Musings about marketing, social media and life.
While out for St. Patrick’s day last week, it occurred to me that every bar has its different people. I noticed a few types: the new to town, the creepy old man, the regulars, the drunk girl, the gaggle of girls and the group of guys. Every bar has them. And they play a vital role in creating the atmosphere and experience of the bar patrons. This got me to thinking about the members of a marketing and communications team. [Read more…]
The first month of 2015 is just about finished. Let’s face it, time moves fast, and so does the pace of communications and marketing.
No matter what industry you work in, or what kind of company you work for, business moves faster than most of us want to admit. Why do you think we are all chained to our mobile phones, stressing out each time we hear the email notification, and diving for our phones to answer on the first ring?
What if we took a few minutes and stopped what we were doing to take a few minutes to seriously consider about the story we want to tell?
So, I created the infographic about Olivia Pope last night, and then today at work was asked to do the same exercise in paragraph form. Here’s my 5 minute attempt:
She wears the white hat. The white hat of justice. Olivia Pope changes the lives of those she touches by fixing reputations and impossible situations. Now, remember she’s in politics, and despite her leanings, her clients count on her in sticky situations to make everything right. Ms. Pope takes it one step further than her clients expect by consistently finding the truth.
It’s not bad for quick, but that middle sentence about politics needs another pass. How would you change it?
Second assignment for The Future of Storytelling – MOOC is to choose a main character from a television show and create a character profile. This was a fantastic assignment for me. As most of you know I watch too much television for my own good. So, I had a really hard time making a decision. There are just so many to choose from. Do I go classic and choose Sydney Bristow from ALIAS, or do I go more modern and choose Neal Caffrey from White Collar.
It was a difficult decision, but I chose to reveal it in an infographic. Hope if makes sense to you all.
For me storytelling is about using the world around you to create emotion and take a viewer, reader or listening on a journey. It might be a story about a particular event, a work of fiction or it could be a business message. Doesn’t matter what the story, it’s what is conveyed and in a way, how it is shared. Is it written? Is it painted? Is it a video? Is it a photograph? …
So, where does this idea of story come from? Well, I tell stories for a living as a practitioner of public relations and marketing. I tell stories. They might not be great works of fiction, but I do. Right now most of my stories are about the service my company provides to real estate agents. It’s fun to find a way to talk about rules and regulations so someone will read and understand.
Oh, and I’m taking a massive open online course (MOOC) titled “The Future of Storytelling.” It’s hosted by the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam in Germany. The course if being taught by a team of 4 along with several guest lecturers who are authors, advertising executives and more. Over the next eight weeks I’ll be posting my assignments here.
First Assignment:
Summarize your favorite story and share why it is so special that you remember it.
Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World
My Choice:
There are many stories that stand out for me. The most recent of which is actually a radio commercial. It starts with some mild music and through the 30-second spot it builds and builds. It’s one in a series and this one has a Halloween theme. It starts by telling us about a man who can do amazing things like grow candy corn, bob for apples and get a three pound lobster, and that he can scare the pants back ON you. The music reaches a crescendo and that’s when it tells you he is the most interesting man in the world. And the commercial ends with The Most Interesting Man in the World coming on and saying, “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.”
Why It Stuck With Me:
It’s so out of the ordinary and it makes me laugh every time I hear it. When I hear the opening strains of the music, I actually turn up the volume on the radio for a commercial. Yes, I said it, for a commercial. So, thank you, Dos Equis for keeping me entertained this Halloween. What’s so great is that it’s a whole story in just 30 seconds. And, they have been doing it for years.
What’s your favorite story and why?