Once upon a media plan.
Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 by Lindsay StevensAfter years of experience and time spent collecting input from his friends and colleagues, filmmaker Peter Gruber shares what he has identified as the four truths of being a good storyteller. What he presents is very applicable to our work at PHD. Afterall, we have ‘audiences’ just as businessmen have customers and filmmaker’s have ticket buyers. Our interaction and relationship with consumers, established through messaging and communications campaigns is, in essence, storytelling.
I recommend reading the entire article to see how each of the four truths identified below lives within all great stories, but here are a few quick thoughts on how to apply the four truths of storytelling to advertising and media.
True to the Teller: Be true to yourself and your audience, making them feel what you feel. It allows them to identify with you. This involves being human and relatable. Gruber states. “Although the mind may be part of your target, the heart is the bull’s eye.” Think about this when identifying target audiences and developing consumer profiles.
True to the Audience: Relate to what’s important to the audience. Make them see themselves as the hero. Again, important for contexts, consumer profiles and messaging.
True to the Moment: Tailor your message delivery to each moment/situation.
True to the Mission: Stick to your guns. Audiences appreciate the storyteller’s honesty and conviction more than hearing what we think the want to hear (we’ve seen this work in new business pitches). Advertisers need to be as true on the inside as they are on the out. Practice what you preach.
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