#thenetworkone

So if this is such a good thing, why do we have so little of it being expressed via digital, especially in a place like Nigeria where storytelling is a part of the national culture? And I don’t just mean bedtime stories but stories during lunch, on the bus on the way to work, in the elevator, in the queue there is someone regaling someone else with a story that often encourages the bystander to listen in semi-actively and even add their own line or two. Well I think we just forgot. Digital marketing was new so we got busy designing websites, building apps and buying ads online and we just forgot the power of a good story to create genuine connection with the consumers of our brands. Authenticity is at the heart of what the consumer picks from a good story. Your brand is seen as getting ‘it’. ‘It’ being that the brand understands what makes me tick; the brand is up to date. The consumer basically says: “hey, I love this brand!” So what makes a great story and how can we use digital platforms as brands in a developing environment like Nigeria? “Good storytelling is not about a product” Good storytelling is not about a product. It is usually about values. Something bigger than a shiny new phone or heady new drink that has higher levels of alcohol (not a bad thing by the way!). Firstly, a good story allows the audience to connect with a greater thought. Like Nike’s storytelling effort with a video called #MakeitCount, that shows a guy originally asked by Nike to make a movie on #Makeitcount but he decides instead to travel the world with his friend, Max. They keep going till the money runs out. They do it in 10 days and they end up producing a video record of some pretty awesome experiences along the way as he is shown running every now and then (of course running, yes nothing wrong with slipping in some brand exposure in just the right dose, ok?) Useful quotes by Marilyn Monroe and Abraham Lincoln are sprinkled throughout the video. Get up and go basically. The video has racked up over 10m views. Secondly, a key component of good storytelling effort is that stories are supposed to inspire and motivate. It’s not going to work if you just try to create a standard TV commercial professing the best features of your product. That’s a story about your brand. Not something the audience can deeply care about. On one of our projects HotSauce delved in this direction by tapping into a global literary phenomenon called #1000words and used it as a foundation in developing an engagement story for Samsung Mobile. The whole idea was for people to imagine a day without technology and express their thoughts in #1000words. A day without technology considering the average Nigerian ‘Netizen’ spends close on 4 hours online (across devices). It sounded scary especially for the young content driven generation. And so they responded in their thousands with entries. Expressing their fears and their joy with technology. A blogger who participated cried, “I feel pain already, and it’s just 8:30 a.m. how I’m I supposed to survive the day?\" Thousands of votes later, 3 winners emerged with a better appreciation for their technology dependent state of being. Not a bad thing though since great technology also enhances human living, something at the heart of innovation efforts by Samsung globally. “A Nigerian ‘Netizen’ spends close on 4 hours” The third component… there really are no rules to telling a story but it needs to be something people can relate to your brand or company vision or reason for being. Aha… if you did not know clearly what your company vision was, well, trying storytelling quickly brings that out and everyone from the brand management team to the agency team quickly re-immerse themselves in the core purpose of their brand. The fourth thing is to be real. Trying to do perfect productions usually means the audience can spot the made up part as if they could see the Director yelling “places everyone”. “…be real…” The fifth point… (well I had to add a fifth so you can really take this seriously) is to be original. So we have a great example of storytelling by Redbull and the Stratos ‘thing’. Do you want to take your brand to the edge of space too? Maybe try the Nebulae system then. So you have to look into the heart of your brand or company and bring out the essence. That is what you share in a way the audience can relate to. The sixth point – co-create. Advertising folk can stretch that to making babies but no, I mean invite the audience to create the story along with you or to be part of it in some way or another. Your story is also their story. The seventh and final point- use social media effectively. Leverage on your loyal influencers, share, invite feedback, discuss, engage don’t just post. Use Facebook and all platforms that your audiences enjoy. The best stories are after all, those we get a chance to participate in and shape.