Have you told any great stories lately? In doing business, I mean. If you haven't, you may consider watching the latest trending YouTube video. WestJet Airlines produced a 5 minute video called 'WestJet Christmas Miracle: real-time giving' as the second annual installment of their Christmas miracle series. Last year's WestJet miracle video captured a flash mob performance in the Calgary International airport during a redeye flight to Toronto. But with only 622,000 views, last year's stunt pales in comparison to the more than 4.5 million views that this year's video has received so far.
There are so many wins for WestJet because of this video's success but from the marketing standpoint alone, it proves the power of a really good story. Stories move people. Good ones capture our attention and hold it longer than any other method of message delivery because we all want to see how the story ends. Even in business, you add a visual medium like video or photography to a good story and you have a modern shareable platform for branding.
Think back to the 1990s when Nescafe introduced America to the Taster's Choice saga, a soap opera-like commercial series which followed the smoldering love interests of Tony and Sharon, and you'll realize that using storytelling in the marketing of products and services isn't anything new. The Taster's Choice advertisements appeared on television as 30 second commercials. 30 seconds isn't long enough to tell a compelling story, thus the serial advertisements.
There are two major differences in today's storytelling market: 1) virtual sharing allows for stretched airtime without the price tag and 2) today's stories are reality-based. They are often, as the WestJet video exemplifies, contrived and real at the same time. The company deliberately constructs the situation for reality to occur within, all the while capturing the entire experience on video. Less script, more editing.
Using storytelling as a form of marketing your business doesn't need to involve multimillion dollar budgets and free giveaways. That is the beauty of viral marketing. With minimal financial investment, it is possible to bypass the higher costs associated with traditional media, and still create an effective campaign. All it takes is a descent webcam or camera and an imagination. Start by asking some of your best customers why they choose to do business with you and then capture their answers as visual testimonials. Add these videos to your website and share them via social media. As long as the storytelling, and any marketing for that matter, authentically represents the true customer experience, it will work to strengthen your brand.
Already, there are debates online as to whether WestJet's Christmas video will translate into increased sales. Some argue that, while viral marketing may increase brand strength, price is always the final purchasing factor. I believe that, while it is difficult to prove or disprove the effects of viral marketing, if the storyteller creates an emotional response in their viewer they move one step closer to also creating a new customer. Until next week, stay in the black and keep coming back.
