The100: Stirring stories, immortal failures and Bruce McClaren

Stories stir, numbers numb

I enjoyed listening to strategist Kevin Chesters talk about crafting stories that drive behaviour change. As part of his research into storytelling, he spoke to a wide range of communicators, including a vicar who said: 

“Often the only thing people remember about a sermon is not the words, but how the experience as a whole made them feel.”

I love that. Feelings. Let’s not forget those. 

Do we need insights? 

Meanwhile, whilst judging the Effies, Andrew Tindall noticed that for many high performing campaigns, the section marked ‘insight’ tended to be somewhat lacking. But how could they still be successful? Answer: Marketing is ultimately about effectiveness, not process purity.

“Some campaigns work because they’re rooted in a deep, tension-releasing insight. Others work because the creative execution is brilliant and entertaining. Both can be effective and win Effies. Both can shift business results. Both can build brands. And that’s what makes marketing fascinating.”

Real conversations about the artificial 

I’m working on a new thought piece around AI and could use your help… 

Whilst I’m impressed by what it can do, I’m also very aware of what it can’t do when it comes to helping us understand people better and make the right decisions, and that’s what I want to explore.

For example, within the work we do, the consumer videos we create – showing what people do, as well as what they say – AI cannot (yet) effectively analyse the doing part, let alone look for any contradictions. And whilst it’s excellent at summarising the saying part, it often does-not-compute with regards context, sarcasm, locality, intonation… All that wonderful human nuance is lost.

Anyway, no link here, just a request: if you have 30 mins one day I’d love to know what you think about AI, where you’re using it, where you won’t etc. I’ll anonymize anything you say. Just drop me a line.

But could it be that humans have passed peak brain power?

Preference for Forgotten Success or Immortal Failure? 

Now, would you rather be a success in life, but then soon be forgotten? Or a failure while you lived, but revered after you die? Most people choose the former. Answers on a postcard please.

Old but gold

Big h/t to Storythings for resurfacing Valeria Spirovski’s UX based adaptation of  Pixar’s 22 rules of storytelling. Well worth a read if you’re in that area (and, TBH, even if you’re not). 

And finally…

Whilst I was researching things for our event on Communication in May in the UK, I stumbled upon this demonstrating what a conference call in real life is like. Funny. 

What is the meaning of life? 15 possible answers were given in this article and all of them are fascinating to read. None say be less human. 

“Simply breathing while healthy and safe, and (mostly) happy is such a surprising, awe-inducing, humbling gift that I have no right to question it.”

I adore this 3 min video about Bruce McClaren. If we’re talking about storytelling, it’s so hard to peel your eyes away even though it’s basically just a voiceover on a film of a bloke walking away from a camera. Genius.

If you’d like to talk about any of the things above, or anything related to these themes in general,  email me to set up a time. Or, if you’re feeling really brave 😉 just call. I do answer. Honest.