This document discusses the importance and power of storytelling. It notes that storytelling was the cornerstone of human success and cooperation. Today, everyone claims to be a storyteller, but true influence comes from those who can actually tell compelling stories that move people emotionally. The document also touches on the rise of user-generated content online, how it led to a lot of noise, and how publishers now need to focus on creating high quality content for the right audiences to cut through the noise.

1. DigiPublish
May 11, 2018

2. Are you telling stories,
or are you a storyteller?

3. It’s 2018, and everybody
is a storyteller...
(LinkedIn 86,000 and counting)

4. Not so much if…

5. Storytelling is literally
the cornerstone to the
success of our species.

6. Yuval Noah Harari argues that the ability of Sapiens to
cooperate in large numbers arises from its unique
capacity to believe in things existing purely in the
imagination, such as gods, nations, money and human
rights.
Harari claims that all large-scale human cooperation
systems – including religions, political structures, trade
networks and legal institutions – owe their emergence to
Sapiens' distinctive cognitive capacity for fiction.

7. Good stories move
hearts and minds.
They influence.

8. But what is influence?

9. Can I just ask that we don’t keep
using the word ‘influencer’.
Because there’s an assumption
that they have influence.
Neil Stewart, Head of Agency APAC, Facebook.

10. Meghan Markle.
Actually influences.

11. As publishers, we’re responsible
for informing and entertaining
the Australian public.

12. But some people have been
telling stories….

13. If people aren’t reading
newspapers anymore. Why then...

14. The Haynes Royal Commision.
One hell of a story.

15. If people aren’t reading
newspapers anymore. Why then...

16. ...Aren’t KFC chicken
when it comes to
newspapers.

17. We have the audience.
And we are constantly looking for new and
immersive ways to communicate with them.

18. Let’s stop and look
back at the genesis of
visual storytelling on
the web.

20. It was so good, brands
wanted a piece of the action.

21. But it came at a high cost.

22. Enter peak content…
Where any dickhead
with a Go-Pro was
making content.

23. Unlimited Organic reach +
Rapidly changing technology =

24. F**K ME

25. A shitload of noise.

26. But I giveth,
and I
taketh away...

27. Now if you don’t have
anything interesting to
say.
Nobody is interested.

28. Which brings us to the end…

29. The turning point.

30. Not all views, and not all
audiences are created equal.

31. Promoting the right story, in
front of the right audience.

32. And it’s working

33. The perfect
combination.
The story
The pictures
The sound
The experience

34. Delivers
Product
awareness
1
Consideration
2
Message cut-
through
3
Action
4
Ad recall
5
Engagement
6

35. We know that engagement
time is 25% higher when
branded content is viewed
from within our own sites vs
off-network.

36. Several millions spent in off-
network amplification, now
at zero.

37. Ten years on Snowfall worked because it
was innovative, and beautifully made for
a quality audience that cares.

38. We’ve come full circle
(hopefully.)

39. - In the beginning, we did the best job for our audiences
- In the middle, proceeded to sh*t the bed
- And now, we’ve come back to creating quality content,
for the right audience.

40. Now this is not the end. It is
no even the beginning of the
end. But it is perhaps, the end
of the beginning.
Winston Churchill

41. Thank you