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When you think about the greatest reading experiences you have, what do you remember? Maybe you remember the fully fleshed-out characters.
You may also remember the fantastic, unforgettable setting of the story, and the places and sights from the book that felt so real it was as if you were there yourself.
Maybe the ending was a real gut punch, a shocker, a bolt from the blue that you never saw coming. Chances are the journey of the protagonist was so beautiful and inspiring that you couldn’t stop beaming about it for weeks.
But most of all, you probably remember how it made you feel.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are good you’re well aware of the increasing popularity of content marketing and brand storytelling. While many social media experts and content marketers are focusing on written content like blog posts, savvy marketers and brand storytellers are turning to visual content creation in increasing numbers. With options like infographics, memes, and videos available, making an impression and telling your story via visual content could become increasingly difficult. One way to make a strong impression and better tell your brand story is to include video animation in your content marketing mix . Animated content is highly engaging, offers opportunities for strong brand messaging, and is highly shareable via social media channels. Here are five startups making waves in the animation niche, try them to see if they can add pizzazz to your brand story.
There are no hard-and-fast rules for brand storytelling, but classic storytelling and structure can help guide you. Follow these 10 steps to start your content marketing hero's journey.
Who is Jim Signorelli? and how is he shaping the way brands tell their stories? The latest brand story interview for Ouroboros Entertainment
Via OuroborosEntertainment
Why do you do what you do? Answered correctly, this simple question can form the backbone of your brand story and help inform the manner in which you communicate with your customers, fans and followers; your transmedia story arc if you will.
One adman’s view I particularly subscribe to is that of Bill Bernbach. “Advertising is fundamentally persuasion and persuasion happens to be not a science, but an art.” Bernbach had deep insight into human nature. He believed that in order for brand communicators to become human persuaders they needed to get at the heart of what motivates people. Bernbach believed that successful communicators are not only concerned with what they put into a piece of writing but what the reader gets out of it; they’re “students of how people read and listen”. Good communicators understand that readers read with their ego, their emotions, their compulsions, their prejudices, their urges, their aspirations and that they plot with their brain to rationalize the facts until they become the tools of their desires. Good communicators must therefore be good storytellers.
Happy New Year everyone and welcome to 2013! Let’s kick it off with an interesting piece of brand storytelling that came out of the fragrance industry in 2012. This particular brand story is one of an unlikely alliance between a fragrance house, a magazine (Wallpaper), a book publisher, and Karl Lagerfeld(!?).
Merry Christmas and a Happy Story-Filled New Year from BrandStories.Net Dedicated to my two kids (Jana and Jad) whom I can't be with this year.
Trying to capitalize on the brands as publisher trend, Coca-Cola revamps its corporate site to now be a magazine of sorts.
Via OuroborosEntertainment
Just four months ago, Facebook launched headfirst into the world of active content marketing with Facebook Stories, a website that showcases unique ways people across the globe use the social networking site. The engaging new channel also offers a rich source of data, featuring infographics and interactive data visualizations. Facebook, one of the web’s most recognized brands, already has the attention of a billion people. But a little extra branding can go a long way.
The Charity: Water story is Scott’s own personal brand story; they’re one and the same. The brand's aura is derived from Scott’s unyielding commitment and passion for his cause. You can hear it in his voice. His voice is the Charity Water brand voice. This is how new age brands are born.
One of my all time favorite brand stories belongs to TOMS. It’s the story of a man who had an altruistic vision born out of the need to contribute practical solutions to the severe poverty situations in developing countries around the world. The man behind the brand is Blake Mycoskie, a 36 year old American entrepreneur and author. At TOMS, Blake’s known as Chief Shoe Giver. Blake was inspired to launch the brand during one of his visits to Argentina where he witnessed kids running in the streets with no shoes. He had to do something about it. TOMS was his response.
Via Gregg Morris
How Apple Tells Their Product Stories rather than tell the benefits alone of the product.
Via OuroborosEntertainment
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If Kodak had to launch the product again in 2013, which version of the ad do you think it would go with? My bet would be Don Draper’s. Here’s why… Brands that communicate by telling stories that resonate with their audience -create nostalgia or establish a sentimental bond with the product as Don puts it- win. Don’s version does that better.Consumers today relate to and are more loyal to brands that communicate why they do what they do rather than just what they do and how they do it. Don’s version is better at communicating the “why”.Brand communication that taps our emotional trigger and pulls at our heart strings gets shared more than communication that simply regurgitates dull facts and figures. Don’s version of the ad is better at doing that. Odds are that Don’s version of the ad has a higher likelihood of getting parodied/”memed” and going viral than the original 60′s version. Watch this Facebook Timeline launch version…
Jack Daniel’s celebrated its place in rock and roll history with the launch of a global campaign called “Legend.” Using historic footage, actual concert flyers, ticket stubs, bathroom graffiti and the work of legendary rock photographer, Danny Clinch, the campaign pays homage to the whiskey that was there. Frank Sinatra, Bad Brains, Joey Ramone, Freddie King and Mudhoney, among others, all paint a vivid picture of music history.
Yesterday, while enjoying an espresso at my local coffee shop, I overheard a conversation between a very frustrated businessman and his bank’s customer service advisor (CSA). By the end of the call, the businessman had more or less decided to take his business elsewhere. It made me think about a saying from one of my favorite authors, Maya Angelou who once said: "Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning." Service oriented brands have much to learn from this sentence. Make sure your brand message is consistent with the manner in which it’s being dispersed by your customer facing representatives; both online and offline.
n line with their new age storytelling strategy Content 2020, Coke have revamped their iconic polar bears and gave them a starring role in a new short film. The 7 minute story brings to life the traditional Polar Bear family in a movie produced by none other than Ridley Scott. Watch…
Brand Stories will be 9 months old this January. What better way to celebrate this than by breathing life into the unicorn in our logo. Like any well defined character in all good stories, we’ll give him a name; let’s call him “Hemlock Misty Colt” And what a character he is! Hemlock is often very naughty and is always being told off. He is misty like the blue mountains, and he casts spells of plenty and bounty. Above all, he’s always restless and loves to keep himself busy. Watch...
Last year, Canon called upon screen director Ron Howard to create a short film based on eight photos submitted by Canon owners. The idea was to tell a story from eight photos, each chosen to fulfill one of the following story elements: setting, time, character, mood, relationship, goal, obstacle and “the unknown” ....
Last week, CMI sent around this deck with 58 examples of social media brilliance.
Once example that caught my eye… how PurinaONE uses Facebook.
Pet brand PurinaONE tells pet stories to stand out on Facebook.
They use longer posts, supplemented with pictures that tell compelling stories. The posts are well written and inspire engagement from their fans. Each piece of content is highly relevant to the brand’s audience.
Their posts garner thousands of likes and ignite passionate conversations. They’ve tapped into the emotion trigger to host the conversation and own a lucrative content niche. Brilliant.
A dialogue on the subject of organizational storytelling; narrative as a leadership capability. Author and story consultant David Hutchens of www.DavidHutche...
Via Karen Dietz
In celebration of the United Arab Emirates National day, we’ve created a story about the rise to glory of one of the most amazing cities in the world [also Sandstorm Towers Headquarters]. The story is work in progress so stay tuned throughout the day for updates as the full story evolves to show how Dubai rose to become one of the world’s most vibrant cities, financial hub and the gateway between East and West. We will also be supplementing this story with a video that will be published over the next few days. Stay tuned and in the meantime and without further ado, the story of Dubai…
If you know me, you’ll know how passionate I am about brand storytelling. You’ll know that I’m a big believer in and advocate of the telling of a brand’s story, including its purpose and what it stands for. If you know me, you’ll also know that I’m a champion of the idea that to be truly successful, a brand must effectively communicate why it does what it does rather than harp on about what it does and how it does it. It’s time I started sharing with you what the Sandstorm Digital brand stands for, why we do what we do, and to begin telling you our brand story. More on why we do what we do...
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There are various ways you can use the power of narrative to make your content really stand out and leave a mark in the hearts and minds of your readers. If you manage to emotionally engage your readers in addition to informing them, they are guaranteed to come back for more. The power of a good story is tremendous. Make sure you use it in all your written communication to skyrocket the success of your brand.
Do you employ strong narrative in your brand story? How do you use it in your content marketing strategy? Share below…