From a story told to a story lived

There are a number of reading materials that tackle storytelling and the power of stories in business. Likewise, there are also those that deal with technology and platforms. To date, there are a few tomes that have brought the two concepts  — story or content and technology or access — together. This merger is labeled “storyscaping” — the bridge between the worlds of emotional storytelling and the technology that affords the opportunity to create things. “Storyscaping” gets things functioning, and gets your brand emotionally connected with targeted consumers to fuel engagement.

“Storyscaping” is both an idea-generation and an idea-realization concept.  It brings together tools and capabilities to make new ideas come to life. A great example is the “Get Cash” campaign executed for a bank in Europe, whose whole brand proposition is about easy and helpful banking.  A simple app was created, which works this way: You go to your bank but forgot to bring your bank ATM card, or lose your wallet and your ATM is in the wallet.  No worries, since you can get a temporary code to use at any ATM and get money.  The bank’s “storyscaping” creates an experience that delivers on its brand promise versus a bunch of ads that talk about how the bank is really helpful, ads that no one could really care about. 

This and other examples are discussed in the book, Storyscaping: Stop Creating Ads, Start Creating Worlds authored by two award-winning creative executives, Gaston Legorburu and Darren McColl. It reveals how brands can change human behavior to create interactive experiences that excite, captivate and inspire, that result in a deeper connection between brand and consumer. The book charts a pioneering approach to storytelling that leverages up-to-date practices in brand communications, digital marketing and experience, multi-channel commerce and technology.

Storyscaping was written to offer business and marketing leaders a practical, step-by-step guide to transforming their brand stories into worlds of experience and consumer participation. This methodology allows executives to fundamentally shift how they see their brand in order to engage their customers in ways that traditional advertising can’t. It’s a transition from traditional storytelling (using words and pictures in an imaginary space) to creating immersive experiences where consumers get involved with brands in a physical or virtual space, at the time and manner of their choosing.

Truly, the power of story is something every brand can use to make an impact. “Stories are how you make sense of the world. You connect a series of events to your relationship, to a place, a person, or even an object. Everything has a story, and that’s why you sort things out,” the authors emphasize. As your world turns more multifaceted, and as you shift between the physical and virtual worlds, and as stimuli of all kinds come at you in extraordinary fashion, the need to sort out your life into stories becomes inevitable.

You can’t have a linear storyline anymore. You need a story system to help support, guide, optimize, measure and build a world that is made more effective and maximized for business. “You have been exposed to what has been labeled 360-degree marketing, a strategy predicated on integration and synergy. The logic of the story systems runs opposite. Everything is unique, and each one will interact or respond to a certain stimulus differently,” the authors state. Here are other insights Legorburu and McColl share to harness the strength of “storyscaping” more effectively:

Find your purpose. It can be likened to a powerful and meaningful mission statement that evocatively connects your brand with consumers. Your core brand purpose is your belief about doing something better. How does your brand make the world a better place, and your customers’ lives better? Once you identify your purpose, an incredibly authentic delivery of your messages and customer engagement must follow. Coca-Cola’s overarching story and purpose are very simple: “Coca-Cola is committed to refreshing the world through moments of optimism and happiness while creating value and making a difference wherever it goes.” As the authors observe, “Coca-Cola is a story of refreshment, happiness, optimism and value. It’s a strong and focused story — one that then flows into all of the brands.”

Take a look at your target, ideal customers and learn everything you can about them. This process is called “insight mining.” The authors suggest that you look at customers in two dimensions — what they desire and what they need. Recognize that needs and emotional desires are not separate. Look carefully into their behavior patterns — how they do things — and start finding opportunities to have an emotional connection with them. The fact remains: consumer insight comes from understanding, and research is one great means to that end.

“You don’t truly experience something unless you immerse yourself in it,” was an insight uncovered about global travelers in partnership with the Tourism Queensland teams. This became part of the strategy behind “The Best Job in the World” project, which achieved world acclaim for its ability to inspire billions of people across the globe to watch and follow the tourism-related job applications for roughly 35,000 hopeful applicants, each of whom created hundreds of thousands of news articles and content pieces promoting Queensland’s Islands of the Great Barrier Reef. Consumers all over the world seek greater value in the quality of the experience they have. They want more than just seeing. They want to do, feel and touch.  They want to explore. What better way is there to be immersed in paradise than to live in Queensland with a job, “The Best Job in the World”?

Create a unique world for your customers. In an ideal world, when your customer interacts with your brand, he or she is entering a world to discover where everything is interconnected. Technology makes this possible in ways unachievable in the past. To illustrate the point, the authors recount how ESPN increased customer engagement for its X Games by creating the Hype Meter, a smartphone and tablet app that allows the live audience at the events venue and those watching the event on the couch at home to collectively manifest their appreciation simultaneously by shaking the phone, tapping on a tablet, or sending a tweet, to make all of them feel like part of one big audience. As more people manifest their appreciation, the higher the Hype Meter goes and everyone can see it all at once. Fans can also review video directly from within the Hype Meter app, so they can relive the moments that caused the most cheering. “Think about how they can create their own stories,” the authors say, “and make sure there’s never an end. Finish with a comma, not a full stop,” they add.

Create customer experiences that inspire stories. “The tools you use to connect brands and customers are not just words and pictures anymore, but really experiences and beyond,” the authors articulate. Build-A-Bear is a good example of a company that built its products around a story-worthy experience for customers. The company has taken teddy bear sales to another level, and their success lies in the creation of fascinating experiences.  Envision a magical place where you can take your favorite child — a daughter, a niece, or even yourself. When you arrive in this magical place, you embark on the journey of picking out just the right piece of soft fur, having it stuffed to your preferred “squishiness” and giving it life with its very own heart. The creation goes on and on until you are completely happy with the result. “Think of the selfishness of the selfie,” the authors pronounce. “Customers do things in their own interest.”

A brand should not think of itself as the hero in its story. It should play a supporting role such as a coach. The authors observe, “That is a pretty simple premise. But it’s difficult for most leaders in companies to shift their perspective to say, ‘I’m creating an environment for my customers to live in along with us,’ as opposed to, “If we build it, they will come.”” Toms is a brand with a higher purpose of “helping others in need. Its equity is simple — for every product you purchase, Toms will help a person in need by donating a pair of shoes — you buy one, Toms gives one. The brand started with shoes and quickly used this successful hero model to expand. It’s now also helping to restore eyesight by selling eyeglasses. The customer is the hero and Toms is the mentor, and both share a set of values. The magic lies in the product, the gift, which empowers customers to live their values by engaging in the partnership.

Encourage customers to share their brand experiences. Social media has made this easier. If you make a single customer really happy — or really unhappy — large numbers of people are likely to hear about it through his stories. Don’t neglect to capitalize on that trend. An event, even for a relatively small number of customers, can be a very valuable investment if those customers share images and comments about the experience to their social networks. The authors propose, “Think about creating not a splash, but ripples. Look for ways to create social capital. Maybe you put a free photo booth at your event, but the photos are all uploaded to Facebook.”

You’re much more likely to remember something that happens to you than a story that somebody will narrate to you, no matter how great that story is. In a digital world, you shift from storytelling to “storyscaping.”  You stop being a storyteller and start being story-creator for others. You move from a story told to a story lived.

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