3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD 4
Assemblages Are the Post-Modern Story
By Linda Zimmer
reprinted with permission from Channel and Place
Why “Content Marketing” is A Model for Disaster 6
– And Why Journalism is the Answer
Layered Narrative Storytelling: 10
A Journalistic Standard for Creating Content
The End of Content: 14
Storytelling Using the Layered Narrative System
Data + Storytelling: 19
Emotion Must Be in the Equation
Case Studies 22
4. Assemblages are the
Postmodern Story
THERE’S A PROBLEM with all this talk of “content” in my mind. It’s contained.
It’s boxed. It is boundaried, even though we can unlock it from its containers
in all our glorious socialness.
It’s created for distribution along or in specific channels. The format of our
“content” must fit (conform) to the media (platform). Text just doesn’t seem
to fit into Pinterest all that well.
“Content” is created with a specific intent, and that is usually “engagement”
(secretly we mean viral, but we’d never speak that term before it went that way).
“Content” has one voice even if we “Storify” it.
“Content” doesn’t trust its “consumer.” The mandate for attention means
it has to pack a punch, hit us in the face, as we are swiping by in our
liquid media flow. Content can’t afford the time to peak curiosity and allow
it to unfold into attention.
“Content” is stifling. It leaves little room for breathing or complex meaning.
There are no gaps. It is all gravity and no elegance. It collapses into invisibility.
Constant replenishment is inescapable.
So, in postmodern tradition, “content” is being re-examined through the lens of “Story.”
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T H E E N D O F C O N T E N T:
5. Gary Goldhammer at H&K Strategies champions today’s “Story” as the
“Layered Narrative.” He writes:
A Layered Narrative allows space for interaction, sharing, collaboration
and contribution. Every unique layer makes the source material stronger
and the core story more engaging….Think of the layers as a series of
“sidebars,” all related to the central narrative but each owning a unique
characteristic, angle or call to action.
Gary’s layered narrative crystallizes the forms of media upon which the story
layers may be constructed: paid, earned, owned and shared.
On its face this Layered Narrative may seem to emphasize the solid or con-
structed part of the story – the assemblages of content and assemblages of
channels – but implicit in these is the most liquid of all media: the messen-
gers, the tellers of the story, the talk, the sharers.
The messengers are also the medium. The constructed narrative is disrupted,
interrupted by the messengers working collaboratively in their channels and
places to understand the story, to gather it’s meaning or uncover personal
relevance. The degree of visibility of the teller (her “influence”) imparts a
particular meaning to the story while her talk also shapes the meaning of the
story. She herself is an assemblage of her communication platforms and the
meaning imparted by her in each is the interplay of the platform and her talk.
Our challenge in building the layered story is not only to construct it but to ac-
count for the meaning of our assemblages of media and the assembled meaning.
The meaning of the story will be impacted by each medium. The story will
be used by the medium. The “content” is never the narrative.
Assemblages of content, in assemblages of channels, and flowing through as-
semblages of messengers is the postmodern “Story.
By Linda Zimmer,
CEO
MarCom:Interactive
(reprinted with permission)
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6. THEN:
MONOLOGUE
NOW:
DIALOGUE
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7. Why “Content Marketing” is A Model for Disaster –
And Why Journalism is the Answer
A former colleague recently asked me the following in an email: “I’m looking
for recommendations for good content marketing conferences to attend. Let
me know if you have a few minutes sometime to chat?”
So it’s come to this. We’ve gone so far down the “content” rabbit hole that there
are now entire conferences dedicated to teaching smart communications peo-
ple how to act like Alec Baldwin’s character in Glengarry Glen Ross. Awesome,
sign me up. I mean, first put a bullet through my skull and then sign me up.
I know, I know. Not all “content” is created equal and not all Content
Marketers are douchebags. A great story is “content” as much as a lame
infographic about Why My Company Can Beat Up Your Company is “con-
tent.” Yet this is the problem we’ve created: Because we use “content” to
mean everything, it now means nothing. Even “storytelling” has turned into a
euphemism for content, stripping away any emotional value it once had.
Here’s the challenge for brands in 2013 and beyond: How to apply journalism
principles to content that tells a story and works across devices, platforms
and audience frames of mind, while not getting lost along the one-way, one-
size-fits-all and “feed the machine” content path plaguing us today.
That’s right, I said journalism. You know, that thing people respected
before Rupert Murdoch and Julian Assange, before gratuitous link baiting
and automated news aggregators. But journalism – real, emotional, story-
driven journalism – is the way out of the Sea of Sameness and the path
toward lasting connections with customers.
• “Content Marketing” is about, well, the “content” first – what does (insert
brand here) want to say and then replicating that message across every
channel possible. It’s about channel and technology. It’s about using
“story” as a Trojan horse for whatever ulterior motive is hiding inside.
• Journalism is about the audience first – what do they care about and
then tailoring the story to engage people where they are. It’s audience-
centric and channel agnostic. It’s about connecting, not marketing.
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8. Why “Content Marketing” is A Model for Disaster – And Why Journalism is the Answer
Good stories have multiple voices, not just the Corporate Voice or the well-
crafted customer testimonial. The best journalism inspires, has impact and
earns trust. It’s not a press release turned into a creative writing assignment.
Look, creating content is easy. Brands do it all the time with releases, videos,
ads, brochures and white papers. Brands are content machines.
Journalism isn’t that hard either, but it takes time and resolve. For every
journalistic brand endeavor such as McDonald’s “Our Food, Your Questions”
or Coca-Cola’s “Journey” publication, there are countless initiatives like
GE Stories that, while well intentioned, miss the journalism mark.
That’s okay. It’s not like every company is going to close its Content Mar-
keting department tomorrow and open a Newsroom (though that’s the
right idea.) The point is to recognize that the tide has shifted and that the
days of “content” are numbered.
Let the bottom feeders of our industry market content. The rest of us need
to look to journalism to restore content’s value and, more importantly, to
ensure that we can communicate effectively and emotionally in an ever-
fragmented media environment.
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9. THEN:
STRUCTURED
NOW:
DYNAMIC
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10. Layered Narrative Storytelling:
A Journalistic Standard for Creating Content
All the Facebook updates, tweets, RSS alerts, texts, chats, Instagrams
and pins can’t change the One Simple Truth of countless millennia:
We are wired for narrative.
Similarly, all the opining for simpler days when media was mass and J-school
graduates got to decide what stories to tell won’t change the exponential media
fragmentation that led to the rise of “content” at the expense of story.
The convergence of these divergent forces hasn’t all been bad – we have
never been more connected, never had more choices and never had more
control over our media experiences that we do right now. The “Great Unbun-
dling” of traditional media platforms from their static containers delivered
a newfound freedom. “What I want, when I want and how I want it” is no
longer a vision but rather an expectation.
Nevertheless, as media unbundled, our ability to tell stories unraveled.
Journalistic principles gave way to bursts of speculation and reporting
information ahead of facts.
Our ability to tell stories became as fragmented as our audiences’ ability to
process them from one channel to the next. According to a Google/Sterling
Brands study, 77 percent of TV viewers have another screen directly in front
of them at the same time.
We can’t go back nor should we. But that also doesn’t mean we must abdi-
cate the role of narrative. All that’s required is a shift in strategy and focus,
one that embraces our expanding digital culture and taps into the wiring our
brains already possess.
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11. Layered Narrative Storytelling: A Journalistic Standard for Creating Content
Layered Narrative Storytelling
The new model isn’t convergence, where different media platforms come to-
gether to deliver the same message. It’s about layers – not how media comes
together but how it works together, while still retaining the “native” character-
istics of the individual media types whether Paid, Earned, Owned or Shared.
This can’t happen with a media-centric or channel specific approach – we
must be audience-centric and channel agnostic. Story and audience must
sit at the center, powered by digital and social means. This is how ideas
spread and ultimately can stand out in a fragmented world.
From this central idea, narrative “layers” cut across channels and forms of
media so that we can reach more people at scale. A Layered Narrative allows
space for interaction, sharing, collaboration and contribution. Every unique
layer makes the source material stronger and the core story more engaging.
And why is journalism essential to this equation? Because (the best) journalism
is about telling emotional stories, and it is this emotion that binds the layers
together, enveloping the audience and making the story stronger over time, not
dissonant. Think of the layers as a series of “sidebars,” all related to the central
narrative but each owning a unique characteristic, angle or call to action.
Layers can take many forms, but for the most part are organized in four ways:
• The “Paid” Layer: search marketing, social ads, native ads, syndication
and paid placement
• The “Earned” Layer: search engine optimization, blogger and influencer
outreach, PR pitching and placement (offline and online)
• The “Owned” Layer: Web sites, e-mail, newsletters, mobile apps
• The “Shared” Layer: Facebook/Twitter/YouTube/LinkedIn engagement,
forums and other two-way media such as live webcasts or chats
Starbucks took this approach with its “Everylove” campaign, a blend of
poignant video stories and layers of consumer contributions via Twitter,
Facebook and Instagram that make the stories richer and more impactful.
Mercedes-Benz used layers in its “Impact” campaign about car safety, in-
corporating video, stories within paid online ads, photos and actual accident
reports to create a sense of intimacy and realism.
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12. Layered Narrative Storytelling: A Journalistic Standard for Creating Content
And because our involvement is essential to a Layered Narrative, the story tran-
scends media fragmentation – emotional connection, the true currency of the
Digital Age, takes over and ties the narrative together. We become the “fifth layer.”
A Layered Narrative is no place for “content.” Sure, you can implement this
approach on a technical and practical level, but ultimately you need to tell a
story and stand for something. You need to be engaged in the narrative for
the long haul, not just the product launch or whatever your purpose may be.
The old world of a monolithic mass media is not coming back – but narrative is.
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13. THEN:
FINITE
NOW:
INFINITE
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14. The End of Content:
Storytelling Using the Layered Narrative System
INSPIRATION: What’s the story?
Everything begins with the story – more
importantly, with the audience and what
they most care about. This isn’t like
planning a press release, which focuses
on what companies want people to
know. This is a narrative, the beginning
of a journey that focuses on what people
want to know about you.
This first step is audience centric and
channel agnostic. It allows you to get to
the core of your story right away, to dig
into the DNA of post-modern narratives – authentic emotion. If you can do
this, then dry, channel-driven “content” doesn’t stand a chance.
Content is a cul-de-sac, a dead end. But narrative is a superhighway that
can take your story anywhere.
CREATION: How to tell the story
Now that that you
know where to go
and what you want
people to do, the
next step is creat-
ing the narrative
experience. Is the
story best told in
text, video or both?
What is the “native”
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15. The End of Content: Storytelling Using the Layered Narrative System
or originating format of your narrative, and what are the ways in which you
can extend that narrative to more audiences, on the channels and in the
ways they want to experience it?
Think of your main story as the “feature film” and the related narratives as
the “DVD extras” or “sidebars” that can add deeper meaning and greater
resonance. By freeing your mind, you will free your story from being stuck
inside the static vertical silos of old media thinking.
DISTRIBUTION: Where to share the story
You have your story and you know how you want to tell it – the only question
left is where? This is when the Layered Narrative takes its form across the
four primary layers of Paid, Earned, Owned and Shared media.
The above graphic gives you an idea of how the various executions might
play out. The more you brainstorm using this system, the more creative your
distribution opportunities will become.
The real fun, however, comes next, when the layers intersect and ultimately
deliver the desired outcome:
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16. The End of Content: Storytelling Using the Layered Narrative System
The Layered Narrative System
As this final graphic illustrates, the Paid-Earned-Owned-Shared
layers don’t always stay within their swim lanes (nor are they
supposed to). They diverge and converge, connect and intersect.
Blog posts are amplified by Promoted Tweets and videos are
elevated by Facebook discussions or Pinterest photo essays.
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17. The End of Content: Storytelling Using the Layered Narrative System
But no matter where the layers go, all narrative roads lead to an action, a spe-
cific outcome or deeper, more meaningful engagement. This journey’s end is
also a beginning – the start of new dialogues, relationships and thinking.
Campaigns are transient but conversations are permanent. Storytelling today
is more about the “output” than the “input” – the audience is the medium,
and in the end, they are the only storytellers for your brand that matter.
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18. THEN:
R ATIONA L
DE TACHMENT
NOW:
EMOTIONAL
CONNECTION
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T H E E N D O F C O N T E N T:
19. Data + Storytelling: Emotion must be in the Equation
1+1 = 2.
This is fact. It’s balanced. It is universal, comforting and logical.
1+1 = 2 tells a story.
But sometimes, 1+1 = 3. This, too, is fact.
1+1 = 3 is powerful, ironic and messy. It’s surprising, uncomfortable and
transcendent.
1+1 = 3 tells a great story.
I celebrate the end of “content” and the return to journalistic-inspired nar-
rative storytelling – but I fear we now rely too much on “data” to tell our sto-
ries. Emotion must be part of the equation; otherwise 1+1 will always equal
two. This is not only bad for storytelling but it’s bad for our culture.
Data can assist and guide. It can validate and reveal. It can make sense out
of chaos. Data is absolutely critical to telling both good stories and great ones.
But data can’t write. It can’t speak. And it certainly can’t feel. It may have a
heart but it doesn’t have a soul.
Companies such as Narrative Science literally use raw data to write complete
stories. But this is closer to stenography than storytelling.
Quill – Narrative Science’s storytelling software – pulls in, analyzes,
organizes and ultimately writes complete narratives. According to the
Narrative Science Web site:
“Quill’s natural language, visualization and rendering engines generate the
text, graphics, layouts and styles for each story. During this process, Quill
incorporates variability, expressiveness and uniqueness into every element,
as if it were written by a skilled writer or analyst.”
But “a skilled writer or analyst” doesn’t write the stories, a machine does.
And if machines start writing our stories, using the same universally available
data sets, then all of our stories will be the same. They will sound like and be
nothing more than content, indistinguishable from each other.
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20. Data + Storytelling: Emotion must be in the Equation
Stories, like people, are incomplete without their emotional sides. Without
emotion they are clones, not unique individuals.
This is why Spock from Star Trek was unlike other “logical” Vulcans. Logic
or “data” only took him so far – it was his emotion that made him unique.
Similarly, Captain Kirk needed Spock’s logic to help contain his emotions
and help him make logical decisions.
We need data but we also need journalists to find the places where 1+1 = 3.
We need data to help us tell stories that people want to hear, but we also
needs brands to be better storytellers by embracing the risk that comes
with emotional exposure.
How we tell stories has changed but the nature of story itself is wired into our
DNA. The Internet didn’t change us, social media didn’t change us and data
won’t change us. Only stories ever have and ever will.
A good story connects us to ourselves. A good story connects us to each other.
But a great story, even in a world overwhelmed with fantastic change, does
something even better – it connects us to being human.
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21. CASE
STUDIES
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22. The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games’ social media team put together an immersive, multi-platform
campaign that focused on three of the main themes that run through the novel.
They created 13 Facebook pages, one for each of the Districts from which
the Hunger Games contestants are pulled from, and captured each of
their unique characteristics. A Facebook app allowed people to identify
with the individual districts as well.
They created a Twitter account – @TheCapitolPN – for the oppressive Capitol
that hosts the games and forces the contestants to fight to the death. It
tweeted news, information, and warnings in character.
Finally, a Tumblr blog was created called Capitol Couture that focused on the
fashions of the characters, which were used in the book to further define the
Capitol from the people of the Districts.
Individually the accounts let fans customize their experience according to
their interests and where they prefer to engage online. Taken together the
multiple platforms gave people who hadn’t read the books everything they
needed to know about this fictional world by immersing them in the culture
and conflicts of it’s society.
In short, any barriers to becoming a part of the community of Hunger
Games fans were removed. This allowed moviegoers an opportunity to be
just as emotionally invested in the movie as those who read the books,
priming them for social sharing.
The social media strategy helped fuel an extremely successful opening
for the movie franchise.
(SOURCE: SalesForce Marketing Cloud blog)
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23. Starbucks - Everylove
The intention of the ‘everylove’ campaign is to showcase stories where Star-
bucks has touched the lives of their patrons, and with acts of kindness in a
pay-it-forward fashion these patrons then share their ‘everylove’ stories.
It launched on February 6th of 2012, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The campaign started with Dan, a man who does weekly coffee runs for
the patients and staff at the Michigan Cancer Institute in St. Joseph’s Hos-
pital in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Starbucks encourages its patrons to share their ‘everylove’ by using the
hashtag #everylove on Twitter & Instagram, and by joining in on the
conversation on Facebook.
Within the first 8 months on Facebook: 22,055 likes,
703 comments & 1,434 shares
On YouTube: 318,800 video views, 1,513 likes & 196 comments
Starbuck’s has kept the campaign alive by launching a ‘Cup Magic’ app that
allows users to create eValentines through augmented reality.
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25. Starbucks - #Everylove
Instagram & Twitter Engagement
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EVERYLOVE CAMPAIGN VISIT
Starbucks Everylove
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
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26. Nike –
Find Your Greatness
Nike’s ‘Find Your Greatness – Jogger’ commercial first aired during the 2012
London Olympics with the intent to help athletes and average Joe’s every-
where share their fitness motivation & successes through social channels.
Consumers are encouraged to share their athletic achievements in the
form of Instagram ,Twitter & Facebook posts and home videos.
Nathan, from London, Ohio, was the first. There are now 18+ inspirational
‘Find Your Greatness’ videos produced by Nike on their YouTube channel.
Nathan’s video, seen right, has had over 1 million YouTube views to date.
‘Find Your Greatness’ has expanded to Facebook & mobile apps as well as
print ads, billboards & television commercials.
Nike has branded more than #FindGreatness for fitness motivation. #makeit-
count and #gameonworld are other hashtags used as well.
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T H E E N D O F C O N T E N T:
27. Twitter, Instagram & Facebook Engagement
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FIND YOUR GREATNESS CAMPAIGN VISIT
Nike – Find Your Greatness
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
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28. Chipotle - Cultivate
The mission of the Chipotle Cultivate foundation is to raise awareness of sus-
tainable agriculture, healthful eating & community support of local farming.
They released a 2 minute video on the internet and in theaters, during the sum-
mer of 2011 featuring a cover of Coldyplay’s “The Scientist” by Willie Nelson.
Due to the impact of the video, it was voted top commercial of 2011 by
AdWeek, Chipotle then ran it during the 2012 Grammy’s.
‘Back to the Start’ currently has over 7 million YouTube views.
From here, the Foundation hosted it’s first ever, free, ‘Chipotle Cultivate
Festival’ which kicked off in Chicago’s Lincoln Park.
The Chipotle Cultivate foundation has currently raised over $2 million
towards helping local farms prosper & bringing culinary education in
schools, among many things.
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T H E E N D O F C O N T E N T:
29. Twitter & Facebook Engagement
THE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CHIPOTLE CULTIVATE FOUNDATION & FESTIVAL VISIT
Chipotle Cultivate foundation
Cultivate Festival
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube (Back to the Start)
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30. W W W. H K S T R AT E G I E S . C O M
@ H K S D I G I TA L
W W W.G A RYG O L D H A MME R.C O M
@ G24KHAMR
