The power of storytelling making brands come to life

New CourseXINE217: The Power of Stories to Fuel Innovation Taught by Jennifer Aaker Learn more at: create.stanford.edu A big idea is not enough.. Explore why story is at the heart of e

The Power of Storytelling: Making Brands Come to Life

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Hosted by Jennifer Aaker

New Course

XINE217:

The Power of Stories to Fuel Innovation

Taught by Jennifer Aaker

Learn more at: create.stanford.edu

A big idea is not enough You need people to create it and people to buy into it Your big idea needs a story Stories fuel innovation They hold the power to transform listeners; to take listeners on a journey that changes how they think, feel or act This interactive online course covers the variety of roles a narrative can play, and its potential to transform an organization or new venture Explore why story is at the heart of effective innovation and how story can be used to transform culture

Featured Course:

The Power of Stories to Fuel Innovation

David Hornik has worked with technology startups throughout the software sector In

2000, David joined August Capital to invest broadly in information technology companies, with a focus on enterprise application and infrastructure software, as well as consumer facing software and services.

Jennifer Aaker is the General Atlantic Professor of

Marketing and Ormond Family Faculty at Stanford

University’s Graduate School of Business Her

research spans time, money and happiness She is

widely published in the leading scholarly journals

in psychology and marketing, and her work has

been featured in a variety of media.

The Power of Stories: Making Brands Come to Life

Presenter and Special Guest

See stories as an asset.

A tool to emotionally connect your audience,

influence culture, build a brand

and spur innovation Goal

STORIES IN

BUSINESS

A story is a connected series of events - with a

beginning, middle and end

It is a journey that moves the listener When the listener goes on that journey, they feel different,

sometimes even transformed Story

Stories are all around us

Researchers found that personal stories and gossip

make up 65% of our conversations.

Some stories are small – 6 words or 140 characters;

others long – a book or movie

Your best stories are told in multiple

forms and lengths

Jeremey Hsu (2008) http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-secrets-of-storytelling

What kind of effect can storytelling have

for business?

How can storytelling contribute to a successful pitch

organizing your team connecting to your customer or closing a sale,

spurring growth?

CHAPTER 1: A STORY THAT SEALS THE DEAL

VCS AND ANGELS DON’T INVEST IN TECHNOLOGY THEY INVEST IN PEOPLE WHO EXUDE CREATIVE POTENTIAL COMBINED WITH URGENCY TO SOLVE DAUTING PROBLEM WITH NEW APPROACH.

YOUR PITCH SHOULD DEMONSTRATE BOTH

REDUCE IDEA TO 4 WORDS OR LESS

EXAMPLE; GOOGLE: ORGANIZES WORLDS INFORMATION

MAKE IT COGENT, ELEGANT

James Buckhouse: https://medium.com/design-story/375bf9674cac

CHAPTER 2: THE WIKI OF YOUR ORGANIZATION

A STORY THAT WORKS AS INTERNAL FULCRUM AND WHICH YOUR TEAM CAN STRESS TEST BUSINESS DECISIONS.

INFORMS YOUR ROLE, TEAM’S ROLE, AND COMPANY’S ROLE

EXAMPLE: PEER TO PEER GREEN POWER

FOUR WORD STORY: GREEN POWER FOR EVERYONE

DESIGN TEAM: INSTANT INFORMATION, BETTER DECISIONS

TEAM MEMBER: BETTER DEMAND, METER ALERTS

MAKE IT CLEAR

James Buckhouse: https://medium.com/design-story/375bf9674cac

CHAPTER 3: STORIES OF YOUR CUSTOMERS

YOU ARE RARELY THE HERO; YOUR CUSTOMER IS

HOW DID YOUR PRODUCT OR BRAND GET USED BY A CUSTOMER TO ATTAIN THEIR GOALS AND TRANSFORM THEIR LIFE

EXAMPLE; JARED (SUBWAY)

MAKE IT FOCUSED ON THE PROTOGANIST

CHAPTER 4: REASON WHY IT IS HUGE

WHY SHOULD WE CARE? WHY SHOULD BE BELIEVE IN GROWTH?

HOW DOES YOUR PRODUCT MAKE PEOPLE’S LIVES BETTER, AND CHANGE THE WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE?

EXAMPLE: SQUARE

MAKE IT HUMAN-CENTERED AND INSPIRED

How is using stories important internally –

within a company? How can storytelling play a role in a turnaround? What elements does a story need to be compelling?

Are stories proven to spur action in consumers?

Shradha Sharma, Founder, YourStory, realized the power of storytelling while interacting with hundreds of small business owners from all across India

An entrepreneur’s story is always unique and has the power to meaningfully connect

with his/her stakeholders Their stories are filled with grit, passion and perseverance, but

more often than not these stories are lost and not captured

Historically for media the emphasis has been on news rather then capturing the essence

of a venture through stories - that realization was the genesis of Shradha’s story with

YourStory! Emphasis on the "you" aspect of the story played a key role in the growth of

the platform, with “you” it was easier to build a loyal community (as opposed to I and

my approach)

Today YourStory is India’s largest storyteller with stories of over 12,000 entrepreneurs captured Guiding Principle – Stories Stay!

A BUSINESS STORY:

END

Q & A

Tips

TIPS

You don’t need to

have an exotic

story; just one that

has most of the

components that

will be further

developed

INTRO STORY FLOW AUDIENCE AUTHENTICITY FINALE

Make sure your story flows It doesn’t have to be linear, just clear

Focus on answering the questions on people’s minds

You’ll likely iterate

on flow/structure 5 times

Involve your audience: Provide details they can relate to It makes the audience feel closer to you.

Be authentic It shows Don’t try to pretend something that you’re not The audience really appreciate this

Stop the story when you have said enough to keep people interested Don’t answer all the questions at the beginning Leave them asking for more.

Adrianna, 2010

Appendix

How to tell a

STORY

HOW TO BUILD A STORY

2 Hone in on the

obstacles keeping the protagonist from his desires

The people in your story have to want something

Audience compelled to take

action

Audience has a personal

stake in finding a solution

3 to 5 minutes each

4

Know what you

want the audience

to do

Answer in a few sentences

6

Keep stories short5 Ensure the audience

knows the point of the story

HOW TO BUILD A STORY