Corporate storytelling and why it is crucial for business success. Description of approach to follow for telling a story in which customers are involved and engaged.

1. 1
Something about
CORPORATE
STORYTELLING
Mirko Caponi
09 Luglio 2019

2. 2
WHY is storytelling
important for a
company?

3. 3
WHY storytelling?
BE NOTICED / BE DIFFERENT
In a market full of
competitors.
Same
PRICE
Different
SERVICES
Different
BRAND
IDENTITY
Develop a strong brand
identity thanks to
STORYTELLING
Same
PRODUCT
ATTRIBUTES

4. 4
Storytelling’s purpose is to create a connection
between company and customers.
Storytelling helps companies and marketers
to have customers’ attention thanks to an
interesting story.
WHY storytelling?
Customers need information to resolve a
business problem.
BE NOTICED
BRAND
VALUES
HELP
CUSTOMERS

5. 5
WHY storytelling?
When you hear a well-told story,
your brain reacts as if you are
experiencing it yourself.
Stories make us feel like part
of something bigger than
ourselves.

6. 6
WHAT have all the
stories in common?

7. 7
Presentation
of situation
Who?
Where?
When?
Something
happens and
the story
begins
Something
changes /
protagonist
changes his
mentality
There is a
climax and
then the final
conflict to
overcome
1.
Beginning
2.
Inciting
incident
4.
Midpoint
5.
Crisis
point
6.
Solution
Ending
3.
Struggle
Shape of stories

8. 8
Shape of stories
1.
Beginning
2.
Inciting
incident
4.
Midpoint
5.
Crisis
point
6.
Solution
Ending
3.
Struggle
More clear
There are six shapes of
stories but this is the
most common
https://io9.gizmodo.
com/the-universal-
shapes-of-stories-
according-to-kurt-
vonn-1526559996

9. 9
Hero’s Journey
by Joseph Campbell
The hero’s journey, is the
common template of a broad
category of tales that involves
a hero who goes on an
adventure, and in a decisive
crisis wins a victory, and then
comes home changed or
transformed.
Exemples
Harry Potter
The Lord of the Rings
Matrix
The Lion King
Can you find other films or stories?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Zxt28ff-E

10. 10
ALL THE STORIES
HAVE A CONFLICT
WHAT have all the
stories in common?

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HOW can a company
develop a story model
in its business?

12. 12
HOW storytelling?
INSIDE-OUT Approach
1. WHY we do what we do
2. HOW we help customers and their businesses
3. WHAT we offer to the customers
EMOTIONAL SIDE
ANALYTICAL SIDE
1.
Talking about brand
values and beliefs
2.
Talking about
customers’ benefits
and our relationship
with customers
3.
Our products/services
for customers

13. 13
Asking yourself:
Why should this story be important for
customers?
Understand customers’ needs,
problems and purposes
HOW storytelling?

14. 14
HOW storytelling?
Telling a story FOR your customer
NOT for yourself

15. 15
HOW storytelling?
The protagonist is the
customer
The helper is the
company or the product
Thanks to the helper the
protagonist can reach his purpose

16. 16
Push the emotional side of
the customers
Values and beliefs
shared by customer and
company
HOW storytelling?

17. 17
HOW storytelling?
DON’T SELL PRODUCTS
SELL YOUR VISION

18. 18
HOW storytelling?
A STORY MUST HAVE
A SOCIAL IMPACT

19. 19
Social impact
storytelling - case study
You are more beautiful than you think
Dove understands
customers problems
Dove takes a strong
position on this topic
Dove doesn’t sell a
product but its vision
Women think they are not so beautiful. They
have problems with their external aspect.
Dove thinks every woman is beautiful. Customers’
problems are only in their mind, so Dove wants to
help them to overcome these difficulties.
Dove doesn’t talk about its product. Dove shows the
company role in the society and its deepest purpose.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjzaAiZHAlc
Conflict

20. 20
Social impact
storytelling - case study
Breaking down walls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=67&v=BpAdyFdE3-c
Airbnb understands
customers problems
Airbnb explains its social
role through a story
Airbnb doesn’t sell a
product but its vision
Sometimes you can’t travel freely around the
world because of many limits.
Airbnb put in contact people to give the opportunity
to travel around the world without any limit.
Airbnb believes everywhere in the world you are at
home, so you can travel without limits.
Conflict

21. 21
Social impact
storytelling - case study
The epic split
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=22&v=M7FIvfx5J10
Volvo understands
customers problems
Volvo shows a technical
attribute of its product
Airbnb doesn’t sell a
product but its vision
People think Volvo trucks are not safe to drive.
How can Volvo explain technical attributes?
Volvo shows the precision and directional stability of
Volvo Dynamic Steering.
Trust Volvo because its trucks are safe and easy to
drive. You can do great things with these trucks.
Conflict

22. 22
Big challenge
How can we tell stories
about technical attributes
of our products?
VOLVO shows us we
can do it

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Keep in mind
Tell a story FOR customers NOT for yourself.
SOLVE a customer conflict/problem.
A story must have an EMOTIONAL IMPACT on audience.
Share your company VISION and BELIEFS through the story.
INSIDE-OUT approach (why, how and what).
Be simple and short.