One of the main reasons I am confident I will have a successful career in advertising is because I love stories. I read as much as I watch tv (and I watch a lot of tv!), bookstores are probably my favorite smell in the world, and as a child I could (and still can) get out of any situation, not that that should be a bragging point! I can actually credit my elementary school year’s popularity on my story telling. I was the kid who made recess fun.
…
There is an agency in Portland, Oregon whose purpose is to create stories for brands. Meet Character (www.characterweb.com). They are a motley crew that is behind the character identity of Walmart, among other brands.
We are experts in story and character. We come from the worlds of animation, filmmaking, screenwriting, improvisational theatre, brand building and new product development.
What unites us is a deep love of story and a desire to bring an understanding of character and story to marketing.
Cool, huh? I think so too. They format their process by using “framework” which is the underlying characteristics of a story. It is like an iceberg, only 10% is above water. When we hear or read a story that is only 10% of the process. Character focuses on the 90% that creates and builds the story.
Christine Huang recently wrote an article for Adage.com called, “Four Tips for Brands Embracing the New Methods of Storytelling” her tips being:
- Make stories drillable
- Each piece of a story must be enriching, not essential, to it’s overall experience
- Recognize the power of your fans
- Build a world, not just a story
She gathered these points from Futures of Entertainment conference hosted by the Convergence Culture Consortium in November. The way we tell stories is changing, “because the stories we create and consume are no longer defined by time, space or material object.” See my next post for an example of today’s storytelling.
