A call to arms: Let’s win the story wars
- Fri, May 25 2012
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
Check out this fantastic video on the story wars.
Here’s the idea: We shape our understanding of the world through mythical stories. But our world has grown complex, and the myths that once served us well do not always provide the insights and guidance we need to navigate our world. Enter marketers, who have become our modern-day myth makers, for good or for ill. But many of their stories are manipulative and inauthentic. Jonah Sachs calls this the story wars - the fight to be heard in an era when the myths that were the foundation of our society have crumbled and the marketing messages that are their surrogates are starting to backfire.
So how do good causes enter the fray and provide the narratives that will move people in the right ways? Sachs cites marketing’s first great storyteller, John Powers’ advice—“Tell the Truth, Be Interesting, and Live the Truth.”
In his upcoming book, Sachs makes a heartfelt plea for “empowerment marketing myths” - myth-making that calls people to citizenship and to live their values. Iconic brands like Nike and Apple get it - and have broken through and touched hearts with the approach. He believes it is the way to get heard and make a better world.
He knows his stuff - he was the mind behind the Story of Stuff, in fact. So take a page from his playbook. Tell empowering stories that cast the audience in the role of the Hero. It’s what made our earliest stories great, and it’s what inspires us be bigger than ourselves.
Comments
Hi Katya, I think nonprofits may be locked into myths regarding planned giving (that’s my field). They believe they are protecting their supporters from a difficult conversation but the real story is their loyal donors will make bequests and other planned gifts if they’re aksed and shown how. It’s an easier solicitation because the donors already love them, but the myth is…it’s deadly.
Katya,
Thanks for sharing this great video and call to action! I can’t wait to read the book. We desperately need to spread more empowerment myths which SHOW how people are living their values, building community and spreading joy.
j
Katya, once again another gem that has huge implications across all needs for effective communication. Thanks again. Your blog is a daily stop AND always helpful. I am suggesting that all my brother s in the clergy read your blog every day!
Thank you Fr. Powell! I’m glad this one resonated. Please do spread the word.
http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679785/empowerment-marketing-advertising-to-humans-as-more-than-just-selfish-machines
This actually has an excerpt of the book. We are trying to have a more positive and upbeat campaign that empowers people to take action and this helped me go in the right direction. Thanks for sharing.
Jonah Sachs is a talented individual and when it comes to marketing he knows his stuff.
I actually took some notes out of his book for my Atlanta Roofing Service.
“Tell the Truth, Be Interesting, and Live the Truth.”
Unfortunately, the middle phrase is sometimes proven most important. Interest is easy to manipulate and its this ease that allows marketers to use the power in bad ways. I think this applies to business across all spectrums.
I’m glad I found this blog and video!
Michael