Story Sets You Up for Engagement
Stories power successful content creation. But it’s not because of the story form. It’s because that story form promises to squeeze our emotions, which is cathartic. Visuals multiply the promise. I’m a fan of art direction, which looms large in delivering emotional release. In our visual age, we follow where our eyes go and are willing to be convinced by what we see.
These things we all know.
This easyJet spot captivates me with well-known forms (art) that mimic life (poses from today’s influencers) doing what most everyone wants (escape to an exotic vacation).
The deeper secret that easyJet hints at is that we all want to be the sought-after hero in our own adventure. These are the fictions that influencers project on social media—and we’re all in. That’s the story we want for ourselves. easyJet (and their agency VCCP London) recognized this and used the story form to subvert the art form to quicken our desire for the build-your-fame form of today’s influencer.
Our clients are less consumer-facing than easyJet, so we think less about pulling people in by telling their secrets out loud. But more often, we need to reach out to tell the story of a start-up and the problem they have solved. And more often, established companies need to rework their message for this moment in time, which is different from one year ago.
These are the times we revisit the secrets that all humans carry–because we need to tell a bigger story.
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