‘Once Upon a Time’ – why a good story is essential for marketing
Are you sitting comfortably? Well, I’ll begin… Ever since Goldilocks staged a home invasion of the three bears place, we all like to be told a good story – and a well told story on film is the single quickest way for your client to absorb, understand and remember your message and your brand. It’s more powerful than text, a glossy brochure – or a full page advert.
Supposing you were selling jewellery made of gold plate – its just gold plate. A tough sell. But what happens if you tell the customer a story. Lets say its gold plate but the 9ct gold is added by a method devised by NASA scientists for use on Apollo 11 in the first moon landings. Give one of the scientists a name – lets call him Jim and say that he was madly in love with his childhood sweetheart, Alice. Using a ring made of his own unique method of laminating 9ct gold he proposes to Alice, she becomes his wife and amazingly Alice still wears her ring today. Suddenly its not just gold plate. Actually it is – but the story gave you a moment to catch your customer’s attention. Turn the story into a short film and you will have engaged the heart and mind and given the customer information to share with friends. If done well the story will contain hooks, teasers and cliff-hangers to keep eyeballs. Making a film compelling is crucial to engage your client.
There are many reasons why a good story can motivate an audience towards your brand. They are emotional – they create empathy. If you can get to both your clients heart and mind, you and your brand will be unforgettable. And, in a world of visual media who wants to read when you can watch? A good narrative on film isn’t easy – Alfred Hitchcock said you need three things to make a good film; a good script, a good script and a good script. Get it right and you capture your viewer with the Trojan Horse of entertainment. Statistic, graphs, facts and figures written down make the majority of us develop blurred vision faster than a couple of bottles of decent burgundy and have been forgotten in half the time it takes for the morning after headache to go-away. But offered in a story experience and your client will remember your facts and your message and more importantly share it with others. Whatever your company’s story it is unique to your brand – it will make you far more interesting to a customer than any advert ever can and most of us don’t even trust adverts anymore. A good film contains ‘Take Aways’- facts – the kind that people love to repeat. It should also be irresistible – if well told the story will keep your client absorbing information about you for much much longer than any advert can. A good film works for you worldwide, day and night to sell your brand.
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