Storytelling as a branding tool is not about telling stories just for the sake of it. Rather, for most companies storytelling is about using stories to communicate messages that reflect
positively on the company brand. But first you must develop a clearly defined message. Without it, there is no reason to tell stories – at least not with a strategic purpose.

Among storytellers – screenwriters as well as authors – the central message, or premise of the story, is an ideological or moral statement that works as a central theme throughout the story.
In the tale of the hare and the tortoise for example, the tortoise wins the race because he is slow and steady, rather than speedy but careless: The moral of the story being that “arrogance backfires”. The story itself becomes proof of the premise – the central message – and through it, the audience can better understand and internalise the message.

Try to stick to one message per story. If you want to communicate more than that, you need to prioritise. A story with more than one central message runs the risk of becoming message.