A good story, well told, can do wonders. A good story can convey the feeling of your brand better than any “brand messaging.” A good story can sell your product better than any “marketing fluff.” A good story is, in my opinion anyway, the best possible way to get a message across. If you’ve got something to say, chances are you’ve got a story.
The art of storytelling is age old yet often used, to great effect, in modern day communication. Blogs, for example, are often all about storytelling. A web site, taken as a whole, is a great vehicle for storytelling. In many of the briefs (creative and content) I’ve written over the years storytelling has been a big part.
When thinking about your web content (you are thinking about that aren’t you?) you should really consider how to work your story in. In fact, I’d take it as far as to say you should be telling your stories (and those of your company, family, organization or what-have-you) with almost every bit of communication you put out there.
The best web sites tell a story. The best elevator pitches? A short story. A great blog post can be made from a story. Your resume or portfolio could tell a story. Your Flickr stream could be a story. Great stories are everywhere.
Y’all know what a good story is made of, so let me give you a few of my favorite examples of modern day storytelling.
- Tito’s Vodka. They’ve got a great story and it’s told well on their web site.
- The Majestic Bay Theatre. A small movie theatre in my neighborhood. Often the owner will come out and tell the story before a Friday night matinee, to the absolute delight of the gathered crowd. read more about The Majestic Bay.
- The 37signals Manifesto is a neat example of how a web site can be a story. It’s not a traditional story, but by reading it you get the 37signals story.
- Target (one of the most recognizable brands around) does a great job of using stories to get their messages across. They do this with prose as well as stunning art direction and photography. Check out the About section of their web site, particularly the sub sections like “History” and “Our Focus on Design.”
Do you have any good examples of modern storytelling?
