23 VIEW on Medical Education Augu s t 20 06 MARKET RESEARCH T here’s nothing as good as a good story. Since the beginning of history (oral, that is), storytelling has been one of the most powerful forms of communication. A good story conveys facts: What happened? To whom? When? But a good story isn’t just a list. It’s a tale that gives ordinary facts an extraordinary power, by delivering them in a specific context and with emotion. And with context and emotion comes the power to communicate not just facts, but ideas. Stories are fundamental to the fabric of life. We use them every day with friends, family, and colleagues, not only to pass on information, but also to pass along an understanding of what is important to us. In psychology, the narrative form is critical to the development of our sense of “self.” We are defined, in many ways, by the cumulative impression made by all the sto ries we tell about ourselves:Where did we grow up? How did we meet our spouse? What did we do this weekend? Stories also have the power to engage our whole minds, left brain and right. When we serve up facts in a story, we make those facts easier for the mind to access.The rightbrain connections allow us to recall the ideas con veyed sooner.They are more literally “top of mind.” And isn’t that precisely where we, as marketers, are always trying to keep the facts about our brands? Hey Doc, Have You Heard the Story About… Even physicians recognize the power of story.The “narrative medicine” movement aims to enlighten physicians about the depth of information that can be elicited when openended questions like, “Tell me about your life,” replace the usual “Tell me where it hurts.” When patients tell stories, doc tors gain a better understanding of the origin and the impact of illness.They also gain a better chance to persuade patients to take the necessary steps to achieve wellness. And that is the business we too are in, as marketing professionals: the business of persuasion.Therefore, using the full power of a welltold tale is a requisite skill for sales force and agency alike. Give a doctor a list of facts about your new therapy and you may get some head nods. But tell a doc tor a compelling story about how it fits into their personal clinical practice, or changes the outlook for a patient by addressing a real emotional need, and now you’ve started to carve out a permanent place for your brand in the physician’s mind! Great Stories Make Great Brands (and vice versa) Stories engage the mind, and capture the imagination. They leave a memorable, lasting impression. No wonder, then, that telling great stories is an art form that is indispensable to the success of building a powerful phar maceutical brand. A brand, after all, is a story. For a healthcare brand, it is the story a doc tor tells to patients about a therapy that can remove a pain or illness. It is a story a friend tells another friend after confiding about a medical problem. It is the story a patient hears at the pharmacy, when they are told whether the medicine they need is on their healthcare plan. A brand is the cumula tive impression that’s been made in the mind by all the stories that are told in the marketplace. Some controlled by marketers. Some completely out of our control (a few stories in the papers lately come to mind). Stories are also a powerful tool to set a brand apart. We may spend months analyzing data to find a fact that differentiates us from the compe tition. There’s no doubt that when you have a significant fact, the story is simple! But too often the facts only go so far for our brand.That’s when the power of a good story can be put to good use. Of course, to tell better stories, we need better tools as marketers. Good stories don’t begin with facts, they begin with emotional connections. We don’t have to abandon the SWAT analysis. But we shouldn’t rely on it to elucidate deep emotional insights into our audiences. Finding emotional common ground is critical to the art of great story telling. Clinical data are a must. But only when it is served up in the context of real insights can we find a story for our brand that will resonate. Once we uncover the core emotional values that our audiences hold dear, we can make our brand story riveting. Then, with the right story, we will all get what we want the most: a happy ending. # Noesis, part of CommonHealth NOESIS, Parsippany, N.J., is a CommonHealth professional advertising and promotion unit. For more information, visit commonhealth.com/noesis. The Undeniable Power of a WellTold Tale John Dietz,Chief Creative Officer Once we uncover the core emotional values that our audiences hold dear, we can make our brand story riveting. Then, with the right story, we will all get what we want the most: a happy ending. 0308 PVV VIEW Proofs 3/19/08 6:18 PM Page 23
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The Undeniable Power of a Well-Told Tale
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