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Stories we tell
Apparently there are only seven basic stories in the world. Seven stories, seven plots that every work of fiction, film, drama or (even) ad campaign is based upon.
They are:
- Overcoming the Monster
- Rags to Riches
- The Quest
- Voyage and Return
- Comedy
- Tragedy
- Rebirth
Many stories contain multiple narratives, some of them all seven.
For years, advertising has also told these stories, from the timelessness of the Marlboro Man to Rhonda and Ketut’s soap for AAMI. Like film, the craft of great advertising can be admired, deconstructed and revered. Sometimes, advertising takes the breath away as it twists a conventional narrative unable to be captured by feature film. Like the post-MTV music video, ads condense the linear into the abstract to create a heightened sense of emotion. So much so that brands are now using neuroscience metrics to capture subconscious responses to video content, measuring attention levels and neural activity. So, if ads are capable of sustaining 30 seconds of oomph to the tantric allure of film, then surely ‘content’ is the perfect bed-partner to the documentary.
Storytelling has come a long way. And it is no more prevalent and powerful than in stories documented from fact.
Our thirst for the documentary has bloomed in recent years, both for filmmakers and paying viewers alike. Searching for Sugar Man (Overcoming the Monster/Rags to Riches), Touching the Void (Journey and Return), Grizzly Man (Tragedy) and Stories We Tell (Journey and Return) are testament that however much we are bombarded by fiction, we are still searching for something pure and visceral. Stories unheard.
The first thing we ask now when we see a film is, ‘is this a true story?’ Filmmakers are clambering for content that can be substantiated immediately by tablet-surfing viewers, rather than being forced (begrudgingly) to type “Based on a”before“true story” over the opening titles.
Whilst both film and traditional advertising provide an agile and quick commercial model, true depth is found in more current drip-drip forms of storytelling.
Companies and brands need to spend more time understanding their brand story, their core audiences and their authority to publish. Interesting stories told in interesting ways. With relevance and respect for their audience. With timeliness. Consistently.
Content marketing provides an opportunity for stories to change behaviour in a smarter way. More vérité, less CGI.
But can the stories we tell become the stories we sell? Would Rodriguez sell more records? Would Super Size Me damage McDonald’s? Would An Inconvenient Truth help raise awareness of climate change? The answer is yes. Storytelling for the modern age creates a depth of influence that traditional advertising struggles to reach.
By Jonny Clow, Managing Director, Edge
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