Storytelling and corporate speak: a world of difference

“Scalability and flexibility are the core values of our solutions.” Are you already running down the shop? Probably not. The modern consumer is not convinced by woolly language and superlatives. But a good story does make an impression. What are the differences between storytelling and corporate speak?

The function of corporate speak
Corporate speak still prevails in the business world. It does have a function, however. Corporate speak is business-like, informative and structured. It demonstrates your expertise and that you attribute a certain intelligence to the reader. But corporate speak also has a major disadvantage: it does not or hardly touches people. 

Good storytelling is much more effective in this regard. The word says it all: you tell the customer a story. Stories are a powerful means of communication. You convey an inspiring, authentic message in clear language. You do not say that your company, brand, product or service is fantastic; rather that comes out subtly from the story. And the customer wants to be part of that story.

Inside Out
The most important element of storytelling is emotion. At Pixar, they know that better than anyone. Take a look at the animated film Inside Out. A believable, recognisable story about a girl who is going to move house. By using emotion, the characters make you part of this story. Add a large dose of humour and you have the recipe for a film that sticks in the mind.

I think sociologist Sherry Turkle is an excellent storyteller. In her presentations, she uses emotional anecdotes from her personal life and humour to put across her vision. Highly recommended is her Ted Talk about the way in which we communicate in this digital world and the role that technology plays in this regard: Connected, but alone?

Stimulating, absolutely not boring
How do you translate this to business? Always ensure that your message contains emotion. Your story should be exciting, entertaining and stimulating, not dry and boring. Consumers must feel connected with your mission and with other people who believe in it. They cotton on immediately if your story focuses purely on sales. That comes over as bogus and slick.

Storytelling is nothing new. For some well-known brands, a good story is the basis of their existence. In the following, I would like to highlight 5 successful examples of storytelling for you:

1. Apple

Few brands have more loyal support than Apple. The success of our partner is, to a large extent, thanks to storytelling. This did not just happen by chance; the Apple story has been carefully constructed over the years.

Apple is a master in building up suspense. Whether it’s an Orwellian Super Bowl commercial for the Apple Macintosh in 1984 or the legendary iPhone presentation by Apple icon Steve Jobs, you are always sure to be sitting on the edge of your seat.

First Apple wants to awaken your interest, the product only comes later. In most adverts, it is not the device but the user who is key. They concern the interesting things that he or she can do with the device in question. 

1. GoPro

GoPro is also very strong in storytelling. Their promotional films contain stunning, spectacular and emotional images created with GoPro action cameras. These often do not come from GoPro itself, but from users themselves.

In one of the films, we see how a fireman does everything possible to rescue a cat from a building that just before was on fire. The product hardly receives any attention. That’s logical as it would probably be counterproductive.

 The clip ends happily, but unfortunately this was not so in the real story. The cat’s lungs were damaged by smoke inhalation. The poor animal died later the same day. 

1. Dove

For real beauty, you think immediately of Dove. For more than ten years now, the cosmetics brand has been championing ‘real beauty’, not what you can achieve with Photoshop. This is a story which reaches out to the female target group.

One of Dove’s hits is a film about a social experiment in which a forensic artist draws two sketches of women who he cannot see. He bases the first on the description from the woman herself and the second on one from someone else.

The experiment demonstrates that women are uncertain about their appearance although they have absolutely no reason to be so. That’s an emotional message which fits perfectly with the Dove brand.

1. LEGO

We just can’t leave out LEGO. They Danish toy producer is responsible for perhaps the best ever example of storytelling: The LEGO Movie. This 3D film is really just one big showcase for LEGO.

Branded or not, The LEGO Movie is certainly not an obvious promotional film. The story is well constructed and entertaining to young and old. The underlying message of course is that you are never too old to use your imagination.

Here the product literally plays the main role, so that a call-to-action is not even required. After seeing The LEGO Movie, many children will be asking their parents for LEGO. 

1. Budweiser

Who doesn’t love puppies? Budweiser certainly does. One of the most successful adverts of the American beer brand is the impossible friendship between a young Labrador and a horse. 

The advert moves you and brings a smile to your face, all in under a minute. A number of people also appear, including a man in a Budweiser cap. But their contribution to the story is nearly non-existent. It’s all about the puppy!

You could almost forget that you are watching a beer advert. That pushy, commercial layer is entirely unnecessary. The emotional story indirectly strengthens the Budweiser brand. 

At least one of these videos has surely brought a lump to your throat. They have for me. The stories just stick in your mind. And not because all the benefits of the product have been highlighted, but rather because it fits in with your perceptions. That is the power of storytelling.