Story - says it all

Story is the very basis of creation, existence, death and reincarnation of brand / concept. It is the story which makes brand known, creates opinion and affinity. So how is the story told? Advertisements have traditionally been the most preferred / used way of communicating a story to the audience. Advertisements are attractive, appealing, imposing and with a clear message. Marketers used to (and still do) put a lot of emphasis on media like TV, Print, Radio, OOH, POP and what not....the latest addition being online media. TV is an audio visual devise so one can see and hear what a storyteller wants to convey...there have been many such successful ad campaigns which get top of the mind recall. But then it is no more a green pasture...it is over exploited and too cluttered. Don't you prefer to put the TV on silent or at least change channels when an ad appears in between movies or a show? Audience perceives it as a nuisance to a great extent. Print ads have a good visual appeal but no audio component present...and they are less interactive. Radio ads are great in audio effect but lack visuals...and they are also going the TV way...too over exploited and cluttered. Marketers thus are emphasizing more on online by each going day. It is interactive, appealing, measurable and importantly ads can be more targeted in terms of relevance (relevant site / geography or audience). But in a broader view, an ad is an ad...where people look at it from a certain degree of prejudice. So audience have inhibitions while measuring the ingenuity of message / story.

A more subtle and effective way of storytelling is to endorse the brand more indirectly...advertorials come in handy in this regard. A more refined version is PR. And we have the most refined version by means of sponsorships / featuring brands in movies (visual or just a word about brand during interactions between characters).

Audience - That's where it starts and ends

Audience is pivotal to any storyteller (read marketer). That's where the story starts and subsequently ends...though the end of story could be as exciting as audience going ga ga over the product / concept or brand (we have many such campaigns standing testimony to it) or it could be as sad as a tale of a vanquished hero in Shakespeare's novel (we have many marketing disasters to count on).

Knowing audience is the key as today's audience has become smarter and more importantly sought after by many storytellers! So, its not just the effective script that matters, but also when it is said, where it is said and yeah...how it is said! Gone are the days to go out randomly on the streets, on TV or print. These mediums have been over exploited, have become more cluttered and may not be the most preferred ones. Internet and several portable devices have made online media a place of solace for today's audience.

Makes more sense as well, to go online because that's where the audience is in its comfort zone and more receptive to your message!

So, to make your sweetheart hear what you are saying....you have to be "inline" with "online"

Branding - an art of storytelling

Brand...it rules every aspect of our life. And it stays with us from cradle to grave like an honest companion. Right from the day we get up...our toothpaste, soap, shoes, clothes, vehicle, perfume, laptop,mobile phone...you name it and you have one preferred brand for each of these. So what makes us choose X over Y? Because X is superior in quality than Y? Not always...not at least in today's world where technology and features are more or less same. This "superiority" of X over Y lies more in the "mind" of consumer. That's where brand communication comes into play. It is nothing but an art of storytelling.

Marketers have to create a story around their products/services with clear message. Better the art of storytelling better is the impact. So there is audience (consumers), there is story (ads, advertorials, PR, publicity stunts etc), there is a storyteller (characters, celebrities etc) and the medium (traditional ones like TV, Print, Radio, OOH and new ones like Online Media).

And yeah...gone are the days when just one story used to be sufficient...markets have become dynamic, consumers less loyal, products more flexible, competition tougher...so there has to be a new brand story by each new day....