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There’s Beauty in Silence

One of the movie industry’s biggest surprises of 2011 is the silent film, “The Artist,” winner of a Golden Globe for Best Picture, Comedy, a Best Actor award at Cannes and a likely contender for this year’s Oscars.

In the film, directed by Michel Hazanavicius, silent movie idol George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) mourns the arrival of talkies. Refusing to adapt to the new genre, Valentin’s career falls apart.

Like Valentin’s career, Jacksonville took off during the heyday of silent films. The site of the country’s first full-length feature film in Technicolor, “The Gulf Between,” Jacksonville almost became Hollywood with more than 30 movie studios operating in the city by 1916, including Metro Pictures which later became known as MGM.

Unfortunately, residents disliked the vulgarity of the films, and local government support for the film industry waned. That in addition to advances in technology, which made indoor filming and studios less dependent on the Florida sunshine prompted the film industry to move to Hollywood.

With its strong connection to our city’s filmic roots, “The Artist” brings back the nostalgia of an era where stars were born on the silver screen and the magic of movies helped people escape their everyday lives.

 

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The Power of Story

A few weeks ago I gave my first official presentation on story and why it’s so powerful to us as human beings, as a community and as a way to connect brands to consumers. Stories are how we remember, how we experience emotion and how we connect with others.

I presented at a July 12 half-day program,“The Power of Story,” which I organized for the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Marketing Association. In addition to sharing with marketing professionals why story matters, my talk focused on how more and more companies are using film to communicate with consumers in a deeper, more meaningful way.

One of the main themes was that films engage, inspire and compel us to action. That’s because they affect us emotionally as we identify with characters whose dreams, challenges, and journeys toward goals are very much like our own.

Their story is our story.

Barbara Ponce, Manager of Corporate and Diversity Advertising at Honda shared her experience in conceiving and pitching the “Dream the Impossible” documentary film series to reach audiences in a way that no 30-second spot could.

The eight films which she spearheaded using renowned and Oscar-nominated directors have resulted in a 1000-fold increase in Honda web traffic, generated thousands of comments and taken consumer engagement to a whole new level.

Like Honda many brands and organizations are switching their approach from interruptive marketing—interrupting consumers with advertising messaging—to engagement marketing—offering engaging and relevant content.

Film is the new text. It allow brands to bring to life their core sensibilities.

I’ll be speaking about the Power of Story next at Pecha Kucha on September 21 at 7 p.m. at the Five Points Theatre.

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The Power of Story

This is the first in a series of stories I’ll be blogging about on the impact stories have on our lives and for our brands.

Stories are central to the human experience. Delivering information with emotional impact, they engage and entertain us.

People want to learn, seek inspiration and connect with others through stories.

Companies and brands that connect with audiences by telling compelling stories that matter to them instead of directly promoting their products, are remembered most.

Because video is a very powerful way to tell a story, more and more companies are embracing video storytelling to more deeply engage with consumers and develop stronger relationships with them.

Honda is one such company. Through its “Dream the Impossible” series of documentary films, the company connects viewers with the idea that nothing is impossible if you follow your dreams.

Directed by Oscar-nominated and other prominent filmmakers, the films feature people like professional surfer Laird Hamilton, artist Clive Barker, and Deepak Chopra, as well as with Honda engineers, sharing stories of success, perseverance and failure.

Started in 2009, the campaign has resulted in a tenfold increase in web traffic and significantly improved brand image and recognition.

Honda’s “Dream the Impossible” films, “The Undying Dream” being the most recent, are among many examples of powerful video storytelling which serves as a kind of emotional glue that connects us to each other.

What examples have you come across? Are there any films, videos or anecdotes on the power of story that you’d like to share? Please post them in the comments below and let’s keep this conversation going.