Tell me a story that ’ s true and makes me care
Telling compelling stories
Kickstarter
Column
To transform your brand , tell a superb story
Diana Varma
We look at three companies that do it right
What do Barack Obama and J . K . Rowling have in common ? What about Walt Disney and Malala Yousafzai ?
Barack Obama changed the course of history in 2008 , winning the US presidential election by uniting the nation through story . J . K . Rowling has told some of the most well-known stories in the world , which she used to build an international franchise . Walt Disney captured the imagination of young and old , both on-screen and in-person for nearly a century . Malala Yousafzai is changing the world by empowering young women by telling her story of overcoming adversity , winning a Nobel Peace Prize in the process . Each of these individuals is incredibly different from one another , yet their passion , work ethic , and strong visions unite them … and it was through superb storytelling that they rose to the top of their fields .
Storytelling is something that is fundamentally human . Our ancestors communicated through stories long before a single cave painting was drawn or a word was carved into a stone tablet . Stories convey ideas that make people care , which is what makes storytelling so powerful : it sparks action . People don ’ t buy products , they buy stories .
However , as author , Brad Shelton , says : “ Great storytelling is also hard as hell , which is why there are so few great storytellers .”
The TED organization hosts hundreds of expert speakers each year on the topics of technology , education , and design . There are accounts of TED speakers developing , rehearsing , practicing , and refining their 18-minute TED talks for months , many of whom speak professionally for a living . The storytelling expectations are high on the TED stage and author Carmine Gallo demystifies what makes a TED-worthy talk in his book , Talk Like TED : The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World ’ s Top Minds . He suggests incorporating the three modes of persuasion developed hundreds of years ago in ancient Greece : ethos , logos and pathos . Ethos refers to establishing credibility , logos refers to the need to support your argument with data , and pathos refers to appealing to emotion .
Furthermore , marketing guru Seth Godin has a lot to say on the topic of corporate storytelling ( he wrote a whole book about it , after all !) Godin ’ s perspectives on marketing are always unique and this is no exception . He believes that great stories capture the imagination of the audience , thereby enabling the audience to perpetuate whatever lies they want to tell themselves . He believes that great stories don ’ t appeal to logic , but instead they appeal to the senses . Godin believes that great stories don ’ t teach anyone anything new ; instead , they support the existing worldview of the audience , increasing their feelings of security . In his book , All Marketers are Liars , he proves his point elegantly . He asks the audience “ Why did you buy this book ?” It wasn ’ t because we knew what was inside . “ In fact , the only way people know for sure if they ’ re going to like a book is to read that book , at which point it is unnecessary to actually buy a copy … you bought this book because of a story you were able to tell yourself .” Checkmate .
Tell me a story that ’ s true and makes me care
The proliferation of the internet — including social media — has enabled brands to share their stories with millions of people relatively easily . But with this relative ease also comes noise , clutter , and a highly competitive communication landscape . So even if your story is being heard by millions , is anyone actually listening ?
There is a lot of excellent information out there about telling great stories and crafting narratives that make people want to listen . For example , author Bree Baich suggests the ACE formula : audience , channel , emotion ; while Paul Jarvis finds five commonalities in great storytelling : simple , emotional , truthful , real , valid . Similarly , creative director Brad Shelton has established four traits of great storytelling : align on a shared purpose , start in the heart , focus on a unifying theme , and engage all the senses . There is no shortage of theories , frameworks , and lists to help marketers become better storytellers … but let me add just one more . There are two common themes in everything I ’ ve learned about telling great stories : connection and authenticity . In other words , tell me a story that ’ s true and makes me care .
Telling compelling stories
The act of storytelling is becoming more and more a function of the marketing team . There are so many ways to tell stories about the work a business is doing and there ’ s no shortage of tools to get the job done . No matter the medium , it ’ s the message that counts and the message needs to establish connection and communicate authenticity . Here are a few examples of businesses who are leading the pack as exemplars in corporate storytelling .
Kickstarter
Kickstarter exists to “ bring creative projects to life ”. Their platform — which has attracted more than 14 million financial backers to date — is one big storytelling machine . Their site provides a platform for creatives to tell their stories and sell their ideas . To the average person , the Kickstarter process could seem like a scary , unknown , and complicated undertaking , but Kickstarter responds to this challenge brilliantly . They strip away the excess and ease users into their site , helping users not
28 | May 2018 | GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE graphicartsmag . com