Marketing has always been and always will be about telling stories. Godin’s All Marketers are Liars Tell Stories:

If you think that (more expensive) wine is better, then it is. If you think your new boss is going to be more effective, then she will be. If you love the way a car handles, then you’re going to enjoy driving it.

This is basic stuff we all (should) know.

The epic year of 2009, it’s dumpy economy and all of it’s social media glory hasn’t changed that.

But social media the internet has changed some things…

Consider Boone Oakley, an ad agency with a series of YouTube videos for a web site (yep, it’s the one Mashable listed as one of the year’s most innovative viral ads, and Digital Marketing Blog listed as the “most creative website ever [?]“).

Instead of busting their butts trying to establish relationships without giving people a reason to interact with them, they started by sharing their story. Which, in turn drives the desire for us to have a relationship with them.

But don’t take it from me, get it straight from David Oakley’s mouth:

“What you want to do is have a conversation with people who are interested in you, and being on YouTube allows us to do that [...] We can get instant feedback from people. But the real reason we did it was because we wanted a great way to showcase our work.”

Notice that people were interested before the conversation and that the feedback started after the buzz.

Sure, if you build it, they may not necessarily come. But when you share your story, you at least you give people a reason to come when you invite them.

Sometimes, you just gotta leap.

When the site launched it, was it risky? Sure.

Radical? Yep.

Worth it? You decide.

In our justify-ROI-or-die world, sometimes innovation gets stifled because it appears too risky. But what if the YouTube video would have fizzled out in three weeks with 100 hits?

Umm…nothing?

Boone Oakley would have pulled the plug and tried something else. I think the more we can find ways to fail quickly and cheaply, the better chances we give ourselves at finding something that actually works.

Questions we can ask…

Boone Oakley’s video is an idea that any of us could have thought of.

But we didn’t.

In search of the next big idea, here are some questions I think it may be useful for us to ask:

1. What’s attention-worthy in my product or brand story? In a time when we’re hit with 5,000 ad messages every day, what makes us special?

This is Billy’s story in the Boone Oakley vid. More than a USP, Billy’s tale is a narrative.

We talk to our friends in narrative, we recount stories of the holidays in narrative, we relate our lives to narrative. That’s why Billy works. Plus, you have to admit, Billy’s untimely demise is pretty funny.

2. Where are the cliffhangers in my story? What keeps people asking for more?

Once Boone and Oakely set us up with their USP (“we’re not all those sucky big agencies”), and tease us with Billy’s plight, they lead right into some of their most engaging work.

And then, if you’re like me, you were left wanting more, so you clicked a few of the links on the left.

3. Where do I give customers the chance to engage with my story? How can co-creation happen?

YouTube has comments build in so feedback is immediately available.

But more than just the mundane “that was awesome” praise, if you look at their client work, you’ll notice that Boone Oakley has a wonderful way of weaving their attitude and perspective into unique brand needs. Their client work is really their story.

We have to acknowledge that as we have more access to customer feedback and as we relate with them on an increasingly personal level, our stories will evolve. Now, more than ever, our customers will be helping us to author them.

4. What’s shareable about my story? How can I remove barriers to sharing?

Boone Oakley essentially made their website embeddable (I should make them do an interview for all the free advertising I’m giving them…) and thus, their story easily shareable.

More specifically though, their story is so interesting and entertaining that it’s easy to share, even if you aren’t in the same business.

So what’s your story?

Please share if you’re so inclined.

-Andrew

Image Credit: Bruce Berrien on Flickr; original here

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