The communications controlled by a company during a crisis – not the media coverage – provide the best indicator of competency (or lack thereof). If you can’t get the communications under your control right, you have zero chance of winning over others to carry your story forward. That’s why I characterized Toyota’s crisis communications as amateur hour. The company’s first open …more
It pains me to say what I’m about to say. Advertising recognizes the power of narrative more than the PR profession. This isn’t to say that PR efforts aren’t using storytelling techniques (sorry for the double negative, Mr. Harper). There are consultancies like us as well as corporations who have got the storytelling religion. But you don’t see narrative …more
There’s no question that photos like the one above that accompanied a New York Times article on China’s surging demand for coal accentuate storytelling. In some cases, we’re actually seeing storytelling revolve around visuals like the seafood charticle in WIRED Magazine. I think The New York Times does a particularly good job in building their stories around a …more
I spoke at the American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing on storytelling a couple weeks ago. The talk triggered interest from a Chinese publication which asked me two questions via e-mail: How does storytelling impact today’s traditional media as well as social media? How does storytelling benefit business executives and their respective companies? …more
As best I can surmise from passport stamps, I made my 48th trip to Asia last week. It never gets old. Every trip – this one with stops in Tokyo and Beijing – brings a unique adventure, knowledge and inevitably a touch of weirdness that defies Western sensibilities. I think most people are familiar with …more
We published the first guest post on this forum a couple of weeks ago from Michael Margolis. No. 2 comes from one of the Agency’s account folks, Julia Sinykin, who looks at stories in the context of water. And we’ll continue to strive to periodically shake up the status quo. The word “irony” comes to …more
Back in 2008 I wrote it’s not enough that Warren Buffet has become one of the richest men in the world. He’s also a world-class storyteller. (If it makes you feel any better, at least he’s not handsome.) Nowhere does this gift go on public display more than in his annual letter to shareholders. It’s …more
Michael Margolis originally penned this post for his online property called Get Storied. It offers a practical framework for applying storytelling techniques in the world of business. He also knows how to turn a phrase: “So while you might be convinced that you’re the Cat’s Meow, if others don’t believe that same story, there’s going …more
Any company would prize 20 column inches plus a photo on the front of The Journal’s Marketplace section. That’s exactly what UPS enjoyed in the article titled “UPS Thinks Outside the Box on Driver Training.” The piece makes for a good mini case study on the type of storytelling that plays in the business media. Note …more
