How to tell a story: A person, a door, a bed, and a home
- Wed, July 27 2011
- Filed under: Video
I’m a big fan of the 100,000 homes campaign by Common Ground. Its advocacy on behalf of the homeless is wonderful work.
This week, they sent me their new video.
Here’s what I love: the storytelling, person by person, that shows how much power we have to turn around a life - our own, or that of another person. As for the intruding statistics and numbers, I wish they’d stopped trying to take a starring role. I understand it’s the 100,000 homes campaign and that the countdown has significance, but there are more numbers than people.
The good news is the people are so compelling, they push the numbers away to the far corners of our minds, and we remember what matters. Like Cato, literally jumping for joy in his sunlit home. I will never forget that image.
Bravo to a truly inspiring video with a nearly audible heartbeat of humanity. I love your work, 100,000 homes.
Watch the video and remember—we always have 4 questions to answer. Cato’s picture speaks to them all in a split second. So does Bulmon’s impossibly large smile. Always show:
1. Why me? by connecting emotionally.
2. What for? by showing the tangible change at stake.
3. Why now? by instilling urgency of action.
4. Who says? by using the right messengers.
People, not numbers, answer these questions best.
My favorite part of this message is the way it handles #4. The true stars of the video are the people in their new homes. They are the messengers, just as they should be.
Enjoy.
Comments
Loved this! I wasn’t distracted by the numbers—I thought they were a fairly unobtrusive way of reminding the viewer of the larger goal of eliminating homelessness altogether.
Thanks very much for sharing, and for the reminder of how important it is to put a face and a detail to the message.
Thanks for sharing! People can check out www.100khomes.org to learn more!
I was really touched by the video and didn’t find the numbers were distracting. If anything they reinforced that not only the people in the video were being helped but that way more could be helped. What a testament to the organization! It would make anyone want to be involved in making this difference in a person’s life. Congratulations!
The message is a wonderful example of how nonprofits can convey a message simply yet powerfully. After viewing it, how could someone not be moved?
great story to share! reminded me of another homeless awareness campaign out of NY
http://mashable.com/2011/02/16/homeless-tweets-underheard/
An excellent video to awaken people and to show the reality