Once upon a time...

Everyone loves a story. Marketers should love stories more than most people. They don't necessarily. But they should. A famous 1910 baseball poem, BASEBALL'S SAD LEXICON, talks about a famous 1902 double play by three Chicago Cubs players named Tinkers, Evers, and Chance. Knowing this, would you find it easy to remember their names tomorrow? Probably not. But suppose I asked you the question "Do you think three gypsy TINKERS could EVER(S) have a CHANCE to make a double play?" Easier to remember, right? You've probably used similar mnemonics yourself.

[A mnemonic device (pronounced /nəˈmɒnɪk/) is a memory aid. Mnemonics rely on associations between easy-to-remember constructs and lists of data, based on the principle that the human mind much more easily remembers data attached to personal or otherwise meaningful information than that occurring in meaningless sequences.] A story is just another kind of mnemonic. Stories are an easy way to communicate your message to an audience, and to get them to remember it. It's hard to recall a simple list of benefits, or a quick series of video clips, and associate them with a particular product or service. [Automobile advertising is particularly prone to this mistake.]

But we are culturally hard-wired to pay attention to stories, and are more likely to remember them. So when I see a commercial that shows a little boy stealing a base in a little league game , and getting his uniform filthy from the slide, and them mom washing that uniform sparkling clean with Tide, I remember that Tide is good at getting out tough stains. BINGO! A classic example of the value of a good story is the J. Peterman phenomenon. If you've never experienced it, go here now: http://jpeterman.com/product~cat~110206~sku~WSL%201019.asp. See if the story doesn't seduce you into paying much more attention to an ordinary nightshirt than you ever would if it were prosaically listed in a less imaginative catalog. Stories can ignite the imagination, tap hidden emotions, drive home a message, and create lasting memories. Sounds like just what you want your advertising to do, right? So....tell me a story!