I co-animated a webinar with Shlomi Ron at the start of the pandemic. Branding in times of covid is challenging but necessary to maintain communication with customers. We demonstrate how using the storytelling technique, choosing the appropriate brand archetype, and conveying a human message, set brands apart. More importantly, brands are demonstrating that they care and not abandoning their clients. © Shlomi Ron & Diana Yazidjian 2020

1. April 16, 2020
Diana Yazidjian
Storytelling Expert, DFY Consulting
Shlomi Ron
CEO, Visual Storytelling Institute

2. VIRTUAL COFFEE WITH
Diana Yazidjian
Storytelling Expert
DFY Consulting
Montreal
Shlomi Ron
CEO
Visual Storytelling Institute
Miami

3. ● What is brand/visual storytelling?
● Why is storytelling important in these times?
● What are brands doing today? The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
● Actionable tips
● Q&A
WHAT WE’LL COVER

4. “Visual Storytelling is a marketing strategy that leverages compelling narratives,
placing your customer at the heart of the story, staged with an emotional visual
media experience and effectively distributed across your buyer’s journey – in
order to empower customers’ lives and drive business results.”
-Shlomi Ron
CEO, Visual Storytelling Institute
WHAT IS VISUAL STORYTELLING?

5. WHAT MAKES A GOOD STORY?
Source: OneSpot 2017

6. WHY SHOULD WE STORYTELL IN THESE TIMES?
Crisis or no crisis, our brains crave stories.
“A third of our lives spent daydreaming in a positive or
negative way, writing stories in our head.”
Samantha Shad
Author “The Write to Happiness: How to Write Stories to Change Your Brain and Your Life”
“The only time we stop flitting from daydream to
daydream is when we have a good story in front of us.”
Rachel Gillett
Former editorial assistant for FAST COMPANY

7. 71%of respondents said “they perceive that if a brand is putting profit over
people, they will lose trust in that brand forever”
77%said “they want brands only to speak about products in ways that show
they are aware of the crisis and the impact on people’s lives.”
-March 26th study by Edelman
WHAT DO PEOPLE WANT THESE DAYS?

8. WHAT DO PEOPLE NEED THESE DAYS?
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Source: SimplyPsychology.org

9. To every brand a
personality
To every personality, an
archetype:
- The Teacher
- The Hero
- The Caregiver
- ...
HOW ARE BRANDS STORYTELLING
Source: SmallBusinessDaily.com

10. CAUSE MARKETING

11. CAUSE MARKETING - KEY TRENDS
Pure play money donation
● Vicks, a family of cold
and flu brands donated
$1 million to Direct Relief
● Jack Dorsey, founder of
Twitter & Square vows to
donate $1 Billion to fight
the Coronavirus
● TikTok is donating $375
million to COVID-19
relief
Product line change
● Mercedes F1 provided
breathing aid as
alternative to ventilator
● Designer brand Ralph
Lauren and Brooks
Brothers to produce
masks and gowns
● Anheuser-Busch to
produce hand sanitizers
● Fiat Chrysler to start
producing 1 million face
masks a month
Utility & AgilityGenerosity
Product donation
● Popeyes gives free Netflix
passwords for orders
● Coursera giving out free
course access to
affected universities
● Little Caesars donates
1m pizza + “Pie It
Forward” to Local
Hospitals, Police Stations,
and Fire Departments
Empathy

12. POPEYES - CAUSE MARKETING
Safety Needs:
From: Asking people to stay safe at home
To: Helping people stay safe at home
Brand archetype: The Magician/Jester

13. MERCEDES AMG
Brand archetype: The Ruler

14. Empathy

15. REALITY THREAD

16. IKEA - SPAIN
#YoMeQuedoEnCasa (I Stay Home)
Brand archetype: The Care Giver

17. THRIVE CANNABIS
The big winner is– Stay Apart, Thrive Together
Brand archetype: The Caregiver

18. AUDI - THE DRIVE
Brand archetype: The Sage/Explorer

19. BURGER KING - SPAIN
Brand archetype: The Regular
Let their drivers call their
vehicles “home,” so they
Can order food for delivery

20. 2007 SCRUBS - ‘HOW DISEASE SPREADS’

21. LEGACY POWER

22. POWER OF INFLUENCE

23. MCDONALD’S

25. FORD
The only carmaker with a campaign: "Built to Lend a Hand”
Brand archetype: The Explorer

26. MISSING
AUTHENTICITY & CLARITY

27. VERIZON
Brand archetype: The Care Giver / Sage
The Caregiver or
the Sage archetype
(staying connected
to each other and
knowing our family
is safe).

28. MERCEDES PLAYING WITH GIFS (UGLY)

29. MERCEDES PLAYING WITH GIFS

30. MISALIGNED STORIES

31. KFC STOPPED CAMPAIGNS

32. COORS LIGHT STOPPED CAMPAIGN

33. GOOGLE MAPS

34. NOW WHAT?

35. Will the brands exhaust the messaging strategy of being human first?
Will ads and stories visualize Back to business?
Will Remote working ads become the currency?

36. Are we in for a long and difficult 2020-21?
#1 Consumers will be poorer or feel poorer. → Frugality and caution
RECO1: Storylines should continue reassuring consumers, holding their hand in a “we’re going
to get through this together”.
Necessity stores and value brands stores will continue to be the only active businesses with
low cost structures such as Wal-Mart. A strong dependency will develop based on necessity
and proximity.
#2 Consumers who usually travel the extra mile to go to their preferred store may have switched loyalties
because of the virus.
RECO2: Storytelling should continue in those times to nurture that newfound loyalty. As a
result, when the confinement is lifted, the consumer will remain a client.
#3 As consumers will slowly build a routine around this New Normal confinement, they will pick up their e-
Commerce habits.
RECO3: Online brands should anticipate and prepare their content strategy in light of those
days. In fact, they should start right away, as a warm-up exercise.
ASSUMPTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

37. SPENDING CHANGES
Source: NYTimes

38. PROJECTED TIMELINE
Anxiety
Low
High
Vaccine/Drugs
Stage 1:
Emergency
Stage 2:
Semi-normalcy
Spike
Stage 3:
Normalcy
20212020 Time

39. PROJECTED TIMELINE
Anxiety
Low
High
Vaccine/Drugs
Stage 1:
Emergency
Stage 2:
Semi-normalcy
Spike
Stage 3:
Normalcy
20212020 Time
Human Reassuring Celebratory

40. BRAND STORYTELLING STRATEGY
Customers
Brand
Narrative
Competitors
Campaigns
1) Listen
Relevant
Impactful
Sensitive
Differentiated
2) Plan
Doable
3) Engage
Stage
Platforms
Buyers
Employees
4) Optimize
Rinse
Test
Optimize

41. QUESTIONS?
Diana Yazidjian
Storytelling Expert
DFY Consulting
diana@dfyconsulting.com
Shlomi Ron
CEO
Visual Storytelling Institute
shlomi@visualstorytell.com