Storytelling in the Platform Age

©2017 Daniel J. Edelman, Inc. All rights reserved.

Storytelling in the Platform AgeEcosystem Forecast and Implications | Steve Rubel, Edelman | January 2017


This presentation is grounded in primary research conducted throughout 2016. This includes in-depth discussions with the major technology platforms as well as Edelman and industry experts.

The goal is to provide an overview of how the total ecosystem is changing and offer guidance on how communications and marketing programs can succeed in 2017.

- Steve Rubel, Chief Content Strategist, Edelman January 2017

2


–Rich Greenfield, analyst, BTIG

A platform is “an application (or service) that has direct access and a relationship with the consumer.”

3


Overview

• Great Inversions

• Strategic Implications

• Practical Inspirations

4


Great Inversions5


–Seth Godin

“Trust and attention — these are the scarce items in a post-scarcity world.”

6


Inversion of Influence

• The traditional pyramid has been up-ended

• Influence now sits in the general population

• Peers are more trusted than authority figures

7


Authority and Influence

Influence

Old Model New Model

Authority

8


Inversion of Attention

• Demanding attention is no longer optimal

• Earning attention is now more essential

• Relationships are more meaningful than reach

9


Inversion of Power

• Content is no longer king, distribution is

• Platforms are more powerful than publishers

• There are new arbiters of information

12


Platform Trends

• Social algorithms prioritize peers over pros

• Search traffic to news sites remains high

• Email newsletters curate executive reads

14


Publisher Trends

• Journalist personalities embrace live video

• Micro influencers generate deep engagement

• Brands activate execs, employees for content

15


Strategic Implications16


Faces17


–Don Hewitt, creator, 60 Minutes

“The people who wrote the Bible were smart enough to know, tell them a story. The issue was evil in the world. The story was Noah.”

18


• In the platform age, the echo chamber is real. Our worldview is often filtered by people we consider to be our proximate peers

• Professional publishers still matter, but this content is increasingly seen organically when shared by individuals vs by institutions

• Businesses should focus more on enabling credible faces such as journalists, influencers and employees to deliver their narrative

19


Start with Audiences

• Core: highly aware and engaged communities where you have strong relationships

• Opportunity: less aware and engaged stakeholders where relationships can deepen

• Expansion: those highly engaged in topics related to you but less or unaware of you

20


Activate with Faces

• Journalists convening social communities

• Influencers cultivating true fans

• Employees creating content and relationships

21


Franchises22


–Jay Rasulo, former CFO, Walt Disney Company

“Everything we do is about brands and franchises.”

23


• In the platform era, content is infinite, attention is finite and content consumption is in sound bites

• Hollywood, however, successfully navigated a similar dynamic by creating extended story franchises that are managed as brands

• Businesses too should consider investing long-term in signature content assets that are similarly consistent and even anticipated

24


Start with Story

• Mirror Hollywood: build brand-name content

• Take the long view and embrace consistency

• Plan prequels, sequels and “requels”

25


Activate with Synergy

• Intellectual property with a unique view

• Serialized content that is audience centric

• Social experiences that are digital & physical

26


Practical Inspirations27


Faces28


When Kellogg’s opened its first permanent cafe in NYC the brand put an emphasis on telling the story via social media journalists who were just starting to use Facebook Live

29


Barilla developed a video series called “While The Water Boils” that featured YouTube influencer and food “Passionista” Hannah Hart and cultural icons like Bill Nye, Rachel Zoe and Wanda Sykes

30


ADT, through editorial storytelling on Medium, highlighted the real employees at its response centers who are saving real lives

31


Franchises32


Butterball’s Turkey Talk Line is a 35-year-plus story franchise that year after year is reinvented, most recently through social experiences like texting

33


Businessolver built a robust thought leadership franchise around empathy in the workplace that has become a true business catalyst for the company

34


Adobe has developed a series of digital “who done it” experiences that encourage fans to download files from the Adobe Cloud into Photoshop, decode clues buried in the files and share theories and findings on Facebook

35


Integrated Programs36


Starbucks Upstanders37


Starbucks created an original content series focused on shining a spotlight on ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things to create positive change in their communities. It included videos, essays, and podcasts across multiple platforms that extended the lifecycle of the narrative

38


REI #OptOutside39


In 2015 while other retailers were plotting ways to get more shoppers into their stores on Black Friday, REI closed its doors and enlisted a multi-platform public call for everyone to #OptOutside. This media moment turned movement expanded in 2016 to include 500+ companies and organizations

40


Faces and Franchises

• Start with audiences, activate with faces

• Start with stories, activate with synergy

• Combine both to thrive in a platform age

41


Steve Rubel [email protected]

@steverubel

Storytelling in the Platform Age

Social Media

Transcript of Storytelling in the Platform Age