it’s about the story.
For most of you, this all sounds familiar. For some, it's new news. User-generated content designed to grab the attention of the attention-less has become the dominant format in our daily consumption. Sounds about right, yes? I found myself becoming more and more dependent on my phone, scrolling through with absolutely zero intention. Sometimes not even completely comprehending what the feck I just watched. Dog video here, cat video there, lip sync video over there. All a bit, meaningless really. Speaking out loud about my own experiences made me think…
I guess we have started to become more reactive rather than proactive. One time I picked up my phone 300 times in a week and to no surprise, the first app I would open 90% of the time was Instagram. It purely had become a reaction. Maybe most of us are too far gone, lost in the void of Tik Tok’s algorithm. But for some, there's a light. The caveat to all of this, however, is it's obvious we are moving into an even deeper connection to technology that we will not be able to escape. So all of this needs to be taken with a grain of salt. So, my point is we need to learn to live with it. Like IRL, we go to the gym, lift a few tins or waddle on the treadmill to hopefully jiggle those little receptors we know so well as endorphins. In hope that it turns the cogs for a few more rotations allowing us to get through another beautiful and wonderful day. Well the juxtaposition to all of this is that people will need to follow the same approach online. Meaning, they will be more selective with what they watch, read or listen to. I am not implying the death of Tik Tok or Social media in any way, but how we consume it will be more considered, leaving a gap for attention.
When I was dreaming up this thought piece, something someone said (undisclosed) really hit home. That is, that Tik Tok’s biggest competitor isnt Instagram, but rather Netflix. If you think about it, people’s switched off minds need substance. The art of storytelling has been around for millions of years and as far as I can see, will be around for many more millions to come. Stories are the pathway to engaging our right brain and triggering our imagination. Stories create genuine emotions, presence, and behavioral responses. In other words, storytelling = meaningful engagement.
When I think of brands and storytelling, there is always one pioneer that comes to mind and that’s Yeti. They don't make their superior quality or features the point. They don't make a fancy logo the point. They make your desire to be in the outdoors the point, and they help you envision yourself in it. And they do this by telling stories of cool people doing really cool shit. The products become incidental to that journey.
So to recap my waffle, people are searching for content that entertains and delights in a meaningful way. Let’s not sit back and let Netflix scoop up all the attention. Brands need and can step up and get involved. Like the old saying that never feels old, think ‘brand as publisher’.
If you want to know how your brand can show up in the world then give us a holla.
