Burt’s Bees: a Study in Successful Storytelling
How a good founder’s story can outlive the founder
How come one t-shirt costs $4.99 while another one costs $4,99.00? The answer lies in one word. Stories.
Brands and their perceived value are, in reality, nothing but the stories we’re told–and tell ourselves–about the meaning they carry.
As human beings, we understand the world through stories. Stories are how we make sense of, and cope with, our experiences.
Author Graham Swift even went as far as defining man as “the storytelling animal”. And I think he is right.
Now, if you’re a marketer, this is something you must never forget. How well you succeed in telling the right stories will make, or break, your business.
Storytelling in marketing — how does it work?
Ever heard of the Significant Objects Project? It’s an experiment carried out in 2009 by two reporters; Rob Walker of The Washington Post and Joshua Glenn from The New York Times. They wanted to show that stories are the main driver behind perceived value.
They bought $128.74 worth of thrift-store junk, and then they created a compelling story for each of the items. Then, they posted the stuff on Ebay.
