We’re not storytellers; we’re better than that.
These days I often hear of advertising people as ‘storytellers’. Apparently we’re all telling stories of products and services in order to promote them.
On this very issue I hereby call bullshit.
I get it: many of us want to think we’re somehow better or deeper people than mere floggers of goods on behalf those willing to pay us. Perhaps we want to believe that running a Twitter feed for a bank that launders money for drug dealers is not a soul-destroying use of a life. Or maybe we need to know that our 25%-off ad for potatoes is critically important to somebody somewhere.
But overall the pretence that this industry is in the business of something higher order, as if we’re presenting bite-sized versions of Great Expectations, or ‘snackable’ Jane Eyres demeans us all.
You’re an intelligent person. You’re surely far too bright to fall for the baseless flattery that attempts to make this job appear to be something it isn’t.
Watch an ad break. Scroll down your social media. Open a newspaper. Are the ads you’re seeing ‘stories’ by any generally-accepted meaning of that word? Or are they just about, maybe, if you squint really hard and stretch the definition like Silly Putty, something possibly, vaguely story-ish?
If you asked a bus driver if that poster they just passed told a story, would they agree, or look at you as if you were fucking bonkers?
The general acceptance of advertisers primarily as storytellers seems really odd to me. Somehow a bright, skeptical bunch of people who spend their working days trying to get other people to believe products are more important and significant than they actually are has fallen hard for their own schtick. (I know you haven’t fallen for it, dear reader. As always, we’re talking about other advertising people who are unfortunately a bit gullible.)
So let’s get real: we’re copywriters, art directors and advertisers who sometimes tell stories for our clients, but usually do nothing of the sort.
We’re not storytellers who just happen to ply their trade on behalf of chicken drumsticks and betting shops.
The sooner we get honest with ourselves about what we do, the sooner we can do it properly. After all, there’s plenty of dignity and pride to be found in this industry. Every time we pretend there isn’t, we indirectly shame ourselves, and life’s hard enough without dealing with shit like that.
I heard a lot of this starting around 2001, when certain starstruck ad people wanted to bring Hollywood storytelling jargon to the office. It sounded delusional, if not preposterous, when it was deployed to flesh out brands in decks. But agencies are charisma poker matches, and anyone who questioned the practice became a pariah. I fear for any children who were subjected to brand deck readings by overeager planners at story time.
Good to have you back Ben. Completely agree. I’ve always thought of advertising/branding as the Hair and Makeup of capitalism. Nothing wrong with that IMO. Yes we technically tell stories, but it’s not like we’re making it up from scratch. 90% of the time 90% of our content is a foregone conclusion and not in any way a puzzle.
The problem begims with Johnny and Janey Civilian’s contempt for salespeople. Serious salespeople who are comfortable in their skin say go fuck yerself. Precious snowflakes who mostly number Johnny and Janet C among their friends, disassociate themselves from smelly salesmanship and call themselves other things. Like storytellers. Any sales spiel is a story, I guess. But the whole game of trying to manufacture a loftier connection – to Hollywood, for instance – is bullshit. They make entertainment, we USE entertainment sometimes. We’d be crap at they do and they’re crap at what we do. And, by the way, they’re bigger bullshitters than we are: Insat opposite Jerry Seinfeld at a dinner party once where somehow the subject got on to ads. He did a whole routine about the tv spots he’d made and been in as if those were the only moments the ad industry glimpsed greatness. In truth, his spots for Microsoft were the Jwt-Lasson result of an expert in 30 mins entertainment crashing and burning as a 30 sec salesman. I smiled and nodded at the great man of course. It’s only sales. Certainly not worth ruining a Hamptons dinner party over.
If the output is a 60” spot/poster/banner or whatever shape a media buy has bought – then I gotta agree. Although I would say some of the approaches and techniques to writing (as if a story) I’ve found useful if only to help explore a way to a better angle for the eventual ‘non story’ ad. I’ve also seen target audiences on briefs be more inspiring and insightful when written as if describing a character in a biog as you would for a screenplay. Doesn’t mean you’re writing stories, does mean a better visual of the person you are trying to persuade = better ad.
There is also the scenario where the ads output is not going to end up as a advert for an ad break, but instead a piece of branded entertainment. (leaving efficacy debates on this behind for now) That does require some application of story telling techniques. You are after all trying to make something which stands up against everything else people are choosing to watch on tv/netflix et al. I know this as I’ve just done one and it was bloody hard as nails (storytelling is easier said than done, and it’s usually said by people who are least capable of getting it done).