Virgin Group: Storytelling Month & The Power of Brand Building
Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson is doing something right. The magnate and investor has more than 60 businesses. Do you know what he attributes his success to? The art of storytelling.
“Entrepreneurs who make a difference are, in effect, professional storytellers…” writes Richard Branson, founder Virgin Group. “Storytelling is as old as the campfire, and as young as a tweet. Regardless of the medium — in person, on social media, through old fashioned letters, on the phone or via email — there is nothing more effective and affecting than storytelling.”
To pay homage to the craft, March was Storytelling Month on the Virgin website. The campaign features articles — including from the founder himself — which relay the powerful role of storytelling in building a brand, motivating employees and inspiring customers. We kept up with the campaign all month long so you didn’t have to. Here are the top five articles from the series.
The History and Future of Storytelling — What Does it Tell us?
When we look back to our literal caveman days of storytelling, we can describe them as intrinsically passive experiences. There was the teller, and there was the listener. The listener listened, and that was all. Slowly but surely, the listener has been reaching towards a state where they are becoming more and more like a teller. Discover how the audience is gaining unprecedented control.
How Not to Tell Your Brand’s Story
Brand storytelling: it’s old news, but it’s not going anywhere. It has been estimated that, on average, we see 5,000 marketing messages and consume 100,500 digital words every day. Here’s what you should/shouldn’t do to stand out.
The Storytelling Masterclass: Four Brands Getting it Right
Campaigns that engage the public’s imagination mean that the advert is talked about. The product is almost subliminal to the message (for the audience at least). Watch campaigns from Weight Watchers, Guinness, Google and Nike.
How Startups Can Use Storytelling to Boost Their Business
The story has become a commodity in business and the most successful are those who tell them best. Fortunately for startups, storytelling has little, if anything, to do with budget and everything to do with ideas and careful execution.
How to Tell a Story on a Shoestring
A massive 30 percent of most business’ budgets go to content creation, according to a study from the Content Marketing Institute. The most widely shared stories aren’t necessarily the cleverest, or those that have had the most money thrown at their production, but they’re the ones which elicit an emotional response. Here’s how to do it on a budget.
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