The most important dynamics of the modern marketplace flow from our moving ever closer to a world of infinite choice. As consumers, we’re both overwhelmed and delighted by the expanding ability to obtain whatever we want, at almost every possible time and place. As marketers, we’re both overwhelmed and delighted by the expanding ability to connect with whomever we want, at almost every possible time and place. So consumers and marketers alike face the conundrum of a world of infinite choice – infinite channels, infinite competitors, infinite sources of influence, and infinite decisions.
In that context, we see a marketing universe still defined by the finite thinking of campaigns. It’s become embedded in our culture. It’s not an unusual cocktail party topic to recall “that great campaign that so-and-so did” back in the day. Lord knows marketers think in campaigns too. We give each other awards for campaigns; nominate colleagues to various Hall of Fames based on their association with great campaigns. Even sophisticated marketers think this way most times, referring to the launch of social programs much like most do about TV shows. A campaign is a natural way for us to talk about what we do because it fits an easy narrative arc – it has a beginning and an end. But that is why campaigns have become less useful as the way to think about marketing. They come from a time when the brand was the sole storyteller – deciding the story, the pace, and the order of the narrative arc.
But if you look at the marketers who are succeeding in our evolved marketplace, they’re not bound by a campaign mentality. They’re crafting their stories to come from many places besides directly from the brand. Brands like Zappos, Heineken, and Über are benefitting in different ways from surprise and serendipity more than from crafting clear consistent narratives. Their stories unfold on different threads spread across time and channels that defy neat categorization into well-defined beginnings and ends. As the different authors intersect, contradict, and overlap each other, the metaphor of Brand as Storyteller falls short. Stories are still an essential part of brand building, but the emphasis is on the plural. Brands are drawing power from the energy generated by the exchange of new stories from multiple sources. When you exchange stories, and share your reactions to them, that is more than storytelling. For the brands that do it best, it’s a conversation that never stops, that is constantly building on itself and moving in different directions. In today’s environment, it turns out the power of stories to build brands is as much in the sharing as in the telling.
So, adroit marketers push to build and refresh a continuous conversation for the brand. Their real measure of success is not in the initial impact of what they put out into the world, but in the total amount of interactions, sharing or responses that it provokes. We too often only measure the initial impact of a message delivered (ASI score, 2+ Reach, Ad Views) when we should be measuring the total impact of the secondary effects it generates. The goal is to create and shape a growing stream of exchanges that make the brand the subject of an infinite conversation. In this model, the best marketer is not the one who creates the biggest splash but the one who consistently makes the most waves.
The Ryan Report 