Brand fiction and the case of Mad Men
I love the idea of building a tribe around a story. A while ago, there was a post by Mel Exon at BBH Labs about the Storyteller’s Story, that drew heavily on Dan Light’s description of the marketing machine that was in motion ages before the Watchmen movie was released. The Labs post ended with these lines:
All this leaves me feeling there is a real and significant opportunity for brands to excite and inspire again through storytelling. That it is possible to reinvent a lost art, rather than dismiss it. That storytelling can be a powerful tool to drive new creativity in the interactive space.
I just came across this presentation by Helen Klein Ross, who heads a company called the Brand Fiction Factory, that made me think of the the Labs post in the first place. Helen is the voice of @BettyDraper on Twitter, and the presentation summarises how Mad Men has successfully used (and continues to use) social media to keep fans enthralled even as it is into is third season.
For some reason, I kept re-reading the definition of brand fiction as put forth by the Brand Fiction Factory on their website:
Brand Fiction is original narrative and mythology built around a brand’s unique promise. Brand Fiction is valuable not only as a marketing vehicle but as pure entertainment that can ultimately be franchised. Brand Fiction brings a brand to life in a way that validates and encourages consumers to create a deeper, more meaningful relationship with the brand, turning prospects into enthusiasts who spread the brand story.
I know a lot of people mention the Meerkat as a success story in social media, but to be honest, the character does not a) bring a narrative to mind, and b) isn’t meaningful in any sense, so for me doesn’t do much. To the end that it brings up the brand (i.e Comparethemarket.com), it is successful, I’ll give it that. But as a STORY that truly channels a tribe (never mind Aleks the Meerkat’s 600,000+ Facebook fans), that is long-lasting and emotional, it does nothing. So if you’re thinking of mentioning it as an example of creativity in the interactive storytelling space, it doesn’t count. Mad Men, as you can see from the presentation, has gone as far as organising an event replete with Eventbrite tickets and ’60’s-style prizes, through which they’ve got a database of fans’ details. The over-arching idea is that the characters take the show from season to season.
I see a clear gap here, which places like the Brand Fiction Factory are probably going to fill. I’m not sure how easy it will be to execute for a brand as opposed to a media channel like a film (Watchmen) or a TV series (Mad Men), but I see that as a surmountable challenge. What is absolutely mandatory though, is a very courageous client. That, and patience. Easy asks? Perhaps not, but with the way social technology is breaking new barriers almost every day (if you are a digital native, you’ll understand what I mean), I think it’s just a question of that client finding the courage to say ‘Yes’.
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About the author
Anjali Ramachandran is a strategist/planner who loves all things interesting, mostly digital.
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Brilliant post, thanks.
Love Mad man but wasn’t aware of the SM strategy around it. I agree that 60s adv execs stories are a lot more engaging than any meerkat story ever, still I think it’s definitely easier (i.e. not just a bit easier) to create narratives around a ‘product’ that is all based on narratives and characters, than to do it around a real ‘product’ with no character at all.
The future of marketing reserves interesting challenges, for sure…
Said that, what I was actually wondering is: do you really think that digital natives will understand better (than everybody else) the way social technology is breaking new barriers almost every day? I actually think that, not having much experience of how things were, their sense of how the technology is actually deeply changing behavioral patterns is probably lower, while it’s their instinct in using technology that is sharper…
giulia baldi
October 28, 2009
at 11:09 am
Thanks for your comment, Giulia. I think SOME digital natives (not all), do in fact understand how technology is breaking new barriers. There are of course those who focus on using the technology with scant attention to how it is changing behavioural patterns, but the former breed do exist and I like to think that I am one of them. Maybe you are too. It is definitely easier to create narratives around a product that is based on characters like Mad Men, but that’s why it should be immensely satisfying if someone can pull it off successfully for a brand without that advantage. I’ll wait with bated breath!
Anjali Ramachandran
October 29, 2009
at 11:30 am
I am with you on this. The preconditions it seems to be are;
a) a fandom i.e. people prepared to follow and shape the story. Easy for TV shows, but many brands have fandoms too.
b) Someone to own the process – someone to develop the story universe. Is it something digital/ad agency creatives are able to do? Is it down to TV production companies? Is the mythology developed by some smart planners? All of the above probably.
Finally c) some evidence that it might just make the brand successful. Case studies seem thin on the ground. But try Audi A3 Art of the Heist or Jonathan Mildenhall of Coke who seems to talk a good game at least.
Anyone else got some practical advice on how to make this happen?
L
Leo
October 28, 2009
at 3:26 pm
Hi Leo – the Art of the Heist is an interesting example indeed, thanks for bringing it up. And you’ve summarised the preconditions very well. I think it doesn’t really matter where it is done – digital/traditional agency or a place like the Brand Fiction Factory – what is important is that these ideas come to life and thrive. It’s what excites me about working in this industry (broadly) – seeing so many new ideas (with some crap ones, but let’s dwell on the positive) come to life. A brand like Nike which has a fandom arguably, as you say, or Apple, would probably lend themselves to this smoothly – but I somehow feel that it could even work for a smaller unknown brand, because they can build the fandom from scratch, just like Mad Men did. Thanks for the comment!
Anjali Ramachandran
October 29, 2009
at 11:26 am