PPB January 2019

by Danielle Renda SELLING POINT Tugging At Your Heartstrings How companies are using customer storytelling to associate emotion with their brands. In the marketing world, companies are shifting away from the standard social media newsfeed and promo-style advertisements in favor of consumer stories. Consumer stories provide prospective buyers with firsthand accounts of actual buyers and their experiences with a product, service or company. It’s a way to provide valuable information as told from the perspective of a consumer, rather than the company. One of the more common ways that companies are integrating consumer stories is through video. This is not a new technique, as the myriad of social media platforms have enabled people to share their opinions about anything, from the new snow-blower they purchased from Home Depot, to the cookie tin they bought from a boutique baker, or the antique-style lamp they snagged from Pier 1 Imports. This change is evident on Facebook, where users are given the option to post a story instead of a written post. Stories, which were made popular by the social media platform Snapchat, allow users to share personal photos or videos that can be viewed limitlessly within a 24-hour period. Snapchat users can also share direct or personal "snaps," which can be viewed once, with the option to replay one personal snap per day. A similar option is provided by Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, but users can view these stories as many times as they’d like during this 24-hour period. What’s the appeal? Although some people have associated stories with being the “selfie central” of social media—and sometimes, it can be—for companies it provides yet another avenue to reach an even greater consumer market. Companies outside of the social media realm are also using stories to reach consumers. The Ritz-Carlton recently launched “Let Us Stay With You,” an animated campaign intended to attract guests to its Yalong Bay resort in China, The Ritz-Carlton Sanya. One of the videos told the story of a retired Russian astronaut who was staying at the hotel. Recently widowed, he was having trouble enjoying his stay until hotel management surprised him with unexpected amenities throughout his visit. Every animation in the campaign follows the heartwarming memories of guests who visited Ritz-Carlton locations around the world. Another campaign by German airline Lufthansa, #SayYesToTheWorld, attracted consumer attention through a recent commercial. The commercial features a compilation of people around the world being asked, “Why do you love the world?” which is answered in different languages and by people of diverse cultures, all while seated in Lufthansa airline seats. This not only offered an emotional angle, but it communicated the message that Lufthansa is an airline dedicated to international travel and serving consumers worldwide. And of course, we can’t forget Airbnb—a company that’s entirely consumer-driven— which features a section on its website titled, “Stories from the Airbnb Community.” Because consumers essentially fund and 68 | JANUARY 2019 | THINK