So what has Aristotle got to do with marketing?
Well, in this post I propose that storytelling has never been so important to marketers - and if it’s about storytelling, then as first formal literary theorist, Aristotle is probably as good a place to start as anywhere.
But rather than a thesis on poetics, I want to explain why I've seen digital storytelling making a renaissance in the marketing sphere and what it means.
The concept of storytelling isn't new but the idea has been re-birthed, primarily as first movers explored the bounds of new technologies and subsequent channels. It was clear that marketers had the option to engage with their customers, the megaphone replaced by a dialogue.
In the static days of print, billboards and TV advertising, brands embraced storytelling as much as they could – creating characters that attempting to go beyond the traditional argumentative, feature heavy model of storytelling and into the narrative.
And it is the creating of narratives which is so important today.
Why? We go to the 80’s and to Walter Fisher who developed the narrative paradigm, explaining why stories are so cognitively powerful and essential. He went as far to suggest that our species, Homo Sapiens, would be better named Homo Narrans, such was our dependence on storytelling and narrative to make sense of the world around us. Narrative, Fisher asserted, is the mode of human reasoning, so entwined is storytelling with our evolution and development – we think and make sense of the world in stories.
So if we as marketers want to connect emotionally and even logically with customers, focusing on a narrative allows us access, it allows us to engage an audience and illicit emotion.
But why is it more important now than ever before?
Technology Adoption... We can craft multi-channel experiences that are context aware, we have toolsets built from mobile devices, location based services, wearable computing, real time analytics, etcetera. We have the means to communicate our reason to exist, our values in a non-linear, additive, immersive and participatory way.
And customers are already using it, they are the ultimate first movers, they are building their networks and expect brands to connect with them where they want, when they want and how they want. These enabling technologies have shifted the balance of power, effectively unionising the consumer and shifting the balance of power forever.
So companies have to become more human, they have to have a story that’s authentic and consistent and there has to be a strong narrative. The best brands understand what that is - it is the confluence of their product, brand and service and it is that concept is embodied in every action and all communications.
OK, I want a story - what makes a great story?
Luckily, literary academics have done all the hard work for us so it’s quite easy to break down what a good story must have and extrapolate from there.
First is the message: This is the voice, the raison d’etre, the unification of the product, brand and service – the only requirement is that it's authentic.
Second we have the conflict: This is not negative, but rather embodies the disharmony that the observer needs to rectify internally and is what builds engagement in the story.
Then we move to characters and then plot, no rocket science here but allows the observer to understand and internalise the story.
Let’s take a great, early example of where a brand tried to unify these elements into a consistent story – Apple and their “I’m a Mac” campaign. The message, the conflict and characters are clear, we are unique, we are proud to be different and we are aspirational.
What was amazing was its impact. Researchers at St. John's University found that following the campaign, Mac users (and even some PC users) had a positive bias and identified with Macs more, insisting ‘That’s me’.
Amazing storytelling you have to agree, but add in a contextual layer to the narrative and the possibilities to early adopters are incredible, both psychologically and commercially.
If you found this topic interesting, Cirrus Media have developed the first Digital Storytelling event in Australia on the 13-14 October in Melbourne. The event will guide attendees, with case study examples through:
1) Data and insights about customers and behaviour
2) Targeted, personalised, multi-channel marketing and programmatic advertising to reach customers at the moments that most influence their decisions
3) Understanding the customer journey and touch points and providing the information and content required to create the next best action
4) Keeping customers post purchase and fostering loyalty
For more information please visit http://digital-storytelling.com.au/