different brands, we are able to personify who we are as an individual. “we navigate our world using symbols and visual expressions that signal our personality and our values. And strong brands are one of the means by which we do this” (Fog, 2004:20). Klaus Fog is identifying brand logos to be symbols, and different brands can signal different values and lifestyles. These symbols are part of everyday life, and the stronger brands “have opened their eyes to the consumers need for an emotional dimension in branding” (Fog, 2004:20). One way that brands are able to make this emotional connection to consumers and making values visible is through storytelling. Klaus Fog believes that there are four points, or four “checkpoints” to successfully using storytelling as a way to make personal connections to consumers. The reason Fog identifies to these points as ‘checkpoints’ is because there a several different aspects to storytelling that brands must fine tune over time for their audience, because “it is virtually impossible to lay down a hard set of rules for storytelling in branding” (Fog, 2004:32). These four main points are the message, plot, conflict and the characters involved.

Brands do not just use storytelling for no reason, as discussed previously, they use storytelling strategically to make an emotional connection to the consumer which has become a need in modern day. The first of these ‘checkpoints’ is the message of the story. This central message, “is an ideological or moral statement that works as a central theme throughout the story” (Fog, 2004:34). Klaus Fog uses Romeo and Juliet as an example of a moral, being “true love conquers even death”. The consumer is able to internalise and fully understand what the brand is trying to portray when a core moral, or ‘message’ is at the central theme of any story.

The second of these checkpoints is the conflict of the story. “Conflict is the driving force of a good story. No conflict, no story” (Fog, 2004:35). What Klaus Fog means by conflict is not something negative, it is a way in which the storyteller, or in this case brands, can communicate their perception of right and wrong. The reason why conflict is such a big factor to play in stories, is because “As humans, we instinctively look for balance and harmony in our lives. We simply don\’t like being out of tune with our surroundings and ourselves. So, as soon as harmony is disrupted we do whatever we can to restore it. We avoid unpleasant situations, feelings of stress or anxiety” (Fog, 2004:35). By having co