[Lee Jong-gil's Autumn Return] Now Stories Must Be Told to Succeed

Robert McKee and Thomas Gerace's 'Storynomics'

The advertising and marketing market changes rapidly. According to a 2015 survey by computer software company Adobe, 76% of marketers responded that the changes in the marketing field over the past two years were greater than the changes that had occurred over several decades since the advent of TV. Consumers began to exclude media trapped in advertisements. Especially the younger generation disappeared into a forest of paid subscriptions and ad-blocking programs. This trend is also clearly reflected in media preferences. Over the past five years, users of ad-free online content services like Netflix have surged. On the other hand, TV viewership among those under 40 has sharply declined.

Robert McKee and Thomas Gerace's Storynomics states that the era of advertising-centered marketing is over. They emphasize the need to shift to "story-centered marketing," which naturally captures people's attention and provides meaningful emotional experiences. Stories align best with the human mind and serve as a communication mode that connects one person's thoughts with another's. They powerfully convey rational messages wrapped in emotional packaging. Because we empathize with the characters within, stories also have an emotional nature. The protagonist's actions deliver insights into human nature, making them meaningful.

Some might assume that since we have watched and heard stories all our lives, creating one would be easy. This is no different from thinking that attending a concert means you can compose music. Bedtime stories told to children or the tales exchanged over drinks are, of course, stories. However, they are merely stories made up to entertain. Some stories even change human perspectives. They have sparked civilizations or religions followed by billions. The American author Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811?1896) wrote the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, which triggered political movements and became a spark for war. TV series like All in the Family (1971) and Will & Grace (1998) paved the way for LGBT equality by bringing prejudices into public discourse. Storynomics focuses on such effects and defines stories as the "ultimate information technology (IT)."

"Storytelling requires information as deep and broad knowledge of human nature and the relationships humans have with social and physical realms. A well-crafted story must skillfully perform internal techniques such as the structure of actions/reactions, value shifts, roles, conflicts, turning points, and emotional dynamics. Technique is the backbone of art."

Many confuse stories with narratives. A narrative refers to a sequence of fictional or real events connected by cause and effect within a defined time and space. Although it may sound academic or scientific, in a business context it is an illogical and inaccurate term. All stories are narratives, but not all narratives are stories. Narratives tend to be bland, monotonous, boring, and repetitive enumerations of events. They are events that pass through the mind without tension, making it difficult to exert any significant influence.

In contrast, stories progress gradually fueled by value as energy. Conflict-centered events that cause meaningful changes in life dynamically escalate. Storymix predicts that as this technique matures, the scale and sources of capital used in storytelling will also move in favorable directions.

"Storytellers will accelerate the end of the advertising-centric model while fostering innovations in radical media such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and games. Then, inspired again by these innovative ideas, technologies will emerge that allow more people to consume story-based knowledge and entertainment more frequently and for longer periods?technologies we have yet to imagine. If brand storytelling is done properly, it will not only drive solid business results but also open doors to opportunities marketers have never imagined before."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.