Storytelling matters, and no less for inflation than for anything else. Marketers know narrative rules. The essence of marketing is telling the story of a brand, thereby shoring up pricing power. That’s brand equity in a nutshell. Storytelling is also the paradox of this inflationary moment in the marketplace.
Evidence shows that over eight out of ten new product and service introductions fail in the marketplace. According to one study, 50% of U.S. startup companies fail within the first four years and 14% are due to poor marketing tactics.
The pomp and circumstance of the state funeral for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was magnificent, indeed, breathtaking. Throughout the hours-long broadcast, we were reminded over and over we would never see anything like this again in our lifetimes, and that no country does pageantry like Great Britain. I concur.
In 1993, newly minted IBM CEO, Lou Gerstner, when asked about his vision for the company, replied that IBM was in a mess and he did not have the time now to indulge in vague forecasts. The press reacted poorly. Descriptions of Mr. Gerstner’s vision for IBM would be helpful for quarterly guidance. The press was not asking for a futuristic, vaguely mystifying, inspirational message. They were looking for visionary guidance to better understand where...
We are born into story. From the moment we dive headfirst into the world we are anointed with a name, then told that we are a son, daughter, sister, cousin, grandchild, here’s your bed, here’s your room, this your house. You are part of a family, home, building, street, camp, neighborhood, town, city, metropolis, state, region, country, homeland, continent, on a planet circling a sun that swirls through a sprawling Universe.
