Stories: The key to affective marketing and sustainability.
The stories we tell define our world. Is global warming real? Is it manmade? Is it possible to achieve an environmentally sustainable and socially just global society? Is our water supply suspect? Is organic better than conventional? Whether we get our information from scientists, clergymen or our own gut, the stories we believe affect what we do and therefore what we create.
And it goes deeper. In 1954 Roger Bannister made history by running a mile in less than 4-minutes; a feat many thought impossible. Soon after several others broke the record and now the 4-minute mile is the standard of all professional middle-distance runners. Certainly training, diet and equipment have played a role, but 4-minutes was an arbitrary barrier that existed more in the mind than the body. In other words, it was a story, and Bannister, by authoring a new story, changed what was possible for runners.
As a marketer I know the power of stories. Most of my job is to help clients craft authentic, action-inspiring stories. Any product or service can communicate its benefits in a variety of ways (with admittedly varying degrees of authenticity). Does it save money or save the planet? Is it a soft drink or a lifestyle? Does it keep you warm or does it attract a mate? My job is to make sure the story told is effective, consistent and real.
This blog is a chronicle of the stories I see around me. A hip new coffee shop not offering decaf, an oil company donating money to wildlife restoration, a candidate’s choice of running mate, a young woman taking up smoking, are all attempts to tell a specific story.
My thesis is simple; the more conscious we are of the story we want to tell the more likely we are to tell it. This blog is a non-partisan examination of the story being told and the world it creates. I invite you to comment, criticize, argue and think with me.
Stories are not insignificant — they are our world.
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ABOUT BOB
As an Agile Coach with Rally Software I work with managers and executives at software companies that need to deliver valuable software predictably on tight time-lines. I help implement Agile and Lean methods so that they are able to deliver quality software quickly and reliably.
Connect with me: 
bob@bobcanhelp.com | 415-517-6943