Last Tuesday, the third and final session of the Storytelling Expedition took place. It was an interesting session with a lot of new insights about storytelling, especially about Story Doing. During a nice boat trip across the canals of Amsterdam a group of top marketers discussed multiple statements.

1. Story Doing: doing something remarkable
with your product or service that gets
people involved and sparks their
imaginations.
How top marketers think about storytelling
By Lemon Scented Tea

2. The Storytelling Expeditions
Together with Adfo Groep, Lemon Scented Tea is organising
Storytelling Expeditions: three boat trips on the Amsterdam
canals, where marketers and storytelling specialists will discuss
the do’s and don’t’s of storytelling.
The theme of the third edition was Story Doing: doing
something remarkable with your product or service that gets
people involved and sparks their imaginations.
During the session the following claim was discussed: ‘Brand
engagement is created best by involving people in the
development of your (campaign) story, not just by telling the
outcome.’
Luuk Ros, Editor in Chief at Tijdschrift voor
Marketing/MarketingOnline moderated the discussion.

3. How top marketers think about
storytelling
10 Takeouts

4. “It’s important to respond to the target group. If you
want to reach your customers, you should adapt your
story on their preferences and demand.”
– Jacobine van der Meer, Heineken

5. “It’s necessary to bring knowledge to the place where
your customers are.”
– Ella Hollander, Nuon

6. “ In fact, you have a simple product, but you create a
whole story for your product around it. That is essential
for marketing. You have something and with a story you
add value to the product.”
- John Olivieira, zelfstandig adviseur

7. “We don’t look at the product and think; what kind of
stories match with the product, but nowadays we think;
which story are we going to make? You need to have the
courage to tell that story.”
– Tijmen Doesborgh, Redbull

8. “Once you are part of a subculture, you will make a
credible impression. You need to be available for your
customers and you have to know and be every little
aspect of the story. ”
– John Olivieira, ex Sanoma

9. “Story Doing is all about who brings the story and how
fast you bring the story to your customers.”
– Gijsbregt Vijn, Lemon Scented Tea

10. “The stories you tell have to come straight from the
heart. It has to be in your DNA. It is relevant for your
brand to find new communication angles, because then
you can use them for creating new stories.”
–Tijmen Doesborgh, Redbull

11. “It is all about the story and how you tell the story to
your customers. A platform needs to be introduced, and
you as a brand, needs to serve as a platform. In this
way, people can communicate and discuss with each
other.”
– Yvonne Nassar, RAI Amsterdam

12. “With Story Doing you have to talk to your audience. It
is essential that you stick to your story and not target an
individual but a whole group instead.”
– John Olivieira, ex Sanoma

13. “Nowadays people trust more then ever on their own
network. They rather talk to people instead of brands.
You need to make the people behind the brands visible.”
– Yvonne Nassar, RAI Amsterdam