The Power of Storytelling

Years ago I learned the first step to solving a problem to assign blame…   At least it seems that way in many organizations. 

When a campaign doesn’t achieve the anticipated results, who is to blame?

Usually the argument comes down to Targeting versus Creative.  Today I want to look at the creative side of the equation.  Typically I spend my time talking about the targeting side of digital marketing, but the Creative side of a campaign is equally important.  It is one of the reasons I am a big proponent of A/B testing.  Launch with two or three versions of the creative and let the consumer vote on which one is most effective, then optimize towards the results. 

One of my favorite campaigns goes back to my days at Hickory Farms.  It embodied the very essence of storytelling.  Three spots for the upcoming Christmas season focused on storytelling.  We felt that story telling was the very best method for explaining why a Hickory Farms gift was different from all the other gifting choices available at the holiday season.   It was not Hickory Farms versus Harry & David, but Hickory Farms versus the mall!

The spots were beautifully done (we spent more than a million dollars creating them) and each one was shot on location.  For our Sweet Elegance chocolates we took you to the factory and showed the ladies hand dipping each piece…  For the preserves spot we took you to a farm in Michigan where the blueberries were grown and picked by hand before being transformed into Hickory Farms Blueberry Preserves…  Beautiful work.  (I wonder what Jack Bancer is doing now.)  Beautiful results. 

Recently while scouring the web I came across a great article - How to Use the Persuasive Power of Mini-Stories in Your Sales Copy and it reminded me of the power of great storytelling in advertising.  “Stories are spellbinding and persuasive because the reader experiences a different world. Jeremy Dean explains that when we’re transported to another world, we’re less likely to notice when something doesn’t quite match up with our own experiences. We’re less likely to question what’s happening in a story. Moreover, our barriers to sales messages go down because the messages slip under the radar. We don’t notice we’re being sold something when we are engaged in a story.”

Hickory Farms sells chocolates?  Preserves?  Coffee?  I thought they were the meat and cheese place.

Here are a few of the key points…

1. Increase Desire to Own Your Product

Research has shown that when people hold a product in their hands, their desire to own it increases.  Story telling is a way to get the consumer to “hold your product”.

2. Persuade by Appealing to the Senses

When you read sensory words – like stinky or sweet, sparkling or rough – the areas of your brain that light up are different from those that are affected when you read non-sensory words – like bad, nice, or good. Even when you are just reading, your brain acts as if you actually smell a sweet aroma, feel a rough texture, or see a sparkling diamond.

3. Make a Boring Product More Fascinating

In the 1920s, copywriter Claude Hopkins was appointed to help Schlitz gain market share. Hopkins suggested that Schlitz tell consumers the detailed story of how water used for Schlitz beer is purified. This purification process is nothing special. Every beer company uses it. But Schlitz stood out because it was the only company telling the story…

4. Add Personality to Strengthen Your Brand

The copywriters at The J Peterman Company excel in telling mini-stories:  I was browsing in a Paris antique shop one winter afternoon when a fitted leather train case caught my eye.  It contained silver-handled brushes, boot hooks, a straight razor, several silver-stoppered glass bottles…  One bottle was different. Encased in yew-wood, with a handwritten date: 1903.  Inside the bottle, there was still the faint, intriguing aroma of a gentleman’s cologne. A “prescription” cologne, custom-made for a rich traveler a century ago.

More great tips in the article.  Enjoy!