The golden rule for learning a new idea is to learn by examining several examples. Not only can we improve by examining other great examples of storytelling marketing, but we can also train our minds to rethink in terms of stories.
What makes one storytelling strategy outperform another is that you don't even know a story is necessary.
Examples of storytelling strategies
Take the case of Allstate Insurance ’s embodiment of “Mayhem,” a menace tailored mid-career, modern disco bent on ruining your day and reveling in the chaos that ensued.
Through “Mayhem,” Allstate austria business fax list is able to share multiple smaller stories across a series of commercial campaigns depicting everyday automotive disasters. The lesson here is that a marketing story doesn’t have to be a three-hour trilogy. If you present something short and sweet it will be just as effective. While Allstate is projecting that, Ford is integrating it.
In the US, the new Ford Focus was marketed by giving drivers a test camera to film themselves driving around the streets. The campaign successfully integrated multiple individual stories that delve into the lives of the people who use the product.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, one of the most prominent examples is in the UK with BT Broadband. BT invented a family; starting with a husband and wife, and over the years they had children, divorced, remarried, and then the story moved to the perspective of their (now) adult teenage son and his college roommates. This story continued for nearly a decade, and continues today… and reminds us that stories don’t have to have a conclusive ending.
Have you ever wondered what Red Bull has to do with giving wings? Nothing, except they had a little commercial about how their product gave wings… then with a few strokes of genius, they cemented that idea with the Red Bull Air Race – another type of transmedia storytelling. What I love about Red Bull is that their storytelling strategy teaches that your story doesn’t need to be tied to the product or service… it can form a strong connection to a whole host of related ideas as long as you re-emphasize the concept through various mediums. Make a point and it becomes part of your brand narrative.