The Movies We Make ...

In advertising, we are telling stories that motivate and inspire, engage the emotions, lead us to action. We laugh, we cry, we leave the movie theatre of the mind feeling the emotions the storyteller shared.

This, of course, assumes that the movie was "good".

Unfortunately, most of the advertising "movies" that we see are not so good. Two thumbs down, frankly.

Have you ever wondered why?

It is because some business owners (and many local ad agencies) create advertising much like they would create a home movie.

"This is me at Yellowstone. This is me standing at the ocean. This is the family standing near the giant redwood tree."

This is an idiot showing home movies.

Now, the problem with home movies is never the content. It is the perspective.

To create an effective movie -- you must not point the camera at yourself. Instead, take the viewers into the action. The front of the roller coaster car can be seen in the bottom of the frame as you careen wildly down the 60-mph drop. You hear the gasps. You hear the screaming and finally the laughter.

The genius of all great film-makers is that they point the camera at the action -- like at an underwater cave where the eel shoots out; at the sunken ship on a reef; and at the sharks swimming lazily nearby. We experience the undersea world and are hypnotized by it because the skillful storyteller takes us there. We see it. We belong to it. It touches our emotions.

You must do the same with your advertising. Take us there. Tell us a compelling story. Involve us emotionally.

And never, ever point the camera at yourself.

Good Selling!

:)  Dana

P.S. If good storytelling is important to you and you need some help with it, just give me a call: 1-253-579-4040 or email at: getmedana@gmail.com. It's what we do.