The Journal published a feature story about people using Twitter to deliver updates on the lines of shoppers waiting to get into Trader Joe’s. As the first step in reverse-engineering the “why” behind the Journal devoting significant real estate to the topic, we ask the macro questions: Does the story reveal something new about the …more
Look at the construction of any major feature story in Fortune, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Atlantic, Wired, take your pick. What element is likely to underscore the narrative? Here’s a hint. It starts with an “F.” Failure (if you guessed frickinmess, you were in the ballpark). Something going terribly wrong — the bigger the “train wreck,” …more
I invented the grab bag post as a forum to share three vignettes on business storytelling that otherwise couldn’t stand on their own. And here’s the latest … Serendipitous Nature of Social Media Breaks LeBron James News on My Twitter Feed On Friday LeBron James officially announced that he is taking his talents back to …more
If you’re like me, you picked up last Tuesday’s New York Times and thought WTH? (OK, maybe it wasn’t “what the heck,” but you get the drift.) How did feel-good storytelling on the City of Chattanooga end up above the fold in The New York Times? I’m sure officials from numerous cities who have invested …more
The PR profession must embrace visual storytelling. How’s that for a declarative sentence that leaves nothing to interpretation? We’ve discussed visual elements ranging from infographics to video to illustrations. It’s now time to turn our attention to the humble GIF (graphics interchange format), perfect for short-form storytelling. If GIFs are good enough for BuzzFeed, which …more
Good question. This was one of the questions that surfaced recently during an interview with an Asian newspaper. I’ve captured the high points in an abbreviated version of the interview . Q: Define storytelling as it relates to business communications. A: Obviously, companies don’t have 300 pages or two hours on the silver screen to develop a …more
The grab bag returns. Three quick takes coming at you. Journalists Showing Off PR Acuity I don’t mean to pick on David Carr, noted chronicler of the world of journalism for The New York Times. I just find it amusing that Mr. Carr assumes his deep knowledge of journalism also makes him an expert in …more
Virtually every great story encompasses failure or at least a crisis. Apple flirted with bankruptcy. J.K. Rowling lived on welfare before Harry Potter came to the rescue. Everyone told Freddie Patek he was too short to play professional baseball (naturally a favorite). As Fortune Journalist Patricia Sellers noted in discussing storytelling in business, “If failure …more
Virtually every novel reflects some form of the classic storytelling arc. Same goes for movies. As I’m driving to see “Zero Dark Thirty,” I’m wondering how the heck will the movie build drama. I already know how the story ends. Yet, the CIA operative played by Jessica Chastain must deal with stuff going cockeyed …more
