The Story Your Brand Needs to Tell

In the data-driven world of digital advertising, most marketers aren’t aware of how powerful storytelling can be. We are witnessing a time when there is more digital content, and more cross-device connectivity than ever before. With this ocean of information, it can be easy to get lost in the tides when trying to effectively tell your brand’s story authentically and connect with consumers.

In fact, in a recent study conducted by Econsultancy, 46% of polled, worldwide marketing and communications executives ranked customized messaging and a personalized customer experience as the number-one priority for 2015. With such a heavy importance placed on a personalized experience, these marketers and agencies are surely tying together valuable cross-platform data to help drive their storytelling initiatives and customer experiences. But that isn’t the case. Only 10% of marketers and 8% of agencies leverage said data to craft a personalized experience. Why is this so?

Recently, SXSW was held in Austin, Texas. Specifically, the Interactive portion of the festival offered plenty of inspiration and insights into the minds of today’s digital innovators. Our Digital Innovations team was onsite to sift through the controlled chaos and find themes that readily apply to digital as we know it today and ideas into what the future holds.

One major thing that our DI team took home is that brands that tell a compelling and engaging story using key audience data, compelling content, and innovative technology are highly successful at driving conversions with their customers, regardless of platform.

"Consumer behavior is fundamentally different on each social platform, so the marketing strategy has to be different" -@nsethi #SxCentro

— Ryan K Manchee (@rmanchee) March 15, 2015

The likes of Pixar, Thrillist, and AOL Video & Studios approach this process in a way not frequently seen by marketers. Their goals were not to set out to change industries. Rather, challenge themselves to create better technologies, utilize the data at their disposal, and curate the best, most engaging content possible. And for this strategy, the proof is in the pudding. So, why aren’t companies utilizing data to tell a better story? Our DI team surmised that the fear of change could be the answer. But take it from a brand like Pixar. A compelling and authentic story, backed by relevant data, will bring success and help you stand apart from the many marketers and agencies that aren’t following suit.

A creative without quantative skills is completely useless; a quant without creativity is just as useless -@sinanaral #creativeAI #SxCentro — Ryan K Manchee (@rmanchee) March 15, 2015

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Be sure to also check out our Digital Innovations Awesome List to get some insights into SXSW and the things that you should keep on your radar for digital moving forward.

Read our latest DIAL here.