Tag Archives: story

Storytelling in a world of noise.

devices

Perhaps one of the greatest trends in digital behaviour is a lack of concentration.

Tweets are short. We use multiple devices at once. Often, we never use apps more than once.

Information is everywhere, uncensored and almost free for all. How then, do we expect to keep telling our stories the same way? How can we expect to sell the same way as we did before – when people used to pay attention to ads and billboards?

All we know is that we can’t follow the status quo and sell the facts. We have to have a unique story or emotional connection to break through the noise.

2 things we can try:

  • Tell our story only to people who are predisposed to the product.
  • Tell it in a way that focuses on comedy, pain, fear or motivation – not on the boring facts.

How Apple stole Christmas

What makes a great ad?

No mention of a product
Apple didn’t directly try to sell us anything. No prices, sales or loud people screaming at us to rush into store.

A story that connects
It’s about emotion, a simple story of family, creativity, love and a unique shared experience. It captures something we all hope for each Christmas. No complications, villians or heros – just a kid who uses his phone to make something special.

This ad is great because it makes us feel something without being sold something, but we still remember it’s from Apple.

People say the best authors write in a way that makes us think we could’ve written it. For marketers, this ad gives us similar hope. Anyone could’ve made this ad.

What story are you going to tell next year?