#1nwebinar – building relationships through interactive storytelling

16 July 2014

Building Relationships through Interactive Storytelling

Kalev Peekna Managing Director, Strategy

kpeekna@onenorth.com

Jessica DeJong Art Director

jdejong@onenorth.com

Welcome!

Storytelling is HOT

Why is storytelling so effective for marketers?

Why is storytelling so effective?

• “Stories help you remember things and [are] how we are reminded.”

• “Stories connect people to brands emotionally, psychologically”

• “Stories work because we find them interesting”

• “Everybody loves a good story”

SOME SIMPLE OBSERVATIONS

Some simple observations

• Storytelling is universally pervasive. There are no cultures without it.

• Storytelling is not taught. We are born knowing how to do it.

• Storytelling is fundamental to how we know and understand things.

Why did we evolve into storytellers?

Why did we evolve into storytellers?

Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct

Brian Boyd, On the Origin of Stories

Gossip Play

Gossip Play

Wait… WHAT?

Gossip Play History Fiction Humor

Shared Experience Relationships

It’s our ability to form complex, enduring relationships across familial, national, geographic, and even linguistic boundaries that explains our unprecedented evolutionary success.

Let’s try this again

Why is storytelling such an effective marketing tool? • Stories share an experience • Shared experiences form and build relationships • Relationships drive success

It all goes back to relationships

Telling the Story

Magical rules to telling a good story

Actually, there are no rules. But there are some things to keep in mind: • Context is critical • Authenticity matters • Ads are not stories • Stories create experience by bringing people from one

place to another • Digital media allow self-guidance

Two common digital approaches

Linear Associative

Linear Stories

Linear Stories

Interest

Context

Proposition

Proof

Resolution

Linear stories bring your audiences from a defined beginning to an end. As in classical narratives, linear stories require capturing early interest, and building engagement to drive people to an eventual resolution. Whereas classical narratives use conflict to build engagement, professional storytellers can use questions or propositions, especially if they are unexpected.

Techniques at play in narrative stories

Narrative Arc Scroll Interaction Strong “Next Actions”

Linear Navigation Full-width Panels Microinteractions

to Encourage

Mixed Content Types

“Snackable” Content Lengths

Associative Stories

Associative Stories

Immersive Experience

Theme

Topic

Idea Theme

Question

Associative stories arrange content in an inter-related network. The best associative stories allow people to move from piece to another along their own path. Often, they lack a defined beginning or end. The real goal is the experience. Associative stories are hard work for print readers (to wit, Ulysses). But they can be highly approachable and compelling in an interactive format.

Techniques at play in associative stories

Thematic Organization

Immersive Imagery &

Video Audio

Limited Content Weight

Strong Transitions Visual Depth

Guided Navigation

Open Navigation

Bringing it home

Getting started

1. Find the right story to tell 2. Don’t start with thinking about what you want to “say.”

Think instead about the experience you want to share. 3. Start small. Storytelling is about turning a little content

into a big experience.

What stories do we have to tell?

Options to Consider

Options for professional marketers include: • Culture or history • Client commitment • Approach to work • Diversity and CSR • Career engagement • Marquee case studies

Storytelling allows marketers to rescue the kinds of enduring, abstract, or thoughtful themes that are critical to the brand, but which often get lost in the flood of a robust content-marketing strategy.

Questions?

Appendix of Examples

Linear •http://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2013/10/27/south-china-sea/ •http://aquatilis.tv/ •http://thestory.barbour.com/ •http://www.ge.com/stories Associative •http://getgoingtoday.org/ •http://intothearctic.gp/en/ •http://www.world-of-swiss.com/en