Storytelling - Servant of Chaos

Brands are the Stories We Tell

This neat persona/profile tool by the clever folks over at MIT Media Labs allows you to visually construct your own persona. After you enter your name, it goes off and scours the web for any trace of “you”, sorting and categorising as it goes. Of course, there are bound to be errors as well as insights. Imagine, for example, if you lived in Campbelltown and your name was Seth Godin. You are bound to be swamped in the results by THE Seth Godin. But this tool does, nevertheless, yield some impressive information. In the end you end up with something that resembles Dr Who’s famous intergalactic scarf.

But what I liked most about this, was not the pretty, segmented ribbon. I loved the way that the “Persona Machine” captured story snippets and analysed them. It captured the stories that OTHERS have told about me – providing insight not into the things I write and my personal interests, but also capturing some sense of the context in which I live – as created by others.

Stories about Gavin Heaton

So then I thought, what happens if we apply this to brands? What stories would flash by as the Persona Machine trawled the web for, say, Coca-Cola? Some of the snippets I noticed include “the history of coca-cola is a story of special moments”, or “Mr Dealer: The 1912 advertising campaign for coca cola is on”.

But while the stories were most interesting on the individual level, it was the aggregated story – the brand persona ribbon – that most intrigued me for Coca-Cola. “Management”, “sports” and “fashion” segment strongly, with “politics” and “aggression” also appearing. It makes me wonder what the detail is underlying this analysis. It makes me think there is work to do on even the most famous of brands. And if that is the case – what appears in your brand persona ribbon?

Bufori – It Takes Your Breath Away

Branding, Life, Storytelling

You don’t notice it happening, but the effects are instantaneous. Your pupils dilate, your heartbeat quickens and your jaw drops. Is it love? Perhaps. Lust? Grrrr. It is an emotional and a bodily response.

When Ian Lyons, Jane Glasson and I pulled up to park, we happened to stop next to Cameron Pollard, marketing manager for Bufori. A comment, led to a conversation – and next thing you know, we are blocking traffic as Cameron gave us an impromptu tour of his beautiful, hand crafted car.

From the stitched leather seats to the meticulously laid out dashboard gauges, it was clear that this was no ordinary car. I would catch, moment by moment, a smile flicking across Ian’s face. We were all gasping at the design features – monogrammed toolkits embedded in the long engine cover, whisper quiet engine idling, chrome more dazzling than Miranda Kerr’s smile … with every moment we were, each of us, falling in love.

Reluctantly we parted ways. Cameron to talk to AC/DC, and we to our work days. But on reflection, there is much for brands to learn from Bufori – from the attention to detail, the craftsmanship and the passion that fires your imagination. Think about the story of your brand. Think about the way that people SHARE your story – who, how and where. Consider the way that you can use the P-L-A-Y framework to craft your engagement strategy:

P — for power
L — for learning and curiosity
A — for adventure
Y — the yelp of surprise and delight

Most importantly, think about that element that is intrinsic to your product, service or experience. Distil your features list and turn them inside out. What is that one thing that makes your fans pant with excitement? That is what you should be marketing – forget the rest.

Recycle a Blog Post Day: Where the Hell is the Sponsor?

Blogging, Social Media, Storytelling, Videos

Mark Pollard has declared that today is Recycle a Blog Post day. In that spirit, I am recycling this – my most viewed post ever …

If your brand is struggling with social media — wondering how to become involved with a "viral" marketing activation, there is much that can be learned from Stride Gum’s involvement with Matt Harding and his Dancing Matt videos.

The folks at Stride Gum took an interest in the videos that Matt took while travelling. These videos show Matt doing the "only dance" that he knows how to do in a number of places around the world. And while these were initially done for the benefit of his family, they were absorbed into the great viral milieu and spread far and wide. The videos worked because they manifested the P-L-A-Y framework as I discussed yesterday (and in more detail here).

P — for power: the videos demonstrate the power of belonging, the desire to connect
L — for learning and curiosity: Matt chooses his locations well. He sparks recognition in the locals and curiosity in everyone else.
A — for adventure: through this very simple visual storytelling, Matt stimulates our own sense of adventure. Importantly he also demonstrates that despite very different circumstances and locations, that we are connected to others in a primal, joyous way — a connection that has no regard for language or alienation.
Y — the yelp of surprise and delight: just watch this and you will know what I mean.

After seeing the videos and their impact, Stride Gum approached Matt, and sponsored him to travel around the world again, this time on their dime. Again, this was a great "viral" achievement. After that success, and after thousands of emails, Matt returned to Stride Gum and suggested he do the trip again — this time inviting the community to participate. Those who had emailed and commented on his blog were invited to perform the dance with Matt … the result is shown below. Fanstastic.

But even better is the approach taken by Stride Gum. While they could have plastered their logo throughout the clips, provided T-shirts to participants etc, they are content with what is effectively a post-roll credit. This allows us, as viewers, to be drawn into the story and into the experience. It allows us the possibility of transference from passive recipient to imaginary participant. It grants some respect to the story, the communities who participated and the viewers. And it really puts a smile on my face.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo

Special thanks to Ian Lyons for introducing me to Where the Hell is Matt!

Crowd sourcing Talent – Storytelling with Kseniya Simonova

Creativity, Storytelling, Videos

In many ways, TV shows like Australian/American Idol operate in a way that is reminiscent of crowd sourcing. The judges and spotters are there in the beginning to set a benchmark, create some pressure against which the contestants will ply their creativity, and drive home the realisation that creativity is a business. But the most fascinating part of this style of reality TV (for me) is the random/chaotic nature of the contestants – it is never clear at the beginning just who (or what) will arrive on stage.

In this clip from Ukraine’s Got Talent, 24 year old artist, Kseniya Simonova, shows what happens when storytelling, artistry and performance come together. Please watch the clip as I don’t want to spoil it for you. As Jye Smith says, “Regardless of the state of the world, the latest technology and the next big thing: we’re human. Don’t ever forget.”

For the Love of the Story

Branding, Personal Branding, Storytelling, Videos

In marketing when we talk about “engagement” with an audience, what we really mean is that we want to create an emotional attachment with each and every person who comes into contact with our brand. This is challenging, because each and every person is different.

There are, however, a number of things that we can do to reframe the experience of our brands. Fundamental to this is understanding the “like me” aspect of human behaviour. It works in two ways:

Public image – we mark our belonging in the world by performing (living our lives in public) our allegiances over and over again. This is a continual external manifestation of who we want to “be” and is shown in the clothes we wear, the car we drive, the places we go and so on. It is the mark of the tribe.
Self image – our internal identification where we appropriate behaviours, brands, celebrities, music and a million other cues from the external world. These are then processed and internalised before being incorporated into our public image.

Of course, there are massive overlaps and interplays between these two aspects (and I am describing a simplified model of identity), however, it is also a useful way of understanding what Mike Arauz calls desire paths:

… we often mistake chaos for randomness. It isn’t. Underlying random events is Desire as an organising principle. What this means is that we seek out, attract and are attracted to things that gratify our desires. And in the process we unconsciously order our world and make decisions and choices that obey the laws of desire – not the laws of logic. It’s why we buy things like Alfa Romeo cars and Ducati motorbikes – not because we are smart, but because we feel compelled to.

Perhaps it is the emotional interplay between the self and public image that is really what we mean by the term “personal brand”.

But what happens when these two elements are out of alignment? What happens when our self image is at odds with our public image? What happens when what we say is betrayed by what we do?

Natalie Tran, the creator of CommunityChannel – Australia’s most subscribed YouTube channel – has put together this sketch parodying the judges of the reality TV show Britain’s Got Talent. This short piece explains exactly this phenomenon – from the celebrity point of view.

But the fascinating story – and one which Britain’s Got Talent is exploiting so well at present – is the way in which contestants are, through the show, bringing their public and self images into alignment before our very eyes. It happened with Susan Boyle. And it has happened again with 10 year old Hollie Steele.

It is classic storytelling. We have a beginning, middle and end. We have a challenge or opportunity, a hero and certainly a villain. There is a climax, a transformation and, of course, catharsis. More importantly, for the Britain’s Got Talent brand, it generates tremendous emotional connection with an audience. There is plenty that non-entertainment brands can learn from this sophisticated approach to storytelling – but the most compelling aspect is that it starts with ONE person – and without that one person, the rest fails.

Why the Story IS The Most Important Thing

Life, Storytelling

I am often asked what it is about storytelling that is important. After all, we have visual thinking, we have design, we have movies, great advertising … we have gadgets and cars and the fluff of life that surrounds us.

Often I find the best, and simplest way of explaining the importance of storytelling is to direct people to great stories. So I link to websites or recommend books. And today, I point here.

Take a few moments to look through the stunning Days with My Father website. Turn off your iPod. Give the story your respect. And remember the story is important because it proves there is a link between our own life and the lives of those we love. It changes the nature of the way we see the world and the way we choose to live within it. And if we are lucky, and brave, it can sometimes change our future.

Via Heather Snodgrass.

The Truth

Smart Bloggers, Storytelling, Videos

I remember seeing this great piece of advertising a couple of years ago. I may even have written about it here on my blog (but just cannot find it). If you have not seen it yet, it was created for the Argentine political campaign of Lopez Murphy in 2006.

This idea has been taken and adapted for a competition. Now, rather than discussing politics and vision, The Lost Generation prompts us to rethink what it means to be part of a generation entering adulthood in the first years of the 21st Century. Some excellent copywriting and storytelling (via Garr Reynolds and Carl Moggeridge).