You can hardly ignore the term: storytelling. If you look at the marketing departments and agencies, but also at speakers and teachers, it seems to be the recipe for success for all areas of our lives and work. With Omichannel approaches, story is on the go on all channels today. At any time, accessible to everyone. But can storytelling also be subjected to innovation? How can current trends be integrated into this traditional method?
The history of storytelling
Even if it often sounds like this, storytelling is not a new instrument. Long before storytelling became a hype word, people were already using the same instruments to reach their audience. For example, in ancient Greece, where oral narratives always changed and changed depending on the reaction of the audience.
This flexibility is also reflected in the storytelling of marketing. Through narrative codes, products and companies are linked to a subconscious message. They are charged with emotion, so to speak, in order to position them in the minds of customers in the long term. Especially in today’s data-driven society, we are returning to the original form of storytelling. Depending on individual preferences, the message goes one way or the other.
Brands such as coca Cola, Lega and Nike show how successful stories can be. Nike is probably one of the most successful storytellers in our marketing world, as the “The Chance” advertising campaign shows.
The Chance (Source: Nike)
But is it really that complicated to develop good brand stories? It depends, is the spongy answer that can only be given here. But with some current technologies and trends, good storytelling is becoming more tangible for many who have not yet had the right approach.
Collaborative storytelling
In the age of social media, marketing today is obliged to integrate its target group. Companies must not only focus their brand management on their customers, they all want to become part of the measures and actively shape them. This is a good opportunity for collaborative storytelling.
Consumers, digitally empowered by mobile devices and virtually endless access to information, are demanding greater involvement from businesses in almost every aspect of business today. They not only want to comment and interact, but also actively participate in the design of the brand stories. Starbucks has recognized this and uses its strong community for emotional, personal stories.
Starbucks Upstanders (Source: Starbucks)
If you take a look into the future of marketing, the stories of a brand will increasingly merge with the personal stories of its customers. There will be a synergy that was never conceivable in classical marketing.
Data-driven storytelling
Current forecasts predict that 35 Zetabyte of information will exist by 2020. A single person produces about 1.7 megabytes of data per second. With all these connections, information and insights at hand, companies have an unprecedented opportunity to create tailor-made stories that appeal to each customer individually according to their preferences.
Brands will not only be able to attract attention, but they can also offer individual added value to distinguish themselves from the information overload we are experiencing today. google provides a good example of how data can be impressively processed with its data-based annual review.
Google – Year In Search 2017 (Source: Google)
Companies need to understand that data is the key to good marketing. Big Data can not only be used to optimize processes, but also to tell good stories that fetch the target group and position the company in the long term.
Immersive storytelling
The fact that Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are suitable for storytelling is nothing new. Rarely has it been possible to immerse people so deeply in a brand world as with immersive media. People perceive content more intensively and remember what they have experienced better. VR and AR are therefore valuable tools to captivate the audience and to communicate the messages of the companies even better.
Through the sensual experience offered by immersive media, the customers are directly at the centre of the story. So lead over
