The media vetting of Facebook and its IPO makes applying for Supreme Court judge look tame. So how does a media property find that one unique angle on Facebook’s IPO day when thousands of journalists are essentially writing from the same script? By digging out storytelling standards like greed, cheating, sex and sticking it to …more
It doesn’t matter whether you sell mobile phones or tractors, customers want to feel there’s a real human being on the other side of the transaction. That’s why Intel, a semiconductor company, posted on tattoos. Even Dick Costolo, the CEO of Twitter, has espoused on the topic: It’s fun to be the customer of a …more
Most of our client campaigns include the mainstream media as a target audience. More than the sheer reach, there’s a certain cachet that comes from landing in Fortune, The New York Times or TIME. Which brings me to a specific article in TIME with the headline, “Made (Again) in the U.S.A. Why firms like Jarden are bringing …more
I had the pleasure of speaking at Compass USA’s communicators’ conference in North Carolina this morning. As one of the largest food service companies in the country, Compass has a good story to tell. With all due respect to my technology brethren, it was liberating to discuss storytelling in the context of banana bread, grilled …more
There’s no question that startups enjoy an advantage in applying storytelling techniques to the “About Us” section on the company website. For Exhibit A, look no further than a new venture called SigFig. Its site gets the story off to a good start with with the subhead, “Our Story.” Now, check out the narrative: Before starting …more
We posted our infographic called “Storytelling vs. Corporate Speak” last week. In brainstorming a communications push behind the infogrpaphic with social media guru Steve Farnsworth, he suggested developing supporting assets like a video. Rather than put me on video pontificating about the infographic – not good TV, to be kind – we decided to take a …more
Naturally, this New York Times headline from last week caught my attention: “Funny or Die: Groupon’s Fate Hinges on Words” The piece goes on to explain that Groupon differentiates through words, depending on storytelling techniques as its version of Google’s search algorithm. Here’s what the NYT article doesn’t say. You don’t need the narrative gifts of a Hemingway …more
There are certain storylines that never go out of style. David slays Goliath. Greed isn’t good. (Sorry, Gordy.) Etc. Variations of these themes serve as springboards to business stories all the time. While I don’t think it’s going to become a classic, Alcoa deserves credit for coining a phrase that demands attention: Smog-eating building One …more
It almost seems like HR gives the following guidance to the copywriter before drafting a job description: “OK. You know what’s at stake. I suggest you review the job listings from our competitors and borrow what you consider to be the best elements. This is no time to go rogue. Be smart. Let’s use what’s already working. Great. Have that new description …more
