Robert McKee, an internationally famous teacher of screen writing, said:
“Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact.”
It’s almost impossible to sell a product or service these days without currency. The currency can be physical or digital, but it still has to exist in a form that allows an exchange. Exchange is the critical concept in economics, and for that matter, marketing. No exchange. No sale. You trade money for a product. Simple.
In the same way, stories are the critical currency of marketing and life. How many brands can you connect with a story? Hundreds of them:
- “The ultimate driving machine.”
- “Reach out and touch someone.”
- “The quicker picker-upper.”
- “Tastes so good cats ask for it by name.”
- “Please don’t squeeze the _______.”
- “A diamond is forever.”
- “We try harder.”
Granted, the above are slogans or USPs (Unique Selling Propositions), but they all connect with a story you see in your neurons when you hear the slogan. Stories clear away the clutter of life and understanding. They get to the point so we get the point.
What’s your story?
Need an “exchange” to drive your marketing? Remember: no currency, no contact. No contact, no marketing.
Tell the story. Make contact…
By Stuart Atkins
Leave a Reply