Story Log: Running List of Storytelling in Marketing and Pop Culture

Storytelling: Branding in Practice. Publisher's description:

As a concept, storytelling has won a decisive foothold in the debate on how brands of the future will be shaped. Yet, companies are still confused as to how and why storytelling can make a difference to their business. What is the point of telling stories anyway? What makes a good story? And how do you go about telling it so that it supports the company brand? This book is written for practitioners by practitioners. Through real life examples, simple guidelines and practical tools, the book aims to inspire companies to use storytelling as a means of building their brand - internally as well as externally.

A part of Hitachi's Web site is True Stories, in video form, like the one below:

citibank's current tagline is "What's your story?" ("Whatever your story is, your Citi card can help you write it.")

Theme parks, especially Disney, are often associated with storytelling. Quote in Orlando Sentinel, 4-14-06: "Story telling has always been the hallmark of attractions at Disney and Universal Orlando, where pre-shows immerse people in the theme of the ride." Similarly, Sea World Orlando launched a new killer-whale show, Believe, in which trainers become storytellers, emerging from the water to tell their personal stories.

JetBlue, which previously sponsored a Story Booth project, invites customers to share their stories.

A company called The Fund runs a site called MyRealEstateStory.com in which real people tell real-estate horror stories to promote the idea of hiring a real-estate attorney.

The makers of Gardasil, the cervical cancer vaccine, ran an ad with the headline: "Calling Gardasil a cervical cancer vaccine is only the beginning of the story."

A site called MyFamousName.com invites people who share names with celebrities to share their stories.

Moissanite jewel is running a contest that invites entrants to share their stories of their most important Milestone Moment (such as first date with future husband, holding a first baby, a first big promotion) and win a pendant. The site also offers Milestone Moment example stories.

Headline for an ad promoting the Dr. Phil show: "The stories you care about as they happen."

Apple credits its FinalCutPro software for "empowering the storyteller," in this case photographer Lauren Greenfield who used Final Cut Pro to produce Thin, about young women in a treatment center for eating disorders.

Apple's own story inspires Mitchell Harper of the software company Inspire, who writes about the importance of the corporate story in a blog posting.

Business Week offers a podcast, "Sell It with a Story: Stories that Build Connections with Customers," in which Doug Stevenson, president of Story Theater International, offers Savvy Selling columnist and podcast host Michelle Nichols his strategies on using storytelling to make more sales.

Gerry Lantz talks about Brand Stories that Work, including the Dove Real Beauty campaign.

In a 9-minute video, Shell Oil tells a warm, human story of how the snake oil drill, said to be relatively environmentally friendly, was invented by an engineer watching his son drink a milkshake through a bendy straw.

Thomas R. Clifford blogs about Harnessing the Power of Remarkable Corporate Video Stories to Ignite Conversations and Spark Action at Bringing Brands to Life.

In What's Your story? Storytelling to Move Markets, Audiences, People, and Brands, authors Ryan Mathews and Watts Wacker describe stories as the "most powerful, most underutilized tool for competitive advantage." You can read more about the book in a two-part article by George Anderson about the book in the journal, Retail Wire (free subscription required): Part 1: Telling Stories for Profit and Part 2: Telling Stories for Profit.