<< Back to articles
(Article first published in May '10. It has been modified slightly to suit its publication on our site)
From the moment we can understand language, we love to hear stories. From Goblins and princesses to rocket men and space aliens, we engage with stories. It shapes how we perceive the world and teaches us right from wrong. Our brains are also not so good at remembering facts; if you told someone ten complex facts to remember the odds are that after a week they wouldn't be able to recall all the facts. But tie the facts into a long-winded story and suddenly, despite seemingly clogging up their minds with more information, a week later they would be able to recant the whole story and all the facts with it!
It's no surprise therefore that many years ago advertising agencies worked out that telling stories helped to sell more products. When did this happen? A few minutes after the first marketing company broke the consumers trust by promoting a feature that didn't exist. You see fundamentally we grew to distrust advertising. We don't believe adverts because we all remember ads for washing powder that said that they could make your laundry whiter than white and for 30 years or so every new version of the product delivered even more whiteness. But today they give a different message through storytelling...
"Oh No! Little Johnnie has spilt strawberry syrup all over his white shirt while digging in the tar pits and writing all over himself with a fountain pen, how will I ever get syrup, ink and tar out of his shirt in time for his confirmation tomorrow?"
OK, I exaggerate, but basically this tells you the story of little Johnnie's mother's plight against stains, which you can relate to and "buy" into. This is far more effective than simply saying "Brand X washing powder is the best on the market at removing stains and grime."
Case study based advertorials are the ultimate in story-telling because the stories are real. The main user of this type of advertising is the diet and fitness industry. We all know the classic ads that show a woman/man standing in one leg of a massive pair of jeans and "I lost 200KG in 3 months" above their heads. I know, I exaggerate a lot, but what I'm trying to say is that really powerful, believable advertising can be achieved if you tell a story. Don't just describe a problem that your product or service resolves, make it personal by telling a story of how "Mary" was really upset by her acne problem and how it affected her life. Don't just say how wonderful your product/service is tell the reader/listener/viewer how much happier Mary is now that her acne is gone.
All my examples have been in the consumer space, but don't let that make you think that you can't use this approach in a B2B environment. Businesses can sell to other businesses using storytelling.
The moral of the story (pardon the pun) is to tell an interesting and engaging story that is also factual so that it is believable. Get this right and buyers will flock to you. Most importantly they will be the right type of buyers who are ready to buy.
Franco De Bonis has worked in the field of sales and marketing promotion since 1990 and was most recently the global marketing manager for a major international technology company before setting up The DG Group in January 2007.
The DG Group is dedicated to delivering all the marketing solutions any company may require. Whether it's a website or leaflets and brochures, or even some product packaging; The DG Group will manage the whole project and even provide guidance along the way.
The content in this section is the original creation of The DG Group and is protected by copyright. You may use this content on your site or in other materials providing you acknowledge The DG Group as the author and include a link to our site.
|
