What’s your story?

Jerry Bader of MRPwebmedia in his article “Ten Stories That Can Sell Anything” reminds us that effective advertising is about telling stories about universal truths and primal needs.

There are only so many stories you can tell and the art of advertising, or corporate storytelling, is the ability to present that story in fresh new ways. … There are some disagreements as to what these seven stories are, and if there are really only seven. This magic number seven is interesting as it coincides with noted psychologist Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Maslow identified seven basic human motivations that guide peoples’ conduct: physical needs, safety needs, social needs, self-esteem needs, cognitive needs, aesthetic needs, and self-actualization needs. Develop a marketing campaign consisting of stories that satisfy one of these motivational triggers and you have a campaign that your audience will respond to and consider relevant. …

Not everyone limits the number of prime stories to seven, Blake Snyder, professional screenwriter and author of “Save The Cat,” says there are ten. Snyder approaches the problem with a more flamboyant flair than Maslow, but still based on fundamental emotional and psychological criteria.

Snyder’s ten basic story scenarios are: Monster In the House, Dude With a Problem, Fool Triumphant, Superhero, Buddy Love, Out Of a Bottle, Institution, Golden Fleece, Rights-of-Passage, and Whydunit. This is all very interesting but does it help you develop an advertising campaign that delivers your marketing message?

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