See a photo of Barry, his bio, Part 1 of this Q&A, Part 2, and Part 3.
Q&A with Barry Poltermann, Questions 7 and 8:
Q: Are there any current uses of storytelling that repel you or that you feel are inappropriate?
A: Those emails from Nigerian princes that tell you to send them your bank
account info so you can make a million bucks repel me. Seriously, the only thing that repels me is the way that the term “story” is abused. So many times a marketer says “tell our story” and they really mean “relay our message”. Nobody gives a crap about your message. Tell people a story. If you believe that your story is all about the product (which we hear over and over), then the product better have a personality, a problem to solve, and adventure to go on. A story is not “we have the best vacuum cleaners of any brand”. A story is “I worked for years to invent the perfect vacuum cleaner and struggled to get it out there… thank god Brand X saw my vision and supported it. It turned out well in the end.”
Q: If you could identify a person (such as a celebrity) or organization who desperately needs to tell a better story, who or what would it be?
A: Do people ever answer this question? Name names? [See editor’s note below.] Ha, well, I could identify plenty of people and companies and organizations who do a sub-par job of getting their story told. I think celebrities can call their publicists, but the latter two need to stop hiding and reacting and get out there and be active, be proactive, and tell the story they want heard. That’s what we do at AboutFace, actually. We help clients tell their stories. I can’t name names on who should call us to talk about telling their stories, but they know who they are. Or at least they should. Brand image problem, transitional phase, all the usual issues abound. We’ll probably be pitching them on a series of videos shortly if we haven’t already!
[Editor’s note: Barry, your instincts are correct because this question has been the least answered in the two years I’ve been conducting these Q&As. But a few people have responded, most recently Gregg Morris, who said the Catholic Church needs a better story.]