Tell A Good Story | Beyond Madison Avenue

TalentZoo.com | Flack Me | Digital Pivot | Beneath the Brand

Archives | Categories

Tell A Good Story

By: Dwayne W. Waite Jr.

Before this modern time, when there are structured lessons and practices, our human ancestors learned everything through experience and taught lessons throughout the ages through stories. If there wasn't a real account of an incident or event (as Merriam-Webster defines a "story"), a story was made up in order to illustrate the point that needed to be presented.

It is no wonder that humans love to be entertained by stories. It's in our genes.

No matter what technology comes into our lives, we will always be captivated by, drawn towards, or persuaded by stories. That is one of the most important principles in devising an advertising strategy and why businesses run to agencies for "creative direction." In a Mediapost article, Mike Manello of Campfire said during a panel "...everyone says 'content,' but I think it's stories. How do you give people those stories?"

If a story has a muddled plot, characters who people can't relate to, and has events that have no real-life parallels, the story is going to suck. The same goes for advertising. If your audience fails to grasp the relevancy of the advertising — no matter how creative the campaign is — the advertising campaign is doomed.

This post is not going to go through the "best practices" of telling a good story. Every audience is different, so any given "story model" is not going to fit every audience. It could be argued that cookie-cutter story models could be the very reason we're all here looking for something fresh. Nay, this is meant to be a fresh reminder. Humans like stories. Like a great joke, a great story is bound to be shared and retold to people by others with similar habits and values.

Now quit reading. Your brand has a story to tell.

blog comments powered by Disqus

About the Author

Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.

Beyond Madison Avenue on