It's All About the Story
A young boy picks up a football for the first time...Gatorade. A young girl wants to coach...NFL. The older athlete wants to impart wisdom to the younger one...KIA. The monkey learns how to program smart phone apps...Doritos.
It's all about the story.
The Super Bowl is a fantastic place to learn about the importance of story in connection, and the importance of connection to sales. Let's look at two major examples from Sunday's championship game to learn a little bit about the importance of story.
First, the commercials. Since the mid-90's when Super Bowl ads eclipsed $1,000,000 for the first time, the conversation about the commercials has been as big or bigger than the game itself. This year was no different, as the cost of a 30-second spot set a new record ($5.6 million per 30-second). The expense is a story that's fun to watch, but the most interesting part to me as a storyteller is to noticed how different these commercials are from the ones you see on a regular day during a regular show.
It's all about the story.
They don't waste their time pushing a product or talking about price. Nearly every single ad tells a story that is aimed at connecting to the viewer on a deeper level. It's rarely even about team or game, it's about deep personal values and humanity.
It's all about the story.
And number two, the game itself. If you get a few minutes to scan the headlines of online news outlets, or if you happen past one of the six remaining newspaper stands in the country, take a look at the few words that are used to sell the story of this game. I don't even have to look. I know very few will include the score, and even fewer will include the name of the losing team. The vast majority will say something along the lines of, "Chiefs Win First Title in 50 Years". Because,
It's all about the story.
You'll get the details from the game in the internal paragraphs, but the headline and the opening sentence will tell about the young MVP quarterback and the 50 years since the last title, because those are the stories that sell to everyone, not just the fans of that particular team. And stories make connection. And connections make sales.
It's all about the story.
Are you telling your story at all? And if you are, are you telling about the score of the game, or are you sharing about your young MVP and your 50-year history? Tell the right story today.