Every brand has a story to tell. But consumers only have so much time, energy, and attention. You will need to find a story that cuts through our collective “story fatigue” and find creative ways to deploy it.
Supplementary Materials
In the world of brands, Nike is a master storyteller. Nike introduced its blockbuster “Just Do It” campaign in 1988 with an ad featuring marathoner Walt Stack.
Prof. Sawhney is a fan of this epic collaboration between Red Bull, Samsung TV, and the Brazilian skateboarder Pedro Barros. Watch the original video here.
Then, go behind the scenes of the campaign in this facebook video and this Redbull video.
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Toyota had a winner in its Auto-Biography campaign, where customers submitted true stories involving their Toyotas, which were then animated and released as ads. It’s a great example of brands using their own customers as storytelling fodder. Here’s an example.
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Personalization can make brand stories even more effective. Sawhney points to Valspar as a brand that has done a good job providing consumers with personalized attention. You can check out a desktop version of their free color-consulting service here.
Few brands have gone as big into transmedia storytelling as Lionsgate to market its Hunger Games trilogy. In 2022, a full decade after the first movie in the trilogy was released, many aspects of this rich world are no longer present. But you can read about the interactive Facebook game here. And you can still watch many of the Inside Capitol Couture videos, created in collaboration with Instagram stars, to get a flavor of the world-building.
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Author Name: Mohanbir S. Sawhney
This article first appeared in www.insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu
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