CHAPTER 00

INTRODUCTION

Every great story starts somewhere. This one has been brewing in our hallways for many years and officially grew wings early in 2012.

A client, one of the world’s largest consumer packaged goods brands, hosted an event in London titled “Storytelling in the Digital Age.” The company’s chief marketing officer (CMO), was driving this initiative, supported by his group of lieutenants; all of the heads of the brands and the marketing directors from around the world were present. The CMO, arguably one of the most influential marketers in the world at the time, had recently declared that he would mandate a much larger percentage of the corporation’s sizable global marketing spend to digital. His team put together this symposium as a way to get their heads wrapped around how to take their marketing approach into the digital space. Their request from partners like us was simple: Give them two to three things they could go to work on, starting the following week; give them something they could actually change. They wanted very actionable stuff and not a lot of it. At the event, presenters included their four global digital agencies, SapientNitro being one. Of course, all the usual suspects, such as Twitter, Google, and Facebook, were prominently represented. Additionally, they had their public relations (PR) agencies present, which was brilliant, as the world of PR has probably seen more disruption from the hyper-connected world than any other. PR is also going through some real struggles in terms of reinventing themselves—today a press release alone just doesn’t work. Everything in that world has shifted dramatically to social, and many PR agencies are no longer effective because they haven’t evolved, while others are encroaching into the digital marketing space with some success.

Picture the room with these players in their corners. There is clearly something interesting happening with PR agencies, clearly explosive growth with Google, Facebook, and Twitter in the digital social media space, and then there’s something transformative going on in the digital agency space as well, right? In our view, we’re all fighting for control of the same damn idea. These guys wanted to tap into that collective, to learn how to evolve its approach to building brands. Each of these representatives, in their respective corners, all attended this event in London to present their perspective on how this global organization could most effectively take advantage of this new space and adapt to quickly tackle any challenges that could be in their way of doing this.

Malcolm Poynton, our creative lead in Europe, was originally scheduled to speak on SapientNitro’s behalf. At the last minute, Malcolm was called to a big pitch. He knew I happened to be in London, so he asked me to step in for him. “Sure, I’ll do it,” I said. “Where’s your presentation?” That’s when he gave me a time-stopping, blank stare. I realized we needed to roll up our shirtsleeves and put a killer presentation together. And we did just that. Enter: The language of Storyscaping.

While addressing this audience for whom we have a lot of respect, we knew that approaching them with a philosophy about how everything they once knew is now all wrong wouldn’t feel right or go over well. First, it’s pretty obnoxious, and second, it’s not true. We believe that what this industry has been doing is overstating this conflict between new and old. There are things we have known, and there are things we now know. We encouraged this audience to recognize that there isn’t some black and white line you cross from being traditional to going digital. If you’re very rooted in the craft of advertising, as in the Mad Men era, and you haven’t evolved, frankly, you might be a little screwed. And if you came from that era, crossed over the line, and forgot everything you once knew, well, then you also might be a little screwed. Or, if you think that the world started yesterday and only what happens tomorrow matters, then, you guessed it, still screwed. Isn’t it a relief to hear that this period in marketing history doesn’t require a total revolution? To dismiss thousands of years of storytelling and a hundred years of advertising and the psychology behind it would be an unhealthy loss. It’s time to evolve it. Evolve your craft from one of using pictures and words into one of creating an immersive experience that encourages people to jump in and participate with your brand and become part of a shared story, not just your world but their world. Think of it as moving from using the 8-crayon box to the 24-crayon box. It’s really that simple.

Our approach with these marketers was, “We value what you value in the power of story and building brands and making emotional connections.” Our process with them was the same one we share with you here. First, we deconstructed what we all knew about stories, ads, and history. Then we added, rather than replaced, the new stuff we’d learned about storytelling in the digital era. After those two important steps were discussed and collaborated upon, then and only then could we connect the dots by applying Systems Thinking. Last, we leveraged new technology to build effective Story Systems. This is the essential formula for how we create immersive experiences where brands become part of people’s stories and people become part of the brand’s story.

At the conclusion of our keynote presentation, one of those semimagical moments that surface only when one deeply connects to the audience materialized. After stating, “We should all move from storytelling to Storyscaping,” everyone in the room dropped their heads and pushed pens across paper for the first time during the event. It was that momentary dream state where we all collectively realized this language and approach enable a new way of connecting to this material. We put a name and a face on something they already envisioned but could not articulate or touch. Now they could more easily maneuver and attack this incredible opportunity created by this changing landscape in a very practical way.

Are you wondering how the story of our little presentation ended? Well, the good news is that it hasn’t ended; it continues to evolve. Soon after that fateful day, we were approached and asked to present this concept during many industry events, including the sixtieth annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and most notably to many senior business leaders and marketing professionals around the world. The funny, yet reassuring bit is that many of those folks (whom we are proud to call clients) have not only adopted this language and philosophy but made it theirs. It’s fun when we find ourselves in conversations where they “critique” whether something we are proposing is appropriate for their Storyscape or aligns to their Organizing Idea. We are thrilled by the fact that they now own this idea. When a concept is lifted by those kinds of wings and boomerangs back, it’s probably time to write the book on it.

Speaking of books, perhaps you’ve noticed the plethora of new business books that tout the power of storytelling being published these days. In case you had not already tuned in, the majority of those books will convince you that story is a powerful elixir that can magically connect your business to new customers in a meaningful and profitable way. They will also prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the best-run companies and the most successful brands all have a great story to tell. We believe that to be mostly true, but what those books fail to point out is that not just any old story will do the trick. You need a great story, one with much more than just words and pictures. You need to create immersive worlds. Create worlds that resonate with the highly connected, digitally enabled consumer of today. Create sensing and adaptive worlds that, in this ever-changing environment, can differentiate and cut across emotional, physical, and virtual experiences. Whether you are an entrepreneur just getting started, part of a world-class team, or sitting in the big chair, in a big office, at a big company, this book aims to help you better understand and imagine these immersive experiences. It will also show you how to combine storytelling with Systems Thinking, becoming a valuable guide on how to leverage enabling technologies in order to create powerful Story Systems. Maybe you’re feeling frustrated that your marketing efforts are failing to keep up and your company is on the verge of disappearing, or perhaps things are working well but your ambitions always trump your achievements and you want to take things to the next level. Either way, this book can unlock some real opportunity for you and your organization. Don’t just throw more spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks or repackage and repurpose all the same stuff you’ve been using and watch it underthrill again. You can now stop telling the world your story though ads alone and learn how to create worlds in which your stories become part of the consumers’ world. This is why we warm-heartedly encourage you to stop story-yelling and start Storyscaping—or stop creating ads and start creating worlds.

The Fast, Cheap, and Good Rule. We are not sure who came up with this old notion, but we think the first time we heard it was from a building contractor during our office remodel. “Pick two,” he requested. “You can have your office done fast and good, but it won’t be cheap. Or, we can do it fast and cheap, but it won’t be good.” He reinforced his delivery on any combination of those two elements with a caveat: We should expect to sacrifice on the third element. We think the opposite exists in any market-facing business. Here we use the same idea of juggling three relatable components in a formula, only this time we plug in value, story, and experience. Unlike the previous “rule” where two elements were reductive to the third, this logic amplifies the third. For example, if you provide great value and create a great experience, you will improve your story. If you have a great story and you provide a great experience, you amplify your value. We will explore the relationship between experience and product further in this book because we believe they are interchangeable ideas—or at least highly related. The same goes for value and price. If you provide a great experience (product) and have a great story (brand), you should be able to merit higher value (price). It’s time to recognize that any fool can offer a discount to sell more product or service, printing a bunch of coupons or promoting buy-one-get-one-free offers or even renting a chicken suit—these options do not take much imagination and are rather shortsighted. On the flip side, savvy marketers can differentiate their product or service by crafting a memorable brand story that emotionally connects a company to its customers through shared values. This option requires real imagination and some emotional intelligence. Trumping all of these options is the genius who puts it all together by connecting a great story with an immersive and differentiated experience at the right price. With that said, another great way to differentiate and grow is to re-imagine how a product or service is delivered by creating new business models, a truly differentiated experience, or innovation. It takes a visionary to pull that off. How do you differentiate and grow your business?

The following is a taste of what we are concocting throughout this book—a snapshot of four main approaches to marketing. First we offer a hypothetical example about a pizza store, designed as a useful, quick look at how your any-size, any-type business compares within a simplified framework. Next, using that same framework, we provide highly recognizable real-world examples to further drive home our points.

Price-Based Differentiation. Sue Generic owns a pizza delivery company. There are two similar pizza joints in her small town. In order to grow her business, Sue chooses to advertise her pizza with a buy-one-get-one-free offer. In our view, Sue is not telling a good story. In fact, you could argue that the story could be interpreted as, “This is cheap pizza.” Now, of course, she has the best intentions; after all, doesn’t everyone want a good deal? The short answer is, discounting alone is almost always a bad idea in the long run. Price-based differentiation can often be a one-way ticket to commoditization, not to mention abysmal margins.

Story-Based Differentiation. Sue Generic owns a pizza delivery company. There are two pizza joints in her small town, but hers is different. In order to differentiate her business, Sue shares her story with her customers and the public in clever and relevant ways. Sue tells how she learned to make their secret sauce when she was only 12. Sue uses the recipe that has been in her family for 100 years, and she imports all the key ingredients weekly, including the “secret” herbs for the sauce. New customers line up to try her family recipe every day. She never takes reservations, never rushes an order, and closes early when she runs out of pie dough for the day.

Experience-Based Differentiation. Sue Generic owns a pizza delivery company. There are two other similar pizza joints in her small town, but she intends to change the game. In order to grow her business, Sue chooses to offer guaranteed delivery in 30 minutes or less. She has even invested in a mobile app that allows her very busy customers to order their favorite custom pie on the fly so they can get those kids fed and in bed tonight. Hers is the only pizza joint to offer this differentiated experience, and her customer base keeps growing.

Storyscaping Differentiation. Sue Generic owns a pizza delivery company. There are two other pizza joints in her small town, but they cannot compete with hers. Sue understands that to build a successful business she must do all of the above while carefully balancing elements of value, story, and experience with a sharp focus on becoming part of her customers’ world. She reimagined the whole business, she has a story that truly connects with people, and she created an experience that delivers a product that can’t easily be replicated, for which her customers happily pay a premium. Sue is a genius!

Now that you have a generic glimpse of the four main approaches and how they work within their respective frameworks, the following real-world examples from the toy industry aim to add more practical fuel for comprehension.

Price-Based Differentiation. We don’t want to give this idea too much airtime, nor does it really merit any further explanation. You can find plenty of this crap all around you. The world does not need yet another factory in China making nameless blue teddy bears. We will use blue teddy bears as our example of price-based differentiation. They are $7.99, and that’s about all they have going for them. They could be handy if you find yourself in a situation where you need to buy a gift for a kid you don’t know well or like much . . . and they are blue . . . don’t you want one?

Story-Based Differentiation. Of course you remember the famous Cabbage Patch Kids of the early 1980s, right? Materially speaking, Cabbage Patch Kids were not too different from other dolls on the shelf next to it. They did not have computer chips in them, they did not move, they didn’t talk, they didn’t create sounds or flash any lights—on no account were they better than any other doll. What stood out was their unique element of story; each Cabbage Patch Kid had to be “adopted,” which made the whole story as much (or more) about the buyer as it did the product.1 This is why people paid toy retailers and other outlets premium prices and paid doll scalpers and collectors four times those premium prices for a Cabbage Patch Kid as they would have paid for a similar doll.2 Today an original Cabbage Patch Kid will still fetch a handsome price on eBay. The key here is that their story put you, the “adoptive parent,” in the middle. This is exactly the kind of story we will introduce and encourage throughout the pages of this book. It’s not easy to craft the right story, but when you do, the effects are vast, powerful, and long lasting.

Experience-Based Differentiation. Do you have a Build-a-Bear franchise store in your local mall? That store takes appointments. An appointment for a store that sells teddy bears? Why? These guys have taken teddy bear sales to another level, and their success lies in the creation of immersive experiences.3 Envision a magical place where you can take your favorite adolescent—be it your daughter, your nephew, or even yourself. When you arrive in this magical place, you embark on the journey of picking out just the right piece of soft fur, having it stuffed to your preferred ‘squishiness’ and giving it life with its very own heart (that you can kiss for good wishes before it’s popped inside your new friend). After your bear is built to your liking, next you select the perfect outfit to take it home in. You can even add a sound and finally, the cherry on top of this customized magical experience, you get to give your new best friend a name.4 Who could possibly deny their kid an experience like this, even at the hearty premium price it demands? A differentiated experience like this one can grow your business fast, usually faster than a great brand story, but the trade-off is easy replication by your competitor. Therefore, the challenge with this approach is, and has always been, sustainability.

Storyscaping Differentiation. Let’s explore the phenomenon of the American Girl franchise success. In the 1980s, a publisher of educational materials came up with an idea to teach American History with the release of three 18-inch dolls, each from a different time period.5 These dolls all came with historically accurate storybooks detailing their life. While the educational aspect of these dolls was their kick start, there was also much built-in entertainment from aftermarket sales of doll accessories and clothing. Around the time Mattel bought the company in 1995, there were more than 50 dolls, all with stories from all over the world in practically every ethnicity. Every little girl could finally identify on a physical level with a doll that mirrored her, that told her tale. Today, those young doll enthusiasts have a veritable American Girl universe of exquisite retail spaces to roam and collect dolls. They can dine in American Girl restaurants or get makeovers for themselves and their dolls at American Girl salons. Their Manhattan location is on 5th Avenue, a hotbed of frenzied birthday party waiting lists. You can browse the entire catalog on your iPad and download American Girl diary apps to your iPod. Doll owners heavily travel the social media space to share couture doll ensembles or to show off impressive collections of dolls that are on and off the market like antiques and artwork. There are real-life fashion shows of dolls and their owners. In 2012 American Girl reported millions of visitors annually, with sales at $100.5 million.6 Their website gets more than 70 million hits per year.7 American Girl has a story with no periods, just commas. This is the kind of Storyscape we will delve into throughout this book—and after examining the differences between these four approaches, we think you’ll agree: Storyscaping is a methodology well worth delving into, and there is fun to be had along the way.

Let’s remain positive during the challenges we are all facing in the market today and evolve our craft. Look at this time as an opportunity to re-imagine your business. What will happen when you start focusing on creating a world around your business? How much more effective do you think your efforts will be when your world personally affects each individual consumer’s story? What if every interaction that occurred between a consumer and your business led to immersive experiences, making your customers want to jump into your world and become part of your narrative? Conversely, if you get to be in their story, then by nature, don’t they too become part of your story? Imagine how creating shared stories could make an awfully big impact on consumer engagement and brand advocacy. This scene displays what we call the leap from storytelling (creating ads) into Storyscaping (creating worlds). This is a pretty powerful leap. It is revolutionary and evolutionary, and with it, our aim is to make marketing in the digital age more accessible for everyone. To do that, we are about to share with you our approach and full model for bringing it all together while we highlight real-client work. You’ll see it’s actually rather simple, and when you get into a groove with it, it makes your work enjoyable.

In Part One you’ll gain an essential foundational understanding of the purpose and power behind Storyscaping; you will also connect with some real-world examples through case studies and enjoy supporting interviews from some of the most influential marketing leaders. Part Two is where we share details behind the how-to, giving you a step-by-step model that you can use to shift your efforts today toward affecting successful evolution for your organization and brand in the near future. Through this book, SapientNitro has taken a major step toward increased transparency, proving our willingness to share our approach with the entire industry. We wrote this in a style and language that is intended for an audience of the solo, self-employed businessperson working to make a difference on a local level, on up through the multiteam departments of worldwide brands. We also hope this helps our “competitors” who know firsthand how tough it is to consistently evolve—each of us aspiring to be the best in a new breed of storytellers. We share our successful approach here with everyone who is willing to evolve their business and brand. We offer our transperency to those who are willing to try something a little new, to make positive advancements on several key levels within their own organizations. Storyscaping is how you transform a great story line into an immersive Story System where people enjoy their connection with your brand and want to continue their loyalty and be a coparticipant in your world. May this concept and step-by step model put you back in the marketing driver’s seat and fill your company with deeper connections to the people you care about as they invite your brand to be a part of their worlds. Happy Storyscaping!