How to Tell Tales: Brands’ Path to Publishing

Once upon a time brands used to be in control. But happily-ever-afters are dwindling and brands are scrambling to tell stories.  Consumers can now tragically end brand stories by skipping, unfollowing, or YELPing.

Being great at content is not about the tactical wins on Twitter or successfully newsjacking news. Content is not one-off, it should be a sustainable solution that evolves with brand communications.

Consumers now have the right tools to CREATE, TELL, and DISTRIBUTE accounts of their brand experiences.

Whilst brands insist that they are THIS kind of brand, consumers find a way to define brands differently- with what? STORIES.

The Greatest Story Never Told

There are a lot of great stories out there that have yet to be told greatly. Storytelling is living vicariously through consumer experiences so that more people could experience life with brands. Information is no longer the currency, stories are. It’s not the hunt for the cool, it’s the pursuit of the REAL.

To tell a story, the brand must be a living and breathing core that fuels the creation of more stories.  The new language is art and if brands don’t communicate with respect for aesthetics and authenticity, then consumers will not be engaged.

Story owners and Storytellers

You don’t have to tell stories on your own. That’s why artists, writers, poets, tastemakers exist for they have a higher calling to create and curate beautiful things. That’s why Kanye West is no longer just a rapper (see DONDA).

Is crowdsourcing the answer? It’s risky for it invites all kinds of responses and if you filter it, it backfires.

A more proactive solution is to create an open platform of inspiration where quality creators will be enticed to create, co-create, and share their work.

For example, Joseph Gordon Levitt’s brainchild- HITRECORD. It has become so successful that made-for-TV episodes on Pivot are done through collaborations with artists across the globe with just one theme cascaded by JGL.

 

 

The Storytelling System

The Storytelling System has three key players – The Stories (client), The Raconteurs, and the Inspirers. There is a constant creation and distribution of stories told in images, words, films, etc. These stories are then distributed to inspirers or tastemakers signaled by a LAUNCH but artists can continue to enhance the existing projects.

To make the system work,

• Conduct an inventory of your stories, both told and untold,
• Set up your publishing/content platform that enables story creation.
• Pool in your Creators and Storytellers
• Create a PLOT (communication brief)
• Launch the story via Curators and Inspirers
• Distribute gains and give recognition

MEDIACOM BEYOND ADVERTISING specializes in designing Storytelling Systems (Content Strategy, Creation, and Distribution) that enables the cycle of creation by creative and authentic artists who also happen to be your consumers.

And this is where we take brands beyond traditional, beyond advertising, beyond just cascading information.

Because to become a PUBLISHER, you must be a STORYTELLER.

And you better be a bloody good one.

 

Jox is a Content Strategist & Storyteller who thrives in integrating brand promises with everyday human stories. She lives vicariously through media and content- ads, viral videos, haiku apps, and blogs. She lives and breathes art to fuel her passion in marketing brands. 

 

#HashTag2020: What does 2020 look like in the eyes of Millennials

As published on Digital Market Asia on 11th February 2014 and BLINK, an international publication by Mediacom

Image developed by Muk Ho

For many young professionals, it’s easier to talk about how they imagine their 30s will be different than their 20s than it is to consider the Year 2020. It’ll be important soon enough: Millennials (Generation Y) will make up the majority of employees at 50 percent of US companies by 2020 and 75 percent of global organisations by 2030. So, what are these young people thinking about? Check out their answers to a simple question: ‘What do you think will happen to you and the world in 2020?’

#2020experience
It’s encouraging to note that most of the answers were generally optimistic. ‘Life 360’ was a term used more than once to describe a holistic future where family and career are balanced with the help of technology. Contrary to the selfish stereotype, Gen Y wants to contribute to collective efforts such as sustainable living, organic farming and promoting a better world. “I just want to be a better person than I am today,” said a digital media team lead in Jakarta. There are some, though, who foresee nothing short of an apocalypse. These Millennials seek alternative, or underground, news online. “The environment will be much worse than it is today. We will be close to broad scale armed conflict,” said a team leader from Japan. They may have faith in technology and humanity, but their hope does not extend to political systems. This group has gone beyond conventional preparations for the future, including learning how to open cans (of food) without a can opener. They’re not paranoid; they’re just preparing to survive.

#onelifeonedevice
Our panel expects seamless integration – not just of multiple devices, but of human cognitive and emotive functions. No more multiple transactions, SIM card swaps or currency exchange. A planner from Malaysia foresees a ‘universal card’, which she thinks will merge daunting application and validation transactions by the time she becomes a busy working mom. Surprisingly, Millennials hope technology will help them slow down, not go even faster. They expect devices to simplify life and make people more reflective, especially about privacy. A young manager from New York imagines that “the need for privacy will become a huge issue and will create almost a new industry for people who wish to protect themselves from privacy invasion”. “I imagine the world will have become so ‘noisy’ – with streams of unedited and uncontrolled information from all over the place – that there will be opportunity to create platforms that help individuals counteract that clamour, speed and invasion of privacy,” notes a media planner executive from Indonesia.

#YOLO (You Only Live Once)
Generation Y consumes content to find inspiration and help them figure out what they want to do with their lives… or just where to live next. Online search (particularly Google) helps them make savvier choices. And they’re not settling. Millennials have become career slashers, working at multiple professions that may not necessarily relate to each other. One Filipino expat in Singapore has continued booking casting calls while working as a planner. More people refuse to be referred to by one designation, with the Internet enabling the constant search for the next gig. Content curation and image management via LinkedIn, Tumblr and other sites are just some of the proactive steps taken by young professionals, especially when they have one foot out the door. It’s just a matter of being aware of what will appear in Google’s search results.

What if you could organise the FUTURE?
Millennials are organised, but depend on automation to pay bills, budget and manage their day-to-day activities. Most Millennials, particularly the youngest of the generation, can theoretically imagine 2020 but are vague on the details (even though it’s only six years away). Most talk about wanting to settle down and have a genuine and happy family life.

Imagine a life app that could run for a year before it served up possible mates, based on every transaction, interaction and connection made (or missed) in the prior twelve months? Or one that encourages you to start eating healthier (or invest in insurance for a probable bypass surgery)? Millennials assume that technology will lead to better decision making… and more free time to think about global issues. Gen Y’s heightened interest in politics, the environment and humanity may be an opportunity for brands to reshape their identities. Social causes could become brand definers or fuel product innovation.

Bottom line: Millennials have expectations of themselves and of the world, and plan to be active participants in that future.