Monday, February 4, 2013

A storytelling masterwork

I'm really excited about the new focus on storytelling in marketing - Coke is doing amazing stuff - loved the race in the desert idea-and they're online storytelling presence is awesome.

We've been talking a lot lately as an industry about storytelling.  I am a big fan of stories as marketing tools.  It's so much more interesting and engaging experience a story rather than a pitch.  Yesterday we saw a dozen great storytelling adverts on the Super Bowl.

None more powerful emotionally than The Farmer

Everyone - including Gary Sinese loved it.  But I say, it's a lousy commercial, and a poor use of storytelling.  Why?  Quick, what product was it pushing?  A pickup truck, good.  Which one?  Chevy? Ford?  No wait...Ram Pickups? hmmm...doesn't Fiat own that brand now?

The commercial was well executed. Paul Harvey, great.  But the connection of the brand to the story?  Not so much.  Chrysler could have woven in all the great stuff they have done for farmers over the years...it must be more than trucks, right?  Well, a quick search doesn't show that much actually. Chrysler doesn't appear to have a farm equipment focus. In fact the only tractor related Chrysler connection was an old news story about Chrysler strong-arming a tiny mid-west tractor manufacturer into giving up its Plymouth Tractor brand.

Bottom line, great execution, but no brand hook other than repetition, equals lousy marketing storytelling.