A signature story is an intriguing, authentic, involving narrative with a strategic message that enables a firm to grow by clarifying or enhancing its brand, customer relationships, organization, and/or the business strategy. Signature stories represent a critical asset that can be leveraged over time and which can provide inspiration and direction both inside and outside the firm. The challenges are to find, evaluate, gain exposure for, and give legs to signature stories.

A brand strategy can be critical to the success of an innovation, particularly in the long term. There are times when a firm literally needs to brand an innovation or lose it. Without a successful branding strategy, an innovation can be short-lived--diffusing into a confused marketplace with its impact dissipated--or become another forgotten internal initiative. In such cases, branding can make all the difference. Branding, it should be emphasized, does not mean simply putting a name and logo on an innovation. Rather, it means making the brand an integral part of a coherent strategy, supported by actively managed and adequately funded brand-building programs. However, not all innovations merit such a program and over-branding can pose business risks.