Thoughts, ideas, and other ruminations on storytelling and the world of technology marketing
In my last two posts, I covered the idea of story in a company’s foundation and growth. I now want to write briefly about the end of a company, especially start-ups.
There are usually three ways a company ends its existence:
1) it gets purchased
2) it goes public
3) it folds
When one of these happens, it is critically important to tell the right story. Here’s why: (more…)
Years ago, Volvo ran an ad in which an elephant sat on the hood of a station wagon to prove how strong and safe the car was. Which brings me right to the point – in the case of brands, sitting beneath the butt-cheeks of a ponderous pachyderm is a good place to be.
Often, the middle is not a good thing. The middle seat in the back of a car is usually tight and always windowless. In politics, the middle is equated with an inability to take sides on an issue. To be nowhere. Finding yourself between an elephant and a car hood…well, you get the picture.
But in storytelling, the middle is where the action is. It’s where the plot thickens and builds on itself as it rolls inevitably to the climax.
So what, you ask, do elephants, car hoods and the middle of stories have in common? Here’s what: (more…)
Recently I walked into a clothing store, and noticed a cool t-shirt hanging on the rack. The front of the shirt was emblazoned with a gopher with wings. As I bent in for a closer look, the salesman piped up: “Do you know the story about our brand?”
A great story is meant to be told
The salesperson explained enthusiastically that the t-shirt’s graphic is the logo of the brand, Topo Ranch, that was founded by folks whose ancestors were survivors of the Donner Party. And that their family did actually own land called ‘Topo Ranch’ from the 1800s until they lost it to the Great Depression. The store’s mission is to (more…)
I’ve been rather entrenched in the social media world lately, and have come across a few articles suggesting that in today’s social media world, brand messaging is no longer relevant since the customer is now dictating the message. In one post, the author goes so far as to say “Marketers are recognizing that they are not in control of the conversation, much less the message.”
I agree that with so many more people in an organization now communicating to potential customers via social networks, it is more difficult to control the message. I also agree that one-way preaching of rigid marketing messages makes for pretty boring social media conversations (and marketing, for that matter). But that doesn’t mean the marketing message is irrelevant.
In fact, the message is more relevant than ever. Here’s why:
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