Reaching Concord: The fourth C of brand storytelling.

The great story-telling radio show This American Life once examined something known as the "I Wish Song." A staple of many movies and musicals, it's the main character's first song, in which they express the hope that sets the story in motion. "I'm wishing," sings Snow White, "for the one I love." "In Camelot," sings King Arthur, "that's how conditions are." The "I wish" song envisions another world, and the subsequent story traces the main character's journey through conflict and into that new world.

And for those of us focused on brand storytelling, it begs a question: What is the world that your brand envisions? What does it yearn for?

Emerging victorious from the conflict is not enough. As any good general will tell you, winning the war is only half the...well, battle. After that, you have to win the peace. You have to create a new world, where the conditions that led to the conflict no longer exist.

This is what Concord is all about. It is what comes after the conflict. It is how the world will look when we have prevailed, when the forces against which we have struggled have been vanquished. It is Snow White living happily ever after; it is Frodo returning to the Shire; it is Arthur building Camelot.

Facing a conflict requires a brand to have courage and strength; facing concord requires a brand to have imagination. This is harder than it appears. It is easy to build a fever-pitch of fear and anxiety around what we are against. It far harder to create a compelling and coherent vision around what we are for.

But it's worth the work. Because that compelling and coherent vision is the very foundation of an engaged community of brand advocates. It shows them that beyond the goods and services you provide, there is a deeper purpose you are pursuing. A purpose that resonates with them. And that sets you apart from other brands.

When you have a deep understanding of how all four of these Cs -- Context, Character, Conflict and Concord -- relate to your brand, you can do some very rich storytelling that invites your audience to participate in the journey your brand is taking.