Drink This, Eat That, Buy Me Now: The Stories That Convince

By Maureen Jann and Paula Kiger

Dear readers: take a look around at your environment (then come back to this post, please!). I’m guessing that for many of you, there’s a bottle of water not too far away. You may be drinking it as you read. Maybe you're in a restaurant or coffee shop, where purchasing a bottle of water is an option, or in a home where the fridge has at least one bottle (or even a case) of the stuff. ​

Bottles of water are everywhere, the fact remains. Many of us reflexively grab one on the way out the door, despite environmental ramifications (buy a reusable one, they're great!).​ ​​Have you ever wondered: what story was told about bottled water that made it so ubiquitous?

Let me elaborate. There was a time when soda sales topped the beverage market. Then the concerns started creeping in:

• So much sugar!
• But the artificial flavors!
• Consumers are getting charged local taxes for soda!

“You still need to stay hydrated,” said the soda companies (as they ramped up bottled water production).

“Just grab a water instead of a soda,” they urged (as consumers started shifting their habits and turning their backs on free, clean tap water).

The “healthy choice” of bottled water beckoned to consumers from store shelves, as soda companies patted themselves on the back for helping the environment by reducing the number of aluminum cans creating clutter. ​

As John Jewell of The Week noted in Business Insider, the beverage industry “relies on convincing consumers that bottled water is a healthier alternative to soda, when in reality it is an alternative to tap water. As consumers shied away from sugary soft drinks, major beverage businesses were able to play on the habit of buying a beverage by bottling a nearly-free commodity in plastic and printing a label on it.”

The story: Bottled water keeps you refreshed and healthy wherever you go!

Storytelling Has Been Around Forever

Storytelling is as old as humans. When people recall something about a news item or a product or service, they’re not compelled by statistics so much as they’re driven by the story that is attached to those numbers. ​

How to Build an Amazing Story
Every effective story has a beginning, a middle and an end. It has a hero, an obstacle to be overcome, and a resolution of the story arc. It also offers, perhaps most importantly, a basic human truth that helps drive home the importance of the tale.

BUTT There’s a Chill in the Air
(Yes, in fact, I *did* intend to say “butt.” Stick with me here.) Let’s look at this storytelling structure from the eyes of a first-time parent.

• Beginning: “Aw, you have a beautiful new baby!”
• Middle: “Time for a diaper change! Gosh it’s chilly in this room and they are so tiny. We need to be vigilant about keeping the baby comfy.”
  
• End: “This diaper wipe warmer is exactly the tool you need to keep your baby from being uncomfortable. This product means more loving bonding during changing time, less worry!”

Who’s the hero here? The diaper-warmer maker, of course. They spent years designing the perfect implement to keep your most treasured new addition feeling loved and cared for.

• The obstacle to be overcome: This freezing (to a baby) room.
  
• The resolution: Warm baby wipes. Freedom from frigid air.
  
• Basic human truth: All parents want their newborns to be comfortable and feel loved.

The “5 Whys” and How They Help Tell Your Story

We all want to be good storytellers, especially in the context of our jobs. If you’re looking to hone your storytelling powers, here’s a great place to start.
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When creating your story, begin by identifying what your product, service, or idea does to serve the person you’re trying to convince. Then from there, ask WHY up to 5 times to get to the heart of the matter. Let’s take a swipe at it with our perfectly toasty (but not too hot!) baby wipes.

​WHY should we consider buying a buy a wipe warmer?
BECAUSE without one, baby wipes feel cold — even at room temperature.

WHY are cold wipes a problem?
BECAUSE babies are very sensitive to cold, and rapid temperature change can be a form of shock. ​

WHY should we be concerned about shocking the baby?
BECAUSE every interaction establishes patterns of trust that will impact this child’s lifelong well-being.

WHY are we worried about the baby’s lifelong well-being?
BECAUSE it is our job to protect the baby.

WHY is it our job to protect the baby?
BECAUSE we are the baby’s parents; loving and protecting the baby is the most basic of human instincts. (Let's hope no one ever really asks that question.)

Universal truth: if you are a loving parent, you will do anything to make your baby’s life comfortable and safe — including purchasing a baby wipe warmer.

(ASIDE: I actually got one of these when I had my kiddo. I live in a house with no insulation. Don't judge me.)

You’ve Got the Story, Now Think About the Delivery

The stork didn’t deliver these people’s baby, and the stork won’t bring the story home for a landing either. In addition to creating a compelling story, you need to consider how you deliver it. Here are some components of effective delivery:

• How do you sound?  
• How do you look?
• Do you sound prepared?
• Do you sound competent?
• Are you fidgeting?

If you want an example of a convincing delivery, take a look at this video. This guy is just a parent, not an actor (maybe that’s why his pitch is so effective?), but his performance has me convinced that the justification for purchasing a baby wipe warmer is based in science —  not to mention a choice that will prevent, um, messy projectile bodily excretions that cause secondary laundry disasters. (I don’t want to spoil it. just watch it!).

Does everyone want to watch a grown man simulate wiping his behind with a cold baby wipe? Maybe not. But admit it: for at least a split second you thought “who would do that to a baby?” Mission accomplished for the sellers of baby wipe warmers.

Great stories are unforgettable; they make us question our assumptions about what we don’t need, while introducing the idea that we may be able to fulfill a basic universal truth (all parents love their newborns and want to make them comfortable) by buying/drinking/eating something.

Humans are inherently built to tell and retain stories. When you layer values, characters and the ability to overcome an obstacle that is painful to your audience, you’ll make it easy for them to connect with your product, service or idea. ​

But Don't Facts Matter?

People push data as the key driver for conversations. You’re a marketer or a business owner, so you probably spend your fair share of time thinking about how to use data to reach customers more directly and convincingly. Data absolutely have a place in storytelling. But until you couch that data in a larger context that allows your listeners to zero into something that is truly important to them, those data points might as well be dust in the wind. They’ll be whisked away to the land where things without context go.

I like to think of each conversation and interaction with a potential customer as a series of micro-yeses. When you think of the sales path as a way to create a series of micro-yeses, each time they interact with you — the brand you represent, the product, the service or idea — you get a tiny commitment from them. Many tiny commitments aggregate into a larger commitment. And when you offer potential customers a story instead of a sales pitch, you get a much higher likelihood that the consumer on the other side will stick around. ​

Bottom line: we have an opportunity to put the consumer of this story right in the middle of it as the hero. And who doesn’t want to feel like a hero?

What's Next?

Interested in how content marketing can help you tell your brand's story to the world? Pop on over to our Content Marketing page to see the options we offer our clients!