harnessing the power of storytelling to build brands and drive engagement

HARNESSING THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

TO BUILD BRANDS AND DRIVE ENGAGEMENT

Paul Jensen, President, Corporate Practice Weber Shandwick

2

welcome to the engagement era

2

Expression

Insight

Research

Amplification & Engagement

Storytellers

Stories

Recovery

Rapid Response

Culture of Preparedness

protecting reputation

Outcomes

Outputs

unifying the enterprise brand voice

activating the enterprise brand voice

measuring reputation and business value

STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR BUILDING ENTERPRISE BRANDS

WHY STORYTELLING IS IMPORTANT

SCENE ONE

DON’T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT…

CORPORATE STORYTELLING

Stories that are

designed to engage;

with the ultimate

objective of

influencing behavior

or perceptions

Stories that appeal to

both hearts and minds,

are authentic, insightful

and truthful

Stories should not start and

end with what interests us; it

is about establishing a

connection with our

audiences

THE TECHNIQUES OF GREAT

STORYTELLING….AND GREAT

STORYTELLERS

SCENE TWO

TO BEGIN…

GREAT STORYTELLING…

STARTS WITH AN

ACTION IDEA

THE ACTION IDEA IN ACTION

THE ACTION IDEA IN ACTION

Corporate Social Responsibility

AND IF YOU DON’T TELL A GOOD STORY…

SOMEONE ELSE WILL.

INTRODUCING THE ACTION IDEA

It’s your core story, reduced to a simple few

lines. It has a clear beginning, middle and

end with an ‘action’ - or turning point - that

engages and sets the story in motion.

CORPORATE STORYTELLING DOESN’T

ALWAYS HAVE ALL THE ELEMENTS…

Freytag’s Pyramid

BUT A GOOD STORY ALWAYS HAS…

• A human element

(characters/emotion)

• Action and/or turning point

• And details / specifics!

TENSION & TURNING POINTS

TWO DIFFERENT PATHS

FINDING INNER STRENGTH

AN UNEXPECTED CHALLENGE

TA

KIN

G A

RIS

K

OV

ER

CO

MIN

G A

DV

ER

SIT

Y

COURAGE OF CONVICTION

DAVID VS GOLIATH

RACE AGAINST TIME G

RE

AT E

SC

AP

E

AMAZING TURNAROUND

AN

EP

IPH

AN

Y WINNING AGAINST THE ODDS

BREAKING NEW GROUND

THE MISFIT

METHODOLOGY:

CREATING CORPORATE STORIES

SCENE THREE

AUDIENCE

YOUR

BRAND

ASSETS

ACTION-

IDEA

CONTENT

SYNDIC-

ATION

CONVERS-

ATION

PURPOSE

INSIGHT

what’s your

story

storytelling

campaign

execution

storytelling

campaign

development

TOWARDS A STORYTELLING CAMPAIGN…

DEFINING YOUR PURPOSE B

US

INE

SS

Increase enrollment from

international students

Ensure parents see us as a wise

investment

Have business communities

support us and provide third-party

validation of our positioning

Create engagement among

young adults in Asian markets

Challenge (or reinforce) a

perception about the brand

Generate word-of-mouth buzz

among professional services

firms on the east coast

ST

OR

Y G

OA

L

DEFINING AN (AUDIENCE) INSIGHT

1. A new

understanding of a

problem, person, or

situation

2. Seeing into the

inner character, or

an underlying truth

Communication Insights: Examples EXAMPLES OF INSIGHTS

Public Affairs | December 2013

THEMES TO BUILD STORIES AROUND

Creating

successful

entrepreneurs

Instilling the

importance of

community

service

Meeting the

challenges of a

global

economy

WHAT’S THE STORY…?

TWO DIFFERENT PATHS

FINDING INNER STRENGTH

AN UNEXPECTED CHALLENGE

TA

KIN

G A

RIS

K

OV

ER

CO

MIN

G A

DV

ER

SIT

Y

COURAGE OF CONVICTION

DAVID VS GOLIATH

RACE AGAINST TIME G

RE

AT E

SC

AP

E

AMAZING TURNAROUND

AN

EP

IPH

AN

Y WINNING AGAINST THE ODDS

BREAKING NEW GROUND

THE MISFIT

USING STORYTELLING AS A

CAMPAIGN PLANNING TOOL

SCENE FOUR

AUDIENCE

CLIENT

BRAND

ASSETS

ACTION-

IDEA

CONTENT

SYNDIC-

ATION

CONVERS-

ATION

PURPOSE

INSIGHT

what’s your

story

storytelling

campaign

execution

storytelling

campaign

development

CLOSING SCENE

HARNESSING THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

TO BUILD BRANDS AND DRIVE ENGAGEMENT

Paul Jensen, President, Corporate Practice Weber Shandwick