Reflection- Storytelling

Challenge and Selection –

Storytelling intrigues me.

Man has loved to tell–and hear–stories from our earliest days, gathered together over a  flickering fire as night falls… “Storytelling is one of the many things that define and bind our  humanity,” according to this article on the history of storytelling.  I believe it.  It’s a skill worth learning and something we can truly have fun with, if we occasionally let  our imaginations out to play. Storytelling is hard until we’ve practiced enough to make it  easier.

You’d think public relations pros and journalists would have a natural talent for storytelling.

We like to tell ourselves we do, maybe, but the truth is that most of us just don’t do a great  job at it. We’ve been taught to write in a straightforward, factual manner, “telling the news”  and leaving the actual story up to the media. We forget to set that tendency aside and it  creeps into the content we create.

Storytelling is ABSOLUTELY one of the most valuable skills to absorb, in my opinion. The  ability to tell a great story trickles down into everything else we do. Like ketchup, ranch or  chocolate -there’s almost nothing it can’t improve.

Whether it’s a single clever sentence to set the stage and flip on the spotlight, or something  longer, storytelling creates a valuable connection. It doesn’t have to be a tall tale with  multiple characters and a complex plot worthy of Stephen King’s approval – it can be  something small, like highly descriptive word choices, analogies or a narrative voice instead  of third-person. How dominant the story becomes in your piece of content is completely up  to you.

Insight and Approach

Data-driven storytelling should be front and center for brands and agencies. Great stories  are the weapon that can make every part of a business better and storytelling helps people  remember you, said guest speaker, Joe Lazauskas, author of the book, The Storytelling Edge.  “Those who tell the stories rule the world,” he added. The Resonate consumer intelligence  platform provides a ton of fodder for compelling stories with our 12,000 insights describing  more than 200 million U.S. adult consumers.

People read information, but they feel stories. But saying something fresh and unique is a  challenge for brands, given competition for consumer attention is growing by the day.  Brands that utilize data storytelling can cut through the noise to reach their audience on a  more intimate, long-term scale.

Most consumers tune out if there’s no action and a good story within the first 3 seconds of a  video. Time is of the essence when reaching consumers. Resonate provides a continuously  updated view of audiences complemented with curated analyses and impactful  visualizations. Relatability (speak directly to your audience, make them the central character  of the story); Novelty (show and tell people something that they’ve never seen before);  Fluency (make it easy to get hooked to your content); Tension (tell a story about the gap  between “what is” and “what could be” for your customers).  Many analysts and insights  pros assume that the data we provide speaks for itself. It doesn’t. Data can be brought to  life if it provides a deeper view of what makes today’s consumer tick, from their product and  retailer preferences to their life stages and generational nuances.

Application

Disney is, of course, no stranger to storytelling, and this ad for Disneyland Paris shows off  the brand’s skills.

It’s the heart-warming tale of a little duckling who finds a Donald Duck comic book and  becomes obsessed with his new hero. But bad weather is approaching and the duckling and  his family have to take flight, leaving his beloved comic book behind.

The family endures a cold, wet night before the sun reappears and they arrive unexpectedly  at Disneyland Paris, where the duckling is greeted by none other than Donald Duck.

Storytelling marketing can happen across all sorts of mediums, as this innovative augmented  reality (AR) campaign by Coca-Cola shows.

Customers were able to point their phone’s camera at a can of Coke and see one of 12  stories come to life. The stories each feature a minor conflict, where animated characters  engage in a light-hearted exchange before finding a positive outcome which revolves around  sharing a Coke.

