See a photo of Jon, his bio, Part 1 of this Q&A, and Part 2.

Q&A with Jon Thomas, Questions 4 and 5:

Q: The storytelling movement seems to be growing explosively. Why now? What is it about this moment in human history and culture that makes storytelling so resonant with so many people right now?

A: Not too long ago, the brands that “won” in marketing were those that had the most money. They could buy the best TV spots, the best billboards, the best radio commercial slots, and they could get eyeballs because the consumer didn’t have any power. If audiences wanted their entertainment, they had to sit through those ads. Brands didn’t need a story — they just needed brand exposure.

The power is shifting, though. Consumers don’t have to be subjected to this type of advertising. We can fast-forward over the commercials, pay for commercial free radio and television, and simply ignore the marketing we don’t want to hear or see.

Now, in order to reach consumers, brands have to create content that’s relevant, useful, and entertaining. That’s where storytelling comes in. Brands must create experiences that audiences enjoy and want to share with others. It’s within these experiences that stories are told.

Instead of paying for a 30-second spot, a beauty salon could invest in creating a blog dedicated to providing hair tips, tricks, latest styles, and customer stories. This keeps a customer engaged with the brand even when they’re not at the salon and creates a bond between consumer and brand that transcends pricing and quirky advertising.

Not to mention there are tools that are popping up every day, anchored by Twitter and Facebook, that allow brand and consumer, actor and fan, charity and volunteer, to connect on a human level. It’s becoming part of our culture to expect all brands to be human. Ten years ago if I had a problem with my cable provider, I had to call an 800 number, fight a phone tree, and battle with a robotic sales rep. One person heard my complaint, and the cable providers knew it. I had no power. Now, I can take my complaint to Twitter or the brand’s Facebook page and I can voice my complaint to hundreds if not thousands. This usually results in an immediate response, and that response becomes part of the brand story. They may respond so well that they turn my anger into evangelism, and I can tell my story to those hundreds, if not thousands of people in my network.

It’s been fantastic to see humanity and creativity return to marketing and advertising, and it’s all rooted in story.

A: I was just having a conversation with a soon-to-be college graduate who wrote his communications thesis on how Twitter killed the PR agent. I find the adoption of social media by celebrities to be quite intriguing.

Social media tools like Facebook and Twitter give consumers an avenue to connect with their idols in a way that was IMPOSSIBLE just a few years ago. I grew up a Celtics fan, but there’s no way Larry Bird was knocking on my door to say hi any time soon. But now there are all kinds of professional athletes using social media, and while it’s not anywhere near a guarantee, if I reach out to my idol on those channels maybe, just maybe, I’ll get a response. Just the ability to listen to their stream of consciousness makes a fan feel like they’re part of the conversation. And if there is a real direct response, then that creates a bond that is stronger than any baseball card or poster can ever create.

Celebrities have a built in audience, so once the join Twitter, they don’t have to focus much time on growing a followership. All they have to do is decide how they’ll use their power. I liken it to a superhero who just finds out he has a special power, like x-ray vision. He could use it for good or for evil.

As a Boston fan, I followed Paul Pierce on Twitter, only to realize that a majority of his tweets are paid advertisements. He’s using Twitter for “evil” and it left a bad taste in my mouth. It’s unfortunate to realize that celebrities would prefer the easy money of paid ads than to harness the incredible power of social-media channels to humanize and tell their story of who they really are.

As Gary Vaynerchuck says, “Giving a shit has an enormous yield,” and that couldn’t be truer. Gary has nearly 900,000 Twitter followers and I’ve gotten numerous responses from him, including personal email responses. He gives away tons of useful content for free, and I owe much of my success to him. So there’s no doubt I’ll be buying all his books, suggesting them to others, attending his speaking engagements, and promoting the heck out of his stuff. His story is about caring, and that resonates with me.