The Power of a Good Story

This week we saw the annual celebration of World Book Day. A fantastic occasion where schools, libraries and people like you and I celebrate all that is great in the world of literature.

Here at TAP we were thrilled to join in. Following our sponsorship of new chairs for the reading corner at the local pre-school, we took the opportunity to share some of our favourite farm stories with the children.

This experience also got us reflecting on the value of storytelling. Good storytelling engages and captivates an audience, evoking emotions and building a relationship with the audience. In fact, it’s a way of communicating which is almost as old as time itself.

The TAP Team Share Farm Stories With Children

Some of the world’s oldest books – The Bible, The Quran, the Torah- all tell a story to deliver a message or even to explain history.

We all have a favourite book that evokes memories. And despite the digital revolution, books remain an important part of our world today. Everywhere you look there’s a story to be told, or being told.

Storytelling is so relevant to everyone’s world but no more so than in our world of marketing where we are all competing for attention. One of the most successful ways that brands connect with their customers is through the power of storytelling.

Steve Jobs was an expert at telling the story of new Apple products in his launch speeches, creating a must-have, iconic brand.  We’ve all seen many big brand names successfully engaging with their customers through a well thought out ad campaign narrative – Nike have become global masters at this.

Their #DreamCrazy campaign was a brilliant example of inspiring the viewer and addressing current affairs in a way that makes you think – about yourself, your actions and… their product!

The Power of a Good Story

The trick is telling a tale that resonates with your customer. It could be the history behind your product, it could be the people behind your product or, it could be aligning your product or service with a sentiment or conversation. We love this example from Dodge, which featured at the 2013 Superbowl.

Here, Dodge have taken a powerful recording, with strong sentiment and used the commercial to associate the “mighty farmer”, who people depend on, with their mighty, dependable truck.

Using imagery and a poignant, familiar speech they have created the perfect balance and produced a really engaging and thought provoking piece – which, according to some of the comments on YouTube even reduced farmers to tears! 

All these examples make it look so easy – we all have a story don’t we? But the key to success in the world of marketing, however you choose to tell your tale, is to always be truthful and authentic.

In doing so, you build a relationship and trust with your customer that can only go on to build bigger and better things, as well as growing true brand advocates.

And in this fast-paced world we live in, whether you used World Book Day as an excuse to indulge in your favourite book, or to talk with your family about favourite characters and tales of old, we hope you were able to take the time to disconnect and reconnect with those around you. After all, when you look back at life, it won’t be the evenings spent online you’ll recall, but the memories you made along the way. 

We all have a story to tell, make sure it’s a good one!

Jenni Green - 08/03/19

"Partnering with TAP has helped our team tackle the challenges of the European marketplace and its diversity of geographies and languages. TAP’s expertise, connections and work has strengthened our brand, content and social media efforts. We appreciate its responsive collaborative approach, and its ability to work efficiently within short timelines, limited budgets and across time zones and languages. Plus it connected quickly with our team and are a pleasure to work with."

Colleen Shaw - Global Communications Leader, Nuseed

"The Ad Plain’s digital skills and expertise have helped Interagro in building a social media presence in the agricultural market place. TAP are innovative and creative with their ideas and at the forefront of developing social media strategies. A dynamic and forward thinking team - an absolute joy to work with."

Emma Ralph - Managing Director, Interagro

"Mexico Tourism Board worked with TAP for all its creative requirements for UK, Ireland and Scandinavia. We have been delighted with the strong creative concepts which work effectively over a broad spectrum of media. In addition, as well as communicating a strong image of Mexico, the creative works to accurately portray the rich diversity of Mexico's many regions. The whole team are always ready to help and will find a solution for any problem and hit even the tightest deadlines."

Lupita Ayala - Deputy Director, Mexico Tourism Board

"TAP have helped Monsanto through all stages of establishing and building a social media presence for DEKALB, which yielded impressive results in a recent high-profile website launch."

Lucy Kane - Production & Marketing Coordinator, Monsanto

"The Ad Plain's professional, creative and patient approach enabled us to produce a vibrant and accessible report for the conference which will stand the test of time and which is already creating demand for further copies. Thank you to The Ad Plain team for working so effectively with us."

Julian Gairdner - Co-chairman Oxford Farming Conference

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