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Our new blog is available here http://www.storyjuicing.com/blogs/ !

Spreading our Story!

Today is a big day for us at the Grapevine Group. We are bringing our new book, Story Juice: How Ideas Spread and Brands Grow, to market with our partners, Ketchum. In many ways, Ketchum is our ideal partner. They are one of the largest global agencies in the business that earns attention for brands everyday with stories that travel on their own power. We believe Ketchum represents the new agency model powerful brands will turn to for story-centric strategy without borders.

In the days to come, we’ll be tweeting and blogging about new ways to express a brand’s story based on the latest brain research we’ve been following for nearly two years. But today we’re simply celebrating!

Please download our new book for free and enjoy the read. We’d love to hear from you as you use story strategies in your business and your life!

Skirting an Iranian Revolution

Like many other movements, Barbie is now leading the way for cultural revolution in the Middle East. 

In 2008, the Iranian judiciary warned against the "destructive" cultural and social consequences and "danger" of importing Barbie dolls and other Western toys. Even so, Iranian markets have been full of them. One-third of Iran's population of 75 million is under 15. (Nasser Karimi, Associated Press)*

I would expect nothing less of her.  After all, Barbie’s story has been told countless times.  The epitome of a relevant character, she has inspired girls of my generation to become women who believe they can lead, fight, dance, get married, stay single, wear heels, become astronauts (or anything else they want) and she still looks great to boot.  Barbie is, in my estimation, one of the single most important female leaders in the world today.

I am well aware many argue her blonde, never-sagging figure leads little girls to unachievable visions of perfection.  What the Iranian government claims they do not like about her is that she is designed to look like a young Western woman. What these critics should be worried about is not her looks but her ability to inspire women to achieve anything they want to be.  Miniskirts and bikinis do not change the world.  But the woman who wears them can.  And that is what Iranian officials are afraid of (or should be). 

Stories shape beliefs, change minds and spur people to action.  And stories don’t come any better than Mattel’s Barbie.

*For the full article, check out USA Today at: http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/story/2012-01-20/iran-barbie-shops/52698590/1)

-Julie

Alec Baldwin's Holiday Gift

American Airlines has been given a holiday gift from Alec Baldwin – the seeds of a great story.  Every story needs three things:  a character (Alec), a conflict (angry flight attendant vs. bad boy comedian armed with twitter), and resolution.  This last element is up to American Airlines, currently reeling in bankruptcy.  How they conclude their story and if they zig instead of zag is up to American Airlines.  If they can, they have a unique opportunity.

Here’s three ideas where this widely publicized incident could form the start of a great narrative for them:

1.     Hire Alec Baldwin  as a consultant to oversee the passenger experience on American Airlines and make him a spokesperson for the airline.  In other words, convert him into a brand evangelist.

2.     Offer free gaming apps for one day in honor of the passion passengers show for  their electronic devices as an apology for removing them during flight in pursuit of their safety.

3.     License Words with Friends and develop an in-flight  version that can be played on airline screens.  Let Alec promote it with his twitter account.

The key to any of these, however, is to do them pronto.  These windows of opportunity arise rarely…let’s hope American Airlines can make storyjuice out of the lemons it created.

Great Expectations

As listeners, the difference between what we perceive as a good story and a bad story often has more to do about our expectations of what’s to come than the actual content itself.  For example, if I tell you there is a new cookie in the market that you can eat that has 0 calories and tastes just as good as a regular cookie, you are sorely disappointed if it doesn't taste as good as an Oreo. 

But if you hear a story about a cookie with 0 calories in the market when you never expected to find a cookie you could eat that tasted even somewhat good, you would think this was a fantastic story.

As storytellers, much of our job is about preparing our audience to be ready to hear the information we are about to tell.  Choosing a story that levels expectations for the information you are about to share can mean the difference between winning a “believer” and losing your audience.  

-Julie

What’s Possible?

This is my favorite question that Lisa, my business partner, asks me with some regularity. It’s her way of getting me out of my own way because usually I’m the one worrying about how to make it work before I consider what’s possible.  That was Steve Job’s gift -- the quintessential storyteller.  He saw possibilities where others saw roadblocks. 

It’s a question that storytellers love to tackle.  And it’s the heart of innovation.  Imagine the conversation when Jobs first concepted an iPad.  I certainly wasn’t privy to it, but I can only imagine it went something like this.

“Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could make the printed word come to life with the touch of a finger?”

Then there would be the worrier (like me.)  “Yes, and it would be great if pigs could fly.”  My guess is that he then proceeded to tell the worrier a story about how no one could imagine “lightning in a bottle” before Thomas Edison created the lightbulb.

Stories can create magic and make people believe in ”What’s Possible” because they show us that others have faced situations like ours and come up with game changing solutions.  

Gotta go call Lisa – I’m worried she’s wondering what’s possible again!

-Julie

Happy Tuesday!

Saw this wonderful poster in a local mall that uses individual stories of pets to capture people's attention to spur adoption.  

Reminded me of my favorite Dog Video that uses the storytelling tool of juxtaposition brilliantly!  

Happy Tuesday!!

-Julie