Do you have a personality? —
The war for top of mind and recall will be about personality not pixels
Sam Goldwyn always said he “wanted a story that starts out with an earthquake and works its way up to a climax.” Every person has a story, and the difficulty has always been knowing what it is. Inside each of us is a natural born storyteller waiting to be discovered. Psychologists will tell you that those who have a connection to their own story are always in a better mental place. If you are a stranger to yourself as an individual it is difficult to get in touch with others.
My role as a storyteller has always been is to awaken the storytellers in others. The highest-paid person in the second half of the century will be the “storyteller”. The value of products will depend on the story they tell. It will no longer be enough to produce a useful product: A story or legend must be built into it, a story that embodies values beyond utility. This imperative is already occurring with more and more products: People buy blue jeans, for instance, only partly to cover their bodies; most of the money they pay is for the story that goes with the product – a story of independence, youth, power, and perhaps traditional (or nontraditional) values.
Brands over time with consistent storytelling can become legends where reputation far precedes them. Invariably the stories are less about the item and more about those that enjoy them. Aston Martin’s despite its chequered history of ownership and performance have over time managed to capture a magical expression of our love of the automobile.
The world’s most charismatic car has just celebrated an exceptional century in which a succession of brilliant minds and dedicated craft people created cars that have become amongst the most coveted and iconic of all time. Aston Martin has successfully awakened the storytellers amongst their owners and followers.
Getting other people to talk about your product and tell their own stories about your product is the trick in delivering compelling content to the point where virtually no overt advertising is required.