I’m a novelist, and I write marketing copy, and never shall the twain meet. Except in my mind, and my work, they do. Why? Because every time I sit down to write something for a client, I think about the story that needs to be told.
In fiction, writers are all over the storyline. Is it believable, engaging, un-put-downable? Does the voice work for this story? Sometimes we ask these questions consciously and freak out when the answers don’t come right away. Other times we trust the answers will emerge in the writing.
In marketing, we ask similar questions. What story will engage customers? What does the brand convey and what voice fits with the brand? The answers to these questions shape the form and content of the story.
The need for story is innate, possibly even the price of entry into the customer’s consciousness.
When I write for clients, I think about the reader (end user, consumer, etc.) more than the client. I’m a reader myself, and a consumer. I like words and I appreciate well-written stories as much as I do well-written copy.
Marketing, good marketing anyway, tells a relevant story to the right people, at the right time (think of the ultra-targeted ads of Facebook, the mini-spots on Hulu–both based on your interests, choices, etc). Some stories told in advertising are so strong they stay with you for years.
Remember the story of drug addiction in the ad of the egg cracked and dropped, hissing, into a hot pan? I can still hear the announcer’s somber warning: “This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs.” Not a happy story, but certainly a powerful one.
Given that all marketing has an agenda (to sell products, ideas, etc.) is the new trend of “authentic” marketing an oxymoron?
Not if it’s about the story. Not if the story is relevant and engaging.
People want to be engaged. They won’t tell you this when they’re looking at an ad, or an email promotion or a website. But subconsciously, they’ll be looking for the “arc.” Reading your copy to see “what’s going to happen next,” how your brand, product, service, etc. might change them or their lives. Maybe not in a significant way, but in some way.
If you fail to give your audience a story, you’ve lost them. Maybe for good. But get them hooked on a good story and, well, that’s a happy ending all around.
Musing about marketing 