Storytelling has become one of the hottest topics in marketing, but what makes a great story, and how can marketers harness storytelling to build stronger, more successful brands?

1. @ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES1
THE POWER OF STORIES
HOW TO USE STORYTELLING FOR MORE ENGAGING MARKETING
SIMON KEMP • • DECEMBER 2016

2. @ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES2
SIMON KEMP
@ESKIMON

3. @ESKIMON • TELLING INSPIRING STORIES3

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STORYTELLING IS ONE OF THE
HOTTEST TOPICS IN MARKETING TODAY

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BUT WHY HAS STORYTELLING
BECOME SUCH A BIG DEAL?

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STORIES ARE ONE OF THE MOST PERSUASIVE TOOLS
AVAILABLE TO MARKETERS ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES

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WHY?

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STORIES ARE WHAT MAKE US HUMAN

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THEY PROVIDE US WITH A SENSE OF BELONGING,
AND HELP TO CONNECT US WITH OTHER PEOPLE

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STORIES ARE HOW WE LEARN

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THE ‘NARRATIVE’ OF STORIES REFLECTS HOW OUR
BRAINS STRUCTURE AND REMEMBER INFORMATION

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WE SHARE AND GROW THE COLLECTIVE WEALTH OF
HUMAN KNOWLEDGE BY TELLING EACH OTHER STORIES

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STORIES ALSO DEFINE CULTURE, AND HELP US
UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ‘FIT’ IN THE WORLD

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THEY’RE AT THE HEART OF EVERY CIVILISATION,
EVERY SOCIETY, EVERY RELIGION, EVERY FAMILY

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STORIES SHAPE OUR SENSE OF SELF

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THE STORIES WE TELL ABOUT OURSELVES – AND TO
OURSELVES – ARE CENTRAL TO DEFINING WHO WE ARE

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ALL OUR LIVES
ARE STORIES

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BUT WHAT EXACTLY IS A ‘STORY’?

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A NARRATIVE THAT ENABLES PEOPLE
TO CAPTURE, ORGANISE, REMEMBER, AND
SHARE INFORMATION, EVENTS, IDEAS, AND
DREAMS, TOGETHER WITH THE EMOTIONS
THAT MAKE THOSE THINGS MEANINGFUL AND
MEMORABLE TO US AND TO OTHER PEOPLE.
“
”

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WHAT MAKES A POWERFUL STORY?

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THE 4ES OF POWERFUL STORYTELLING
GREAT STORIES ARE MORE
THAN JUST A COLLECTION
OF SOUNDS AND IMAGES
STORIES TAKE US ON AN
EMOTIONAL JOURNEY AND
MAKE US ‘FEEL SOMETHING’
EXPERIENCE EMOTION
STORIES DRAW US IN AND
CAPTIVATE OUR ATTENTION
AND OUR IMAGINATION
ENGAGEMENT
STORIES ENABLE US TO
RELATE TO OTHER PEOPLE’S
IDEAS, EMOTIONS AND LIVES
EMPATHY

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GOOD STORIES ARE EXPERIENTIAL: THEY
DRAW US IN, CAPTIVATING OUR ATTENTION

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BUT GOOD STORIES CAPTIVATE MORE THAN JUST OUR
ATTENTION; THEY ALSO ENGAGE OUR IMAGINATIONS

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STORIES ACTIVATE MORE AREAS OF
OUR BRAINS THAN MERE FACTS ALONE

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STORIES ACTIVELY ENGAGE OUR SENSORY CORTEX,
WHERE OUR BRAINS PROCESS OUR FIVE SENSES

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THE BEST STORIES ACTIVELY STIMULATE OUR SENSES
PICTURING THINGS,
PLACES AND EVENTS,
EVEN WITH EYES CLOSED
HELPING US TO IMAGINE
SOUNDS THAT ARE AS REAL
AS IF WE’D HEARD THEM
SIGHT SOUND
EVOKING WHOLE NEW
WORLDS, JUST BY
DESCRIBING A SCENT
SMELL
USING METAPHOR TO
TRIGGER EXPERIENCES
IN PEOPLE’S MINDS
TOUCH
ACTIVATING OUR TASTE
BUDS, WITHOUT EVEN
EATING OR DRINKING
TASTE

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AS A RESULT, THE BEST STORIES INVOLVE US AS ACTIVE
PARTICIPANTS, RATHER THAN PASSIVE SPECTATORS

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AT THE SAME TIME, GOOD STORIES TRIGGER THE
RELEASE OF POWERFUL HORMONES IN OUR BODIES

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GOOD STORIES STIMULATE THE RELEASE OF...
A NEUROTRANSMITTER THAT
REGULATES OUR BRAINS’ REWARD
AND PLEASURE CENTRES
AN ADRENAL HORMONE THAT
HELPS FOCUS OUR ATTENTION
AND FACILITATES MEMORY
DOPAMINE CORTISOL
A HORMONE THAT IS CENTRAL TO
SOCIAL BONDING AND AFFECTION,
AS WELL AS WOUND HEALING
OXYTOCIN

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THESE HORMONES INFLUENCE OUR MOOD, AS
WELL AS OUR FEELINGS TOWARDS OTHER PEOPLE

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IN OTHER WORDS, THE BEST STORIES
CAN ACTUALLY MAKE US FEEL SOMETHING

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WHAT’S MORE, GOOD STORIES CAN ACTIVELY CHANGE
THE FUNDAMENTAL CHEMISTRY OF OUR BRAINS

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THESE CHANGES CAN PERMANENTLY INFLUENCE OUR
PERSONALITIES, OUR HABITS, AND OUR BEHAVIOUR

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MOREOVER, STORIES DON’T JUST
IMPACT US AS INDIVIDUALS, EITHER

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STORIES CAN TRIGGER NEURAL COUPLING – THAT
FEELING WE GET WHEN WE ‘CLICK’ WITH SOMEONE

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NEURAL COUPLING HELPS US TO SYNCHRONISE
OUR EMOTIONS WITH OTHER PEOPLE

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THIS IS WHAT WE CALL ‘EMPATHY’

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AND THIS IS WHY STORYTELLING IS SO VALUABLE IN
MARKETING: EMPATHY IS THE CORE PILLAR OF TRUST

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STORIES ARE
POWERFUL

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HOWEVER, MANY MARKETERS STILL STRUGGLE
TO TELL ENGAGING AND PERSUASIVE STORIES

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SO WHAT ARE THE SECRETS
TO TELLING BETTER STORIES?

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KEPIOS’S 1O STEPS
TO BETTER STORIES

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HAVE A CLEAR PURPOSE: WHY DO YOU WANT TO
TELL A STORY? WHAT’S YOUR DESIRED OUTCOME?

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UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE: HOW IS YOUR STORY
RELEVANT TO PEOPLE? HOW DOES IT ADD VALUE?

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START STRONG: DRAW AUDIENCES INTO YOUR
NARRATIVE, RIGHT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

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BE AUTHENTIC: EVERY ONE OF
US IS DRAWN TO ‘TRUE’ STORIES

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USE EMOTION: APPEAL TO PEOPLE’S FIVE (OR
SIX) SENSES, NOT JUST TO FACTS AND SENSE

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KEEP IT SIMPLE: FOCUS ON THE
ENJOYMENT OF THE EXPERIENCE

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...BUT REMEMBER THAT DRAMA AND MYSTERY CAN
HELP YOU TELL MORE ENGAGING STORIES TOO

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MAKE IT SOCIABLE: OFFER WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO
INVOLVE THEMSELVES AS CHARACTERS IN YOUR STORY

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DON’T TELL THE WHOLE STORY: LET PEOPLE
INTERPRET THEIR OWN MEANING AND CONCLUSIONS

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LEAVE PEOPLE WANTING MORE: THERE’S
NOTHING MORE ENGAGING THAN A CLIFFHANGER

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1. HAVE A CLEAR PURPOSE
2. UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE
3. START STRONG
4. BE AUTHENTIC
5. APPEAL TO EMOTIONS
6. KEEP IT SIMPLE
7. ADD DRAMA AND INTRIGUE
8. MAKE IT SOCIABLE
9. LET THEM DISCOVER THE MEANING
10. LEAVE THEM WANTING MORE
KEPIOS’S 10 STEPS TO BETTER STORYTELLING

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WANT TO KNOW MORE? LET’S CONTINUE THE
CONVERSATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA: @ESKIMON

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SIMON KEMP
@ESKIMON
SIMON@KEPIOS.COM
INSPIRING MARKETING
KEPIOS.COM