Storytelling is one of the most used and abused term nowadays. You must engage readers/consumers/visitors/viewers with innovative, emotional and sometimes shocking stories to get them hooked at your “product” it is an ongoing mantra among marketers and advertiser. It is not the “product” itself but it is the emotional liason that is important and has value.
In my opinion, this is true basically because in “developed” countries we have such a overabundance of products that we do not need material goods anymore but for the feelings and emotions created by their possession.
I love to write stories. I love to emotion people and make them feel alive. That’s it.
But I have met so many people that are unable to feel alive and to feel strong emotions that I understand that it might happen -quite often, it seems- that people purchase “canned emotions” rather than products.
The following is a great example of what I have just stated above. The Scarecrow is a very emotional short animation movie designed to promote Chipotle’s Mexican Grill app based game. This clever transmedia advertainment was first published on September 2013 on YouTube and it is still a great hit, with 12,234,784 views so far.
I do not want to enter the very dangerous field of ethic – if you read the comments below the YouTube video you can perfectly understand what I am talking about. I love this short movie, I love the concept and how it has been developed. It got me quite emotional, therefore from the designer point of view it is winning “product”.
But was really amazed me -and amused me- was the “honest version” by Funny or Die. Same movie, but includes a parody version of Fiona Apple‘s heartbreaking cover of “Pure Imagination” from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” which scored Chipotle‘s original ad.
By changing an ingredient – the lyrics – this last short movie creates an all different atmosphere, from the original sweetness to ……….. I give it up to you to complete the sentence!
