The Persuas ive Power o f S to ry 1 R e p r i n t e d w i t h p e r m i s s i o n f r o m A m e r i c a n M a r k e t i n g A s s o c i a t i o n ’ s M a r k e t i n g M a n a g e m e n t

In order to get customers to act, we must engage them emotionally.

The Persuasive Power of Story By Edward Wachtman and Sheree Johnson StoryTel l ings™ Consu l t ing

E x e c u t i v e B r i e f i n g

Consumers today are inundated with facts and f igures.

There is l i t t le attempt to capture their imagination, and

make them want to real ly l isten to what we are saying. And

therefore there is l i t t le chance the behaviors and actions

we are looking for wil l happen. To create strong and last-

ing bonds with consumers and get them to act to our ad-

vantage, we must awaken their emotions. Stories are the

fundamental form of persuasive communication.

StoryTellings™ Consulting

P.O. Box 368|1259 Deer Walk Bowen Island, BC V0N 1G0

T: 604.947.0493|F: 604.608.3249 www.storytellings.com

The Persuas ive Power o f S to ry 2 R e p r i n t e d w i t h p e r m i s s i o n f r o m A m e r i c a n M a r k e t i n g A s s o c i a t i o n ’ s M a r k e t i n g M a n a g e m e n t

M a r k e t i n g i s a d i s c i p l i n e o f bu i ld ing demand through persua-s ion. Every day we as marketers face the daun t i ng cha l l enges o f f i nd ing a compet i t i ve edge , d is -c o v e r i n g n e w w a y s o f r e a c h i n g p e o p l e , c a p t u r i n g t h e i r a t t e n -t i on…and mos t impor tan t l y pe r -s u a d i n g t h e m t o b u y o u r p r o d -u c t s a n d s e r v i c e s . T h i s c h a l -lenge i s inc reas ing ly more d i f f i -cu l t and our e f for ts are incons is-t e n t a t b e s t . C o n s u m e r s a r e c e a s e l e s s l y b o m b a r d e d w i t h c o m m e r c i a l m e s s a g e s , a n d a r e b e c o m i n g i n c r e a s i n g l y o v e r -whe lmed w i th cho ice . Adver t i s -i n g i s u b i qu i t o us . C o ns u m er s —instead of be ing persuaded—are r e s p o n d i n g b y t u n i n g - o u t i t s messages.

W h y ? W h a t h a p p e n s w h e n o u r p e r s u a s i o n s f a i l ? W h a t g o e s w r o n g ? H e r e a r e t h r e e s i m p l e s c e n a r i o s f r o m e v e r y d a y l i f e . T h e y i l l u s t r a t e w h a t h a p p e n s when we re ly so le ly on facts and opin ions:

A mother t r ies to teach her c h i l d a b o u t s e l f l e s s n e s s and generosi ty:

B i l l y c o m e s h o m e f r o m s c h o o l c r y i n g . A m y h a s g rabbed one o f h is toys and refused to g ive i t back . Mom s a y s t o B i l l y : “ Y o u s h o u l d sha re y ou r t h ings w i th Amy . I t ’s not n ice to be se l f ish. ”

A p r o f e s s o r w a n t s t o e n -c o u r a g e h i s s t u d e n t s t o c a r e f u l l y r e s e a r c h a n a s -signment:

A f t e r g i v i n g t h e a s s i g n m e n t in c lass , P ro fessor Pe te rson te l ls h is s tudents : “Don’ t jus t jump to conc lus ions , suppor t your ideas wi th research and adequate fact - f ind ing. ”

A nonpro f i t communi ty a r t organiza t ion is engaged in fund-rais ing:

Ar t f o r A l l i s a f ou r - yea r -o ld p r o g r a m p r o v i d i n g a r t a n d music c lasses for 8 ,400 ch i l -dren in 450 Phi ladelph ia e le-m e n t a r y s c h o o l s t h a t c u r -rent ly o f fer none at a l l . Send your donat ions today to he lp f u n d t h i s o u t s t a n d i n g p r o -gram.

None of these is par t icu lar ly per-suas i ve , compe l l i ng o r memora-b l e , b e c a u s e t h e y m a i n l y s t a t e f a c t s a n d o p i n i o n s — a n d v e r y l i t t l e e l s e . T h e r e i s n o t h i n g i n t h e s e s c e n a r i o s t o c a p t u r e t h e imag inat ion o f the l i s tener , l i t t le to ca tch h is a t ten t ion and make h im want to rea l ly l is ten to what w e a r e s a y i n g . A n d t h e r e f o r e there is l i t t le chance the behav-io rs and ac t i ons we a re l ook ing for wi l l happen. Now le t ’s look at t h e s a m e t h r e e s c e n a r i o s , b u t approached in a d i f ferent way.

S e l f l e s sn es s a nd g en e ro s -i ty:

One day a man was board ing a t r a i n w i t h a n u m b e r o f f r iends, he dropped h is g love b e t w e e n t h e t r a i n a n d p l a t -f o r m . U n a b l e t o r e t r i e v e i t , h e t o ok h i s o t h e r g l ov e a n d t h r e w i t d o w n b y t h e f i r s t . R e s p o n d i n g t o t h e p u z z l e -ment o f h is f r i ends , the man exp la ined tha t a poor person who f inds one g love is rea l ly n o b e t t e r o f f — w h a t ' s r e a l l y he lp fu l is f ind ing a pa i r .

D o y o u r r e s e a r c h , k n o w your facts: Th is i s the t ran-scr ip t o f a rad io communica-t i o n b e t w e e n a U . S . n a v a l sh i p and Canad ian mar i t ime agency of f the coast o f New-foundland:

Ame r i c a n s : P l e a s e d i v e r t your course 15 degrees nor th to avo id a co l l is ion.

Canadians : Recommend you d i v e r t y o u r c o u r s e 1 5 d e -g r e e s s o u t h t o a v o i d c o l l i -s ion.

Amer icans : Th is i s the cap-t a i n o f a U . S . N a v y s h i p ; I say again d iver t your course.

Canadians : I say aga in , you d iver t your course.

Americans : Th is i s a Un i ted S t a t e s a i r c r a f t c a r r i e r . W e a r e a c c o m p a n i e d b y t h r e e d e s t r o y e r s , t h r e e c r u i s e r s , a n d n u m e r o u s s u p p o r t v e s -se l s . I s t r ong l y r eques t t ha t y o u c h a n g e y o u r c o u r s e 1 5 degrees nor th , that 's one f ive degrees no r th , o r we w i l l be f o r c e d t o m a k e c o u n t e r -m e a s u r e s t o e n s u r e t h e safety of th is sh ip .

Canad ians : W e a r e a l i g h t -house; you make the cal l .

Non-profi t fund ra is ing:

I n 2 0 0 1 , f i f t h - g r a d e r A r l e n e Sherman was one of the f i rs t e l e m e n t a r y s c h o o l s t u d e n t s in her Phi ladelph ia d is t r ic t to p a r t i c i p a te i n t h e A r t f o r A l l p r o g r a m . A r l e n e , w h o h a d never before had ar t or music c lasses in school , d iscovered t h a t s h e l o v e d t o s i n g , a n d had a ta lent for i t . Af ter three years in the program, one o f h e r m i d d l e s c h o o l t e a c h e r s took Ar lene to an audi t ion for a c i t y - w i d e c h i l d r e n ' s c h o i r , and sh e made t he cu t . Fou r y e a r s l a t e r A r l e n e w a s t h e l e a d a l t o i n t h a t c h o i r . S h e ha s r ece n t l y s t a r t ed a cho i r i n h e r o w n h i g h s c h o o l . Thanks to Ar t fo r A l l , A r lene has honed her s ing ing ta lent . Even bet te r , she 's spread ing

The Persuas ive Power o f S to ry 3 R e p r i n t e d w i t h p e r m i s s i o n f r o m A m e r i c a n M a r k e t i n g A s s o c i a t i o n ’ s M a r k e t i n g M a n a g e m e n t

he r pass ion , and he r know l -edge, wi th fe l low s tudents .

W h a t m a k e s t h e s e s c e n a r i o s more pe rsuas i ve , more compe l -l ing? Why might we want to pay more a t ten t i on to these scenar -i o s t h a n t h e f i r s t s e t ? T h e a n -s w e r i s s i m p l e . T h e y d o m o r e t h a n r e c i t e f a c t s a n d o p i n i o n s . Each is a l i t t l e s tory . Each t r ig -gers an emot ion. In the f i rs t sce-na r i o , we c an imag ine the fee l -i n g o f s u r p r i s e a n d g r a t i t u d e a person migh t exper ience f ind ing a pa i r o f g loves. The second ex-a m p l e a d ds a b i t o f hu m o r a n d i rony, but the mora l is s t i l l c rys-ta l c lear : Do your research, and d o n ’ t a s s u m e a n y t h i n g . A n d i n t h e t h i r d s c e n a r i o , w e c a n a l -most see the pr ide and sat is fac-t i o n o n A r l e n e ’ s f a c e a s s h e s t e p s t o t he p o d i u m i n f r o n t o f the cho i r she founded. We have s t o r i e s , e l i c i t i n g e m o t i o n s , a n d the resu l t i s persuas ive commu-n icat ions.

L e t ’ s e x a m i n e t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p between s tor ies and persuas ion.

W h y S t o r i e s A r e Persuasive

Sto r ies a re pe rsuas i ve becaus e they are the fundamenta l form of h u m a n c o m m u n i c a t i o n . W e ’ v e t o l d s t o r i e s e v e r s i n c e o u r a n -cestors f i rs t gathered around the f i re c i rc le . We are hard-wi red to respond to s tor ies , and they are persuas ive in a number o f d i f fer -ent ways because of th is .

Stories teach . For the vast ma-jor i ty o f human ex is tence before t he a dv en t o f t he w r i t t en w o rd , s t o r i e s w e r e t h e s o l e w a y o f c o m m u n i c a t i n g k n o w l ed g e f r o m one genera t i on to ano the r . How w o u l d o u r a n c e s t o r s h a v e learned to gather , p lant , hunt or

c rea te the f i r s t c i t i es , i f i t were no t f o r s t o r i es? Many so -ca l l ed pr imi t ive myths are noth ing more t h a n s t o r i e s t h a t t e l l w h e n t o p l a n t a n d w h e n t o h a r v e s t . I n ear l i e r t imes—before the advent o f the wr i t ten word—stor ies were the p r imary means o f commun i -c a t i n g e v e r y d a y , p r a c t i c a l know ledge f r om one gene ra t i on t o a n o t h e r . S t o r i e s a r e h o w w e ’ v e a c c u m u l a t e d a n d s h a r e d ou r i n t e l l ec tua l cap i t a l f o r hun -dreds of generat ions.

Stor ies bond us together . They g i v e u s a s e n s e o f b e l o n g i n g . They are a pr ice less connect ion to o thers wi th s imi lar be l ie fs and va lues . To share a common be-l i e f o r ex pe r ience i s t o sha r e a c o m m o n s t o r y . I t i s n o c o i n c i -dence tha t the sc r ip tu res o f the wo r l d ’ s g rea t r e l i g i ons a re p re -dominant ly s tor ies .

The co l lec t ive va lues that def ine a communi ty are of ten embodied i n s t o r i e s t o l d a n d r e t o l d o v e r the ages. These s tor ies i l lus t ra te w h a t i s e x p e c t e d f r o m e a c h o f us, and how we should behave in o r d e r t o f i t i n . I n h i s s e m i n a l work , The Uses of Enchantment : The Mean ing and Impor tance o f Fa i r y Ta les (New York , V in tage Books Edi t ion, 1989) , Bruno Bet -te lhe im descr ibes how fa i ry ta les o f ten serve as mora l i ty s tor ies—graph ica l l y i l l us t ra t i ng the com-m u n i t y ’ s n o t i o n s o f g o o d a n d b a d , r i g h t a n d w r o n g a n d t h e consequences of behav ior .

S t o r i e s p ro v i d e m e a n i ng . L i n -gu is ts , fo lk lor is ts , psycholog is ts , a n d s o c i o l og i s t s h a v e a l l c o m e to i nc lude the s tudy o f s to ry as an impor tant key to the way that i n d i v i d u a l s a n d c o m m u n i t i e s m e a n i n g f u l l y t h i n k a b o u t t h e m -se lves . S tor ies he lp us apprec i -a t e l i f e i n a l a r g e r c o n t e x t . A s i n d i v i d u a l s o r g r o u p s , s t o r i e s show how we a re par t o f some-t h i n g b i g g e r ; t h e y p l a c e u s wi th in a larger and t imeless con-t e x t o f w h a t c a m e b e f o r e a n d what wi l l be in the fu ture.

Stories incite act ion . There is a reason we a re d rawn to the c l i -chéd, say ing " the pen is might ier t h a n t h e s w o r d . ” T r u e o r f a b r i -ca te d , s t o r i es hav e l e d na t i o ns t o w a r , t o c o n q u e s t a n d t o d e -f e a t . T h e U n i t e d S t a t e s e n t r y i n t o t h e S pa n i s h - A m er i c a n W ar w a s s t r o n g l y i n f l u e n c e d b y t h e journal is t ic j ingo ism of Randolph Hear s t ’ s news paper s . T he pow-e r f u l i m a g e r y o f U n c l e T o m ’ s C a b i n ( t h e 1 8 5 2 a n t i - s l a v e r y n o v e l ) f a n n e d t h e a b o l i t i o n i s t f lames of the Civ i l War .

S t o r i e s a r e m e m o r a b l e . R . C . Schank a nd R .P . Abe l son s t a te i n t h e i r a r t i c l e “ K n o w l e d g e a n d M e m o r y : T h e R e a l S tory ” (Advances in Soc ia l Cog-n i t i o n , V o l . V I I I , H i l l s d a l e N J : E r l b aum , 1 99 5 ) , “W e r em em be r bes t by te l l i ng s to r ies . S to ry te l -l i n g i s n o t s o m e t h i n g w e j u s t

The Persuas ive Power o f S to ry 4 R e p r i n t e d w i t h p e r m i s s i o n f r o m A m e r i c a n M a r k e t i n g A s s o c i a t i o n ’ s M a r k e t i n g M a n a g e m e n t

S t o r i e s a n d B u s i n e s s

S o w h a t d o e s t h e e m o t i o n a l s tory have to do wi th the ra t ional w o r l d o f b u s i n e s s ? I n a w o r d : behav io r . I f we can ’ t impac t be-hav ior in leading our bus inesses, then we don ’ t se l l our p roduc ts /se rv ices to cus tomers , we don ’ t have p roduc t i ve emp loyees and we don’ t have the suppor t of the p u b l i c . C u s t o m e r s , e m p l o y e e s , shareho lders and the pub l i c a re mak ing dec is ions about the i r in -t e r a c t i o n ( r e a d : b e h a v i o r ) w i t h us eve ry d ay . And mo re t han a g e n e r a t i o n o f n e u r o l o g i c a l r e -s ea r ch s hows t ha t m any —i f no t m o s t — o f o u r s o - c a l l e d r a t i o n a l dec is ions are ac tua l l y d r i ven by our emot ions. So we te l l a s tory i f we wan t t o commun i ca te i n a w a y t h a t c a p t u r e s p e o p l e s ’ imag inat ion , connects w i th them a t a d e e p l y e m o t i o n a l l e v e l , i s persuas ive and leads to the be-hav iors we des i re (Exhib i t 1) .

Every day , consumers are faced w i t h a c o n s t a n t a r r ay o f e f f o r t s to persuade them to buy th is o r t h a t p r o d u c t , s e r v i c e o r b r a n d . The vas t ma jo r i ty o f t hese com-m u n i c a t i o n s a r e m u n d a n e , f o r -g e t t a b l e a n d t o t a l l y u n p e r s u a -s ive. Occas ional ly , however , one

of these communicat ions catches o u r i m a g i n a t i o n a n d s e e m s t o speak to us pe rsona l l y . We a re in t r igued, and want to get c loser and learn more. What is happen-i n g ? M a n y t i m e s i t i s n o t t h e product or the brand tha t makes us s i t up and pay a t ten t ion , bu t t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n i t s e l f . A n d v e r y o f t e n t h a t c o m m u n i c a t i o n t a k e s t h e f o r m o f a s t o r y . T h r ou g h s t o r y , t h e c om m u n i c a -t ion t ranscends the t ransact ional g o a l o f m e r e l y e n t i c i n g u s t o b u y . I t r e s o n a t e s a t a d e e p e r , mo re pe rso na l l e v e l ; i t t ouches u s e m o t i o n a l l y . W e f e e l c o n -nected wi th the product or brand in a very d i f ferent way. An emo-t iona l bond is forged. The resul t i s tha t we go f rom be ing mere ly cus tomers to becoming pass ion-a t e l y z e a l o u s a d v o c a t e s . O u r p e r s o n a l s t o r y a n d t h e b r a n d s tory merge in to one; we par t ic i -pate wi th the brand.

A p p l e , N i k e , H a r l e y - D a v i d s o n , V o l k s w a g e n , a n d J a c k D a n i e l ’ s a r e a f e w o f t h i s s e l e c t g r o u p that have harnessed the persua-s i v e c o m m u n i c a t i v e p o w e r o f s to ry to fue l the i r bus iness suc-cess . In fac t , the i r s to r ies are a s i g n i f i c a n t f a c t o r i n t h e i r s u c -cess . Every th ing they do , every e x p e r i e n c e t h e y c r e a t e — w i t h em p l oy ees , cus tom ers , and t he

happen to do. I t is someth ing we v i r t u a l l y h av e t o d o … t he s t o -r ies we create are the memor ies w e r e m e m b e r . ” S t o r i e s h e l p t o t r i g g e r o u r e p i s o d i c m e m o r y , genera t ing mul t ip le assoc ia t ions a n d s t i m u l i . E p i s o d i c m e m o r y p l a c e s u s — a s w e l l a s w h a t w e a r e t r y i n g t o r e m e m b e r — w i t h i n what is essent ia l ly a s tory , evok-ing a se t t ing , a par t icu la r s i t ua-t ion or event or a par t icu lar t ime.

S t o r i e s a r e a c o n n e c t i o n t o f u n d a m e n t a l h u m a n t r u t h . Here, s tory moves in to the rea lm of myth and archetype. Both are a r ich source o f the images and s y m b o l s t h a t a l t h o u g h u n c o n -sc ious, have power fu l e f fec ts on o u r b e h a v i o r . A t t h i s d e e p e s t l e v e l , t h e l e v e l o f m y t h ( n o t t o be confused wi th a contemporary connotat ion of myth as fa lsehood or un t ru th) , s to r ies address fun-d a m e n t a l h u m a n e x p e r i e n c e s : b i r t h , d e a t h , g r o w i n g u p , a n d g r o w i n g o l d ; r e l a t i o n s h i p s a n d k i nsh ips ; t he p r i v i l eges and re -s p o ns i b i l i t i e s o f b e l o ng i n g t o a c o m m u n i t y , t r i b e , c l a n , a n d s o f o r t h . M y t h i c s t o r i e s t r a n s c e n d t i m e , c u l t u r e a n d g e o g r a p h y ; they mani fes t themse lves in an-c i e n t l e g e n d s , f a i r y t a l e s a n d s y m b o l s t h a t a r e s t i l l r e l e v a n t and persuas ive today . Connec t -ing at the leve l o f myth act ivates the deepest—and a lmost a lways u n c o n s c i o u s — e m o t i o n a l e n e r -g i e s . M y t h i c i m a g e r y a n d s y m -bo l i sm are a dr i v ing fo rce in in -d iv idual and co l lec t ive behavior .

The Persuas ive Power o f S to ry 5 R e p r i n t e d w i t h p e r m i s s i o n f r o m A m e r i c a n M a r k e t i n g A s s o c i a t i o n ’ s M a r k e t i n g M a n a g e m e n t

pub l i c i n genera l—suppor t s and enhances the i r s tory .

For example, Nike isn ’ t jus t se l l -ing spor ts gear . They are se l l ing a p e r s u a s i v e a n d e m o t i o n a l l y r i c h a n d v a l u e l a d e n s t o r y : a s t o r y o f h a r d w o r k , s w e a t , a n d perseverance—the perseverance assoc ia t ed w i th do ing ou r v e ry , v e r y b e s t . I t i s a s t o r y t h a t i s i n c r e d i b l y p e r s u a s i v e , e n t i c i n g c o n s u m e r s t o p a r t i c i p a t e — J u s t D o I t — i n a p e r s o n a l q u e s t f o r exce l lence and fu l f i l lment .

Imagine the scene as the 6,284 t h f i n i s h e r c r os s es t h e l i n e o f t h e B o s t o n M a r a t h o n . S h e i s s p e n t and exhausted, but in her mind ’s eye i s no l ess a champ ion than the f i rs t p lace f in isher . N ike has not jus t prov ided her wi th shoes. Th rough t he cons i s ten t commu-n i c a t i o n o f t h e s t o r y , N i k e h a s fac i l i t a t ed he r par t i c i pa t i on in a l a r g e r , a g e - o l d s t o r y — a s t o r y t h a t i s r e v i s i t e d h u n d r e d s o f t h o u s a n d s o f t i m e s d a i l y , a s N i k e ’ s l o y a l c u s t o m e r s l a c e u p the i r running shoes or grab the i r go l f bags and head for the l inks. I t i s a s t o r y o f a c h i e v e m e n t t h r o u g h e f f o r t a n d i t s s u b s e -q u e n t r e w a r d s . T h e N i k e s t o r y a l s o c o n n e c t s p e o p l e t o a u n i q u e l y A m e r i c a n s t o r y : S u c -cess goes to the pers is tent , the hardwork ing and those wi l l ing to s t r u g g l e t o d a y t o r e a p t o m o r -r o w ’ s r e w a r d . T h e N i k e s t o r y bonds consumers to the brand in a way tha t escapes compet i t o rs l ike Adidas and New Balance.

I t is a cu l t - l ike bond that is d i f f i -cu l t , i f no t imposs ib le , to b reak . N i k e ’ s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s ( b e i t ads , p romo t ions , o r spokespeo-p l e ) . A n d o f c o u r s e t h e n a m e i tse l f—Nike, goddess of v ic tory—c o n s i s t e n t l y r e c a p i t u l a t e s t h i s s tory over and over .

O r c o n s i d e r t h e J a c k D a n i e l ’ s s to ry . I t i s a d i f f e ren t s to ry , a l -though as power fu l and persua-s i v e i n i t s o w n r i g h t as N i k e ’ s . E v e r y t h i n g a b o u t t h e J a c k D a n i e l ’ s s t o r y c o m m u n i c a t e s a s e n s e o f a l e s s c o m p l i c a t e d , m o r e i n n o c e n t t i m e . T h i s i s a t ime when the va lues of a young A m e r i c a — s e l f r e s p e c t , s e l f -s u f f i c i e n c y , i n d i v i d u a l i s m , h a r d w o r k a n d d e t e r m i n a t i o n —prevai led. I t was a t ime when the d i g n i t y a n d c o n v i c t i o n o f t h a t u n i q u e l y A m e r i c a n i c o n , t h e Common Man, re igned supreme.

The image o f t he Common Man ( a n d W o m a n ) s p e a k s t o s o m e -th ing ve ry deep ly mean ing fu l i n a l l o f us . He or she is that ord i -nary ind iv idual who when p laced i n e x t r a o r d i n a r y c i r c u m s t a n c e s r e a c t s s e n s i b l y , d e c i s i v e l y a n d w i t h t r u e c o n v i c t i o n . T h e C o m -m o n M a n w o u l d n e v e r s e n s e -l e s s l y p i c k a f i g h t , b u t c a n b e coun ted on t o do wha t mus t be done i f faced wi th no reasonable a l ternat ive. He does what he can a s b e s t h e c a n , e x p e c t i n g h i s jus t due and noth ing more.

A l t h o u g h u t t e r l y h u m a n i n h i s f l aws—and t he Common Man i s by no means a sa i n t—he has a s t rong sense of r ight and wrong. And in the end, we know he w i l l s t a n d f i r m i n h i s b e l i e f s . T h e Common Man is a popular theme in Amer ican f i lm.

Some we l l - known Common Man characters inc lude: J immy Stew-a r t ’ s p o r t r a y a l o f J e f f e r s o n S m i t h , i n t h e 1 9 3 9 c l a s s i c M r . S m i t h G o e s t o W a s h i n g t o n ; M e r y l S t e ep ’ s F r a n c e s c a J o h n -son , i n The Br idges o f Mad ison County ; the f i rs t Rocky; and any number o f t he Tom Hanks mov -i e s . I n t h e C o m m o n M a n o r Woman, we sense a rugged re l i -ab i l i ty .

F rom the perspec t i ve o f today ’s f a s t - p a c e d a n d c o m p l e x w o r l d , the s to ry communica ted by Jack Danie l ’s is persuas ive ly tanta l iz -i n g . I t i s a b o u t s i m p l i c i t y a n d a u t h e n t i c i t y : W h a t y o u s e e i s w h a t y o u g e t . J a c k D a n i e l ’ s s m a l l t o w n T e n n e s s e e o r i g i n s , t h e s i m p l e m o n o c h r o m e l a b e l a n d t h e s q u a r e - h a r d b o t t l e a r e a l l essent ia l par ts o f th is authen-t i c i t y . T h e r e i s n o t h i n g e f f e t e abou t Jack Dan ie l ’ s—no was ted wo rds , no unnecessa r y f r i l l s . I t i s meant to be drunk s t ra igh t o r wi th those other Amer ican icons, Co ke o r l e mo na d e . O rde r i ng “ a Jack ” i s acknow ledg ing p r i de i n o u r r o o t s , c o n n e c t i n g u s t o a past that we v iew as more care-f r e e a n d ge n u i n e t h an t h e h a r -r i e d a n d m u l t i - t a s k e d l i v e s w e l ive today.

O b s e r v i n g b o t h N i k e a n d J a c k D a n i e l s o v e r t h e p a s t d e c a d e , we see tha t the communica t ions a r e p e r s u a s i v e b e c a u s e t h e y he lp c ons um er s s ha r e i n s om e-t h i n g b i g g e r t h a n t h e i r d a y - t o -day l i ves . Th i s someth ing i s i n -t a n g i b l e , b u t d e e p l y f e l t . I t i s

The Persuas ive Power o f S to ry 6 R e p r i n t e d w i t h p e r m i s s i o n f r o m A m e r i c a n M a r k e t i n g A s s o c i a t i o n ’ s M a r k e t i n g M a n a g e m e n t

separa te—and greater—than the f e a t u r e s a n d b e n e f i t s o f t h e p roduc t i t se l f . I t i s abou t mean-ing and be l i e f and pa r t i c i pa t i on a n d i t h e l p s c o n s u m e r s u n d e r -s tand and exp l icate the i r l i ves—t h e i r p e r s o n a l s t o r i e s — i n w a y s that a mere product cannot . Both N i k e a n d J a c k D a n i e l ’ s d e l i v e r s o m e t h i n g t h a t i s m e a n i n g f u l , c o m f o r t a b l e a n d d e e p l y d e s i r -ab le . I t i s a persuas ive s to ry , a s t o r y t h a t c o n s u m e r s w a n t t o share and make the i r own. Once a b r a n d o r p r o d u c t h a s e s t a b -l i s h e d i t s s t o r y , i t o w n s i t a n d the emot ions surrounding i t . Be-cause of the persuas iveness and a u t h e n t i c i t y o f t h i s s t o r y , i t i s e x t r e m e l y d i f f i c u l t f o r c o m p e t i -tors to rep l icate, and i ts ba lance sheet potent ia l is immeasurable .

F e a t u r e s , B e n e f i t s a n d

S t o r i e s

I n M a r k e t i n g 1 0 1 w e l e a r n e d a b o u t f e a t u r e s a n d b e n e f i t s . Fea tu res a re the a t t r i bu tes tha t phys ica l ly descr ibe your product o r s e r v i c e . B u t f e a t u r e s a r e n ' t w h a t e n t i c e c u s t o m e r s t o b u y . Benef i ts descr ibe how a product o r se rv i ce w i l l ac tua l l y he lp the cus tomer so l ve h is o r he r p rob-l e m o r m e e t s p e c i f i c n e e d s . I n o ther words, what ’s in i t for me? C o n s u m e r s m a y b e i n t r i g u e d w i t h f e a t u r e s , a n d a d m i t t e d l y “cool ” features get our a t tent ion, bu t i t i s the benef i t s – what ’ s i t do fo r me – that persuades them to buy.

The App le iPhone webs i te , suc -c i n c t l y l i s t s t h e p r o d u c t ’ s f e a -t u r e s i n c l u d i n g p h o n e , i P o d , I n t e r n e t , a n d h i g h t e c h n o l o g y and the benef i ts assoc ia ted w i th those features. For example:

I n t e r n e t F e a t u r e s : i P h o n e f e a t u r e s r i c h H T M L e m a i l a n d S a f a r i — t h e m o s t a d -vanced Web browser ever on a p o r t a b l e d e v i c e . i P h o n e a u t o m a t i c a l l y s y n c s b o o k -marks f rom your Mac or PC. F o r c o n v e n i e n t s e a r c h i n g , Goog le and Yahoo! are bu i l t r i g h t i n . A n d i P h o n e m u l t i -t a s k s , s o y o u c a n m a k e a phone ca l l wh i l e ema i l i ng a p h o t o o r s u r f i n g t h e W e b over a Wi-F i connect ion.

In te rne t Benef i ts : W i th i t s a d v a n c e S a f a r i b r o w s e r , i P h o n e l e t s y o u s e e W e b p a g e s t h e w a y t h e y w e r e des igned t o be seen . Zoom in on a page by tapp ing the M u l t i - T o u c h t o u c h s c r e e n d i s p l a y w i t h y o u r f i n g e r . C rea te a Web C l i p t ha t ap -pears on your Home sc reen f o r o n e - t a p a c c e s s t o y o u r f a v o r i t e W e b s i t e s a n d W e b a p p s . A n d c u s t o m i z e u p t o n ine Hom e sc reen pages to organize your Web Cl ips .

Some o f App le ’ s t e lev i s ion ads for the iPhone focus on benef i ts . H e r e ’ s a t r a n s c r i p t o f t h e a d “ W h a t ’ s s o g r e a t a b o u t h a v i n g the In ternet in your pocket?”

“ W h a t ’ s s o g r e a t a b o u t hav ing the In ternet in your pocket? Wel l , then you can s e e t h e t r a i l m a p , w h e n y o u ’ r e o n t h e m o u n t a i n . F ind a good p lace to eat in town, when you ’ re hungry . A n d c h a n g e y o u r f l i g h t when you’ re jus t not ready to go home. Tha t ’ s wha t ’ s so great . ”

T h e r a t i o n a l b e n e f i t s a r e u n -q u e s t i o n a b l y m o r e c o m p e l l i n g than communicat ing the features a lone , however , t ak ing the nex t s tep to emot iona l benef i ts , adds an even more power fu l l e ve l o f

p e r s u a s i v e n e s s . A n d t h e b e s t w a y t o t a l k a b o u t e m o t i o n a l b e n e f i t s i s t h r o u g h s t o r i e s . (Tha t ’ s why tes t imon ia l s a re s o ef fect ive. ) In the iPhone El l io t t -M e r e d i t h a d , E l l i o t t c o n v i n c e s yo u o f t he em o t i on a l be n e f i t o f h a v i n g t h e I n t e r n e t i n y o u r pocket wi th h is br ie f s tory :

“ I was s i t t i ng i n a r es tau -rant w i th my g i r l f r iend. We w e r e g o i n g t o m e e t h e r b o s s a n d he r b o s s ’ s f i a n -cé e . I ’ d n e ve r m e t e i t he r , bu t she couldn ’ t remember t h e f i a n c é e ’ s n a m e . A n d they were coming in l i ke 3 m i n u t e s . A n d t h e n I s a i d ‘wa i t , i t ’ s on the i r wedd ing W e b s i t e . ’ S o I t o o k t h e iPhone out under the tab le a n d I w a s l i k e p u l l i n g u p the wedd ing Webs i te . And j u s t s c r o l l e d d o w n t o s e e t h e n a m e . ‘ T h a t ’ s i t ! ’ S o just then we got up and we conf ident ly in t roduced our-se lves . Her boss and f ian-cée don’ t know that I don ’ t r e m e m b e r t h e i r n a m e s . I th ink i t was Meredi th . ”

N o t i c e h o w t h r o u g h t h i s s t o r y , A p p l e h a s r e a c h e d o u t t o a n emot iona l bene f i t…you won ’ t be embarrassed by not knowing im-po r t an t i n f o r m a t i on a t a c r i t i c a l t i m e , y o u ’ r e c o n f i d e n t , y o u ’ r e k n o w l e d g e a b l e . Y o u c a n e a s i l y p u t y o u r s e l f i n E l l i o t t ’ s s h o e s a n d f e e l w h a t h e w a s g o i n g through. The s tory :

makes you ( the cus tomer ) a character in the s tory

r e v e a l s a p l o t l i n e ( a c t i o n ) t h a t l e a d s t o t h e e m o t i o n a l b e n e f i t s , e v e n t h o u g h t h e y may not be exp l ic i t ly s ta ted

teaches how the product can work for you

The Persuas ive Power o f S to ry 7 R e p r i n t e d w i t h p e r m i s s i o n f r o m A m e r i c a n M a r k e t i n g A s s o c i a t i o n ’ s M a r k e t i n g M a n a g e m e n t

S t o r y t e l l i n g c u t s t h r o u g h t h e mass o f in fo rmat ion sur round ing u s . S o , i n s t e a d o f b e i n g b o m -b a r d e d w i t h f a c t s , n a m e s , f i g -u res , and o ther chunks o f in for -mat ion tha t du l l your aud ience ’s i n t e r e s t , a s t o r y m a k e s w h a t y o u ' r e t r y i n g t o s a y s e e m p e r -sona l and exc i t i ng . The deeper , emot iona l benef i ts o f your prod-uc ts and serv ices are more per -suas ive ly communicated through s tor ies.

T h e R e w a r d s o f S t o r y T e l l i n g

M o s t b r a n d s / p r o d u c t s t o d a y have not been ab le to s take out and own a persuas ive and emo-t i ona l l y r i ch s to ry l i ke N ike and Jack Danie l ’s have. F ind ing your “ o n e s t o r y ” t a k e s r e s e a r c h , i n -s ight , and cons is tent messaging. T h e j o u r n e y i s d e f i n i t e l y w o r t h the t ime and ef for t .

B y c o m m u n i c a t i n g o u r b r a n d s , com pan ies , and exper i enc es as s t o r i e s w e a c c o m p l i s h s e v e r a l purposes:

We mir ror a fundamenta l and u n c o n s c i o u s s t r u c t u r e t h a t g ives meaning to our l ives.

We create an oppor tun i ty for peo p le t o i den t i f y t he i r pe r -sonal s tory wi th the brand or

c o m p a n y s t o r y a n d t h e r e b y s t r e n g t h e n t h e e m o t i o n a l bond between consumer , em-p l o y e e , a n d b r a n d o r c o m -pany.

We can tap in to a vast rea lm o f u n c o n s c i o u s , e m o t i o n a l , a n d p o w e r f u l i m a g e s t h a t have profound impact on our i nd i v idua l and co l l ec t i ve be -hav ior .

More and more research is done today on the bra in and emot ions. P e o p l e c a n ’ t m a k e d e c i s i o n s wi thout emot ions be ing invo lved. As th is ar t ic le d iscusses, s tor ies ign i te emot ions in a l l o f us . Us-i n g s t o r i e s t o c o mm u n i c a t e o u r message to our s takeholders is a persuas ive rou te to e l i c i t i ng the a c t i on s o u r b us i ne s s es a n d o r -g a n i z a t i o n s n e e d t o t h r i v e . W e n e e d c o n s u m e r s t o b u y . W e need employees to go above and beyon d . We nee d vo l un tee r s t o s i g n u p . W e n e e d p e o p l e t o m a k e d o n a t i o n s . W e n e e d t h e publ ic to suppor t our cho ices.

B y u s i n g s t o r i e s , w e c a n c u t t h r o u g h t h e o v e r w h e l m i n g a m o u n t o f f a c t s a n d o p i n i o n s that are out there today, tap into emo t i ona l bene f i t s , and ge t ou r s takeho lders to ac t in ways tha t suppor t us . Ident i fy ing and com-mun ic a t i ng the em ot i ona l bene-f i t s i s c r i t i c a l t o f i n a n c i a l s u c -cess. In leading our bus inesses, i f we can’ t impact behav ior , then w e d o n ’ t s e l l o u r p r o d u c t s /se rv ices to cus tomers , we don ’ t have p roduc t i ve emp loy ees , we d o n ’ t h a v e t h e s u p p o r t o f t h e publ ic . We must connect wi th our s t a k e h o l d e r s a t a d e e p l y e m o -t iona l leve l in o rder to e l i c i t the b e h a v i o r s o u r b u s i n e s s e s a n d o r g a n i z a t i o n s n e e d t o s u r v i v e a n d t h r i v e . I n t o u g h e c o n o m i c t imes, th is i s par t i cu la r ly impor -

tan t . A company needs any and e v e r y e d g e i t c a n g e t t o m i n i -m i ze t he impac t o f a down tu rn . T h e s t r o n g e r t h e e m o t i o n a l b o n d s a r e b e t w e e n a c o m p a n y a n d i t s s t a k e h o l d e r s , t h e l e s s l ike ly that bond is to break. Sto-r i e s h e l p c r e a t e i n d e s t r u c t i b l e bonds.

About the authors

E d w a r d W a c h t m a n a n d S h e r e e J o h n s o n a r e c o - f o u n d e r s a n d par tners o f S toryTe l l ings™ Con-su l t ing based on Bowen Is land in Br i t ish Columbia, Canada. Thei r p rop r ie ta ry resea rch and ana ly -s i s m e t h o d o l o g y i s S t o r y T e l -l ings™. They may be reached at e d w a r d @ s t o r y t e l l i n g s . c o m a n d sheree@story te l l ings.com.

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