I tend to associate infomercials with Ginsu knives and historical videos on World War II.
Obviously, the Barack Obama infomercial that aired last month was not in the order-now-and-get-free-shipping genre.
Putting politics aside, the video comes across as a powerful communications vehicle.
How can you go wrong with world-class production quality, panoramic views of “amber waves of grain” and Mr. Obama’s gift for oratory?
Yet, the element that creates the drama and a true sense of storytelling comes from the people vignettes. That’s what really pulls the viewer through the 30 minutes to hear Mr. Obama explain “why me.”
As a quick aside, B&O Railroad should especially resonate with baby boomers from their Monopoly-playing days.
What politicians know both intuitively and from reams of hard data continues to elude technology companies: The most compelling stories revolve around people.
Before Wall Street Journal reporter Vauhini Vara returned to campus life at the University of Iowa, she shared the following insight during an SWMS interview:
“There is a tendency here and elsewhere to focus on companies that have consumer implications. Pitch stories about interesting approaches in management, or changes that took place in the industry that had an impact how the organization has to move. That allows us to write about people, rather than just sort of writing dryly about technology.”