The New Storyteller in Town

As humans, our basic social necessity is that of expression, of making one’s voice heard. We inscribe meaning to all that we see around us, in our quest to understand and participate. We’ve come a long way from standing atop a soapbox to make oneself heard. The advent of social media, resulted in a world where millions of stories are unfolding in real time. Stories are constantly evolving, having moved from static pages to evocative visuals. “Once upon a times” are now a thing of the past.

For years, advertising and PR agencies controlled the narrative around brands backed by the appeal associated with mass media. Great advertising fueled dreams, aspirations; and defined the meaning of success for entire generations. In today’s world however, the consumer is no longer a passive one. With an exponential rise in the availability of content on the web, selective consumption is at an all-time high. Breaking through the clutter to make one’s voice heard, continues to be a challenge for brands. With the personification of brands as storytellers, we have developed the ability to broadcast differentiated content at scale.

Building a brand story in partnership with the consumer allows for an inclusive narrative built on the solid foundation of consumer insight. Strong brand values go a long way in the creation of shareable content, the right to which must be earned. Crafting content today shouldn’t be about a linear narrative, but an experiential one. These experiences help empower consumers to tell our story for us. The new storyteller in town is creating a disruptive narrative, one that brands need to get on board with. All the world’s a stage and we as brands, in tandem with our consumers, can create a story worth telling.