IMB Corp’s VP Sandy Carter is known for saying: “Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.”
Its not surprising that some marketing plans fail to capture the target audience’s interest. Attention spans are shorter, there are more options than before and people are bombarded by hundreds of advertising campaigns every day. So how could yours stand out? Tell them a story, and it will live in their heart.
Most stories have a certain number of common characteristics that get the reader/watcher’s attention and causes it to remain in their memory. They are: a hook, desire, conflict, challange, climax and resolution. (a detailed list can be found here.)
So look at your last marketing campaign. Does it hook people, entice them with a desire, produce a conflict or obstacle, explode in a climax and show a resolution?? (In most cases, the resolution should be the use of your product/service.) If not, maybe the next marketing effort could be more memorable if a story is presented instead of just flashy graphics. Tell us a story, don’t just show off your stuff, or we won’t care or remember.