From Storytelling to Storyliving

The word “storytelling” has taken its place among the basic terms used by many companies when it comes to branding. Let’s not forget, of course, the “storytelling” that’s been evangelized by the speakers.

At the beginning we had the earlyadopters who had embraced “the storytelling”. They made mistakes, they fell, they rose and they learned from their mistakes. Then we had the trendsetters starting to set the rhythm, and from there on it’s like the world was flooded with “storytelling”. It’s already become a cliché, don’t you think? Storytelling bla bla….

Some were able to understand the term; others did more than that by using it in their branding actions while others are still struggling with accepting the term. Well…each brand to its own speed.

What I believe is, that starting with this year there should be talk of a new trend: Storyliving

Why Storyliving?
Well, take this scenario for example: you’re sitting at a table with a war veteran and a short stories writer. The war veteran has a scar under his right eye, is worn out and old and the writer is a copy of the Old Spice character with a Moleskin under his arm and a Faber Castell in his Hilfiger shirt’s pocket. Each has their own war time story to tell. And let me ask you something now: who would you rather listen to? The veteran who actually fought in the war or the writer with a rich imagination?

This strategy has been used by movie producers for a long time now. I believe that a movie that starts with “Based on a true Story” will have greater emotional impact. Well…I have lived a true story will always be more powerful than I have a story to tell.

And I believe that starting from this year it will become easier to separate the brands with a storytelling based on sole imagination from the brands approaching a storytelling based on storyliving.

In conclusion:

Before deciding to adopt storytelling as a communication strategy, see if you’ve got any storyliving.