face?
Nail external, internal, and philosophical dimensions. Example: “Slow websites make you lose visitors and look unprofessional. You deserve to be taken seriously.”
Position yourself as the guide.
Offer empathy and authority. Example: “We understand how complicated systems fail. We’ve helped 500 homeowners—let us help you.”
Lay out a simple plan.
Break solutions into three steps:
Step one: Book a call.
Step two: We audit your system.
Step three: Sleep easy as we fix it.
Issue a clear call to action.
Be direct: “Book now,” “Start free trial,” “Request a quote.” Give permission to buy.
Describe success.
Paint the “happily ever after.” Example: “Imagine never worrying about a failed payment again,” or “See your brand stand out with elegant, modern design.”
Describe the failure they avoid.
Remind them of inaction consequences. Example: “Continue missing sales to slow checkout times,” or “Another summer with a broken AC.” Use fear sparingly.
The Wisdom of Single-Mindedness
Another trap: brands want to be remembered for everything. Reality: consumers only remember one thing.
The more focused a brand promise, the more “ownable” the market space becomes.
Chick-Fil-A owns chicken.
Dave Ramsey owns financial peace.
Apple owns user-friendly design.
Your challenge: distill your offering into a single, vivid, repeatable thing. Reinforce it in every product, campaign, and conversation. It’s not vanity—it’s charity. You save your audience calories.
Practical Application: Messaging That Works
Rewriting product descriptions to lead with customer pain and promise can double sales. It’s not theory. Practitioners have grown from $9M to $18M simply by talking in customer language instead of corporate jargon.
Stories capture attention because they follow a familiar arc: a hero wants something, faces obstacles, meets a guide, and is called to act.
Cast your customer as the hero, your brand as the guide. Repeat your sound bites consistently—in emails, pitches, websites, and calls. Companies that “own a problem,” offer empathy, a plan, and a clear win-or-fail vision are almost never cheapest—but almost always most trusted.
The Takeaway: Clarity Compounds
The age of clever is over.
In a distracted world, returns compound on clarity: simple, story-driven communication that makes the customer the hero.
Before you write another line of marketing copy, ask:
Is my message burning calories or saving them?
Am I making the customer the hero, or am I trying to win the spotlight?
In the new branding era, you don’t win by saying everything. You win by being clear, human, and helpful—again and again.
That’s the story worth telling.