At the center of every successful social media and transmedia marketing or advocacy campaign is a story that reflects universal values and aspirations. A story is the most effective way to engage audiences because it connects with all three levels of the brain, the primitive and intuitive, the emotional, and the executive center. Stories package information into chunks, ideal for communicating with a brain that processes information the same way for memory and retrieval. Stories capture the essence of a brand or advocacy campaign because they transcend differences and build bridges that create social capital through reciprocity and a sense of community. Story allows us to participate at many levels because it is a fully sensory dialogue. For brands and people, story creates and promotes culture. An effective transmedia campaign is not about what media platforms, special effects, or tools you use. It’s about a coherent and meaningful story that unfolds across the media. Here … [Read more...]
5 Steps to a Successful Social Media or Transmedia Marketing or Advocacy Campaign
Video: Seismic Cultural Shifts in a Globally Connected World
My friend Bret Morstad submitted this great video, called "The Message" to TED. It speaks to the seismic shifts in culture and psychology that innovations in technology and a connected global community have delivered. I view media technologies and societies (and all things, really) from a systems perspective. A system means that every participant in the system contributes to its movement and evolution. I like this video because it reminds that the power (and obligation) for change rests on each of us. Good luck with the TED committee, Bret! … [Read more...]
The Psychology of Social Media that Fuels Social Change
Whether or not Egyptian President Mubarak steps down as protestors demand, it's clear that Egyptian society has undergone a cataclysmic shift. Much of this shift is due to the connectivity from new media technologies, such as Twitter and Facebook. Malcolm Gladwell has gotten a lot of flack for writing that social media isn't really powerful enough to create real social change. As I (and many others) argued, that is patently wrong (See PT blog post "Four Ways Social Media Is Redefining Activism"). Egypt and Tunisia are excellent examples of why. Social change isn't about the tools and it isn't about how the relative "strength" of weak ties compared to other social movements. (Note: It's important to point out here that, contrary to popular interpretation, "strength" related to weak ties is not a descriptor of emotional engagement or attachment between ties like it sounds. In the context of weak ties, strength means the powerful impact on the … [Read more...]
Stories are the Antidote to Information Overload
Real Time Information Puts a Premium on Meaning What does it mean when we have real time on-demand information? It means there is no longer an information shortage. We have more information that we know what to do with -- even when we ask for it. We have a filter shortage. Stories are the way the brain processes information. Don't leave it up to the receiving brain to make sense of your message. Stories are the way to contextualize information so people hear what you have to say. Yesterday, I watched it snow in New York City. A lot. Today I am seeing people digging out and slushing through the snow banks at curbside. I can also watch a comedian named Mike Birbiglia, through a window in the Herald Square Macys. He is hanging out for a week on a queen-sized bed doing a real life demonstration for Downey's "Clean Sheet Week" Challenge. I can see all this, but I live in San Francisco. Nevertheless, because of live videostreaming, I can appreciate the snowy mess … [Read more...]
