Storytelling & Branding Strategy

Dr Behice Ece Ilhan

Tell me the facts and Ill learn. Tell me the truth and Ill believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.

Around fires

Etched onto walls

Strategic Storytelling
Well-crafted, well-told, and engaging stories help causes, brands, careers, and businesses gain momentum. Compelling stories can be a powerful tool for promotion, persuasion, advocacy, inspiration, and leadership.

Before you start.

Who is my audience and what is my goal in engaging them? Are you persuading someone to invest in your company? Are you trying to sell an idea to your co-workers? Do you want to inspire people to help a cause or save someones life? Start with a deep understanding of your audience, and ensure your story has a clear and powerful meaning -- to them.

For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.

~ Ernest Hemingway

Good 6-words stories fall into several structural types:

Simple description o Smart. Funny. Future oriented. Always felt different. (one student) o Goofball. Jock. Happy-go-lucky. (another student) Evocative description o Mind of its own. Damn lawnmower. (David Brin) o Road to Boston begins in Napa. (one student) Shows development/change in a character or a situation o Longed for him. Got him. Shit. (Margaret Atwood) o Failed SAT. Lost scholarship. Invented rocket. (William Shatner) Sensationalistic/ attention grabbing o Tick tock tick tock tick tick (Neal Stephenson) o With bloody hands, I say good-bye. (Frank Miller)

Art is the elimination of the unnecessary

~ Picasso

Opening Statements
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity.. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

Multifaceted Storytelling
Music
Obamas Spotify Playlist Apple iPhone Coca Cola Facebook riddles

Visuals
Instagram, Facebook photos, Logos

Props

Obamas Spotify Playlist

No Doubt - Different People Earth Wind & Fire Experience feat. Al McKay Allstars - Got To Get You Into My Life - (Live) Booker T. & The MG's - Green Onions - Single/LP Version Wilco - I Got You The Impressions - Keep On Pushing Single Version Performed by Jennifer Hudson;Dreamgirls (Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Love You I Do AgesandAges - No Nostalgia Ledisi - Raise Up Sugarland - Stand Up Darius Rucker - This Arcade Fire - We Used to Wait Florence + The Machine - You've Got The Love James Taylor - Your Smiling Face REO Speedwagon - Roll With The Changes Raphael Saadiq - Keep Marchin' Noah And The Whale - Tonight's The Kind Of Night Zac Brown Band - Keep Me In Mind Aretha Franklin - The Weight U2 - Even Better Than The Real Thing Dierks Bentley - Home Sugarland - Everyday America Darius Rucker - Learn To Live Al Green - Let's Stay Together Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky Montgomery Gentry - My Town Ricky Martin - The Best Thing About Me Is You Feat. Joss Stone Ray LaMontagne - You Are The Best Thing Bruce Springsteen - We Take Care Of Our Own

CLICK TO 1A : MREATING A PERSONAL STORY BANK E RCISE EDIT CASTER TITLE STYLE XE

My colleague's story

S tories you tell about yours elf 1. 2. 3.

S tories told about you by colleagues 1. 2. 3.

S toriestold about you by a friend 1. 2. 3.

T be completed before Day 1 o To be done before 1st day of class

CLICKCISEDITSTOR R TITLE STYLE E R TO E4: MASTE XE YBOAR DING

STORYBOARD YOUR STORY: CREATE A 4-SLIDE DECK THAT R PR SE E E NTS KE SCE S OF YOUR STOR . Y NE Y

SCENE 1

SCENE 2

SCENE 3

SCENE 4
T be completed before Day 2 o

CLICKCISEDIT:MASTER TITLE STYLE E R TO E6A LISTENING WELL XE

Lis tening to s toriesisasgreat a s astelling them E kill . thnographers have a great s kill for eliciting s tories from people and drawing m eaning from them Practice this s of . kill lis tening. With your partner, analyze:
WHAT QUESTION CAN YOU ASK
YOUR PARTNE TO GE ME R T ANINGFUL, RE ALING S VE TORY FROM THE ? M

WHAT WAS THE CONFLICT IN THE S TORY?

WHAT DOES THE CHOICE OF STORY TE YOU ABOUT THE ? LL M

WHAT DOES THE CONFLICT TELL YOU ABOUT PE ON TE RS LLING THE S TORY?

T be done with partner during 3rd day of class o

CLICKCISEDIT:MASTER TITLE STYLE THE BELOW TOOLS E R TO E6C BRAINSTORM WHICH OF XE

SHOULD BE USE TO PAINT MOR VIVID PICTUR S FOR YOUR STOR D E E Y OPINION WORDS
Those describing what the speaker thinks

METAPHOR
A figure of speech that compares one thing to another.

FACT WORDS
Those that show by supplying sensory details

S IMILE
Metaphor comparing two things using like, a or as. (i.e. She runs like a deer or is thin as a rail.)

TIME-ORDER WORDS
Words that describe time and sequence, at last and finally

PERSONIFICATION
When human characteristics are given to non-human things.

POSITION WORDS
Those that describe location, underneath

ATMOSPHERE WORDS
Select descriptive words that support the atmosphere of your story

HYPERBOLE
An extravagant exaggeration. For example, John is as strong as an ox. T be done with partner during 3rd day of class o

CLICKCISEDITPRACTICE YOUR 3 MINUTE STORY E R TO E8: MASTER TITLE STYLE XE

TAPE YOUR STORY, OR WATCH
YOURS LF IN FRONT OR A MIRROR E

COACH (WITH FRIEND) ON

PRE E S NTATION

WATCH, LISTEN, FUSE

PRACTICE/ INTEGRATE NEW IDEAS

T be done (a lot) before Day 5. o

2010
Content Storytelling Content = Storytelling? Content marketing and brand management are symbiotic.

Brand Centric Storytelling

Using stories to create, develop, communicate, and promote brands. Powerful brands are the products of multiple stories that are authored by multiple sources across multiple venues. entertainment and non-entertainment brands

Brands as Collection of Associations

23

Brand Centric Storytelling

What is the story of our brand?

Product Placement Story Around a Brand
Black Mamba BMW The Hire movies, Activate The Future documentaries

Web of Stories
Reference to other stories Harry Potter Chrysler

CLICK STORIES MOU W TITLE STYLEYOUR CAREER FOUR TO EDIT YASTER ILL TELL IN

Who I am Story
Conveys who you are, what you stand for, why you are here, and hints at where you are going. Goal: advocate for yourself. (Try mindmapping; next page).

How We Are Different Story

Illuminates uniqueness of company, allows you to stand out from competitors Goal: advocate for your company.

Apology & Recovery Story

Communicate unfortunate news or mistake, and manages the damage that can result. Goal: explain an important turning point and/ or re-cultivate trust

Vision Story
Share vision for the future for company. Goal: inspire. Get collection movement for the path forward

Who Are We? Story

What are your trying to achieve; what is your goal? Who is the audience of this story? How will the story help you achieve your goal? How unique is the story could anyone have told it (or just you)?

How Are We Different Story

Describe what life is like for a particular user without the product/service/social good platform, and then with it. Raise the stakes as much as possible by identifying the most dramatic, yet realistic, situations where the product/service/platform impacts the users life. Sharply define your user character; his/her situation; and what happens.

Vision Story
DuPont: Our vision is to be the worlds most dynamic science company, creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer and healthier life for people everywhere.

Nike: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. Starbucks: To inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time

Vision Story
An alternative structure for the vision story: Create a story about the future written in the past tense. That is, write a story about a company 10 years from now and how it has achieved its vision. This story encapsulates challenges it faces and how it overcame them and can provide a source of inspiration in the present to achieve the vision in the future. This type of story can be a powerful tool in instigation change and inspiration, and be a vehicle for goal creation

Consumer Generated Stories

Participatory Culture
Empowered consumers

Leverage existing behaviors

By tagging pictures of items in an IKEA Facebook showroom, people won those items

Develop Deeper Emotional Connection

Golf GT Mobile iPhone App test Drive

Who owns the brand?

Consumers as co-creators of brand stories.
Doritos: Crash the Superbowl Harry Potter Fan Art, Fan Fiction

Which one is the brand?

Or this?

Which one is the brand?

7 Deadly Sins of Business Storytelling

Chronology Telling Jargon Pulse-free Fabrication Bulletproof Proprietary

Take Away Points

Know your audience Identify the goal of storytelling Use diverse ways of storytelling visual, sound, props Avoid 7 deadly sins Refer or connect to the existing well known stories Content marketing and brand management are symbiotic. Medium is not the message anymore!

For Further Inspiration

Leader's Guide to Storytelling By Stephen Denning The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations By Stephen Denning Slideology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations By Nancy Duarte The Triumph of Narrative: Storytelling in the Age of Mass Culture By Robert Fulford Storytelling as Best Practice By Andy Goodman Narrative Impact: Social and Cognitive Foundations By Melanie C. Green, et al. Listening is an Act of Love By Dave Isay Telling True Stories By Mark Kramer & Wendy Call Improving Your Storytelling By Doug Lipman The Power of Personal Storytelling By Jack Maguire Corporate Legends & Lore: The Power of Storytelling as a Management Tool By Peg C. Neuhauser Tales of a New America By Robert Reich What If? The Art of Scenario Thinking for Nonprofits By Diana Scearce & Katherine Fulton Tell Me a Story: Narrative & Intelligence By Roger Schank The Story Factor By Annette Simmons The Art of Storytelling: Easy Steps to Presenting an Unforgettable Story By John Walsh

 aj@markitx.com eceilhan@gmail.com @eceilhan