Have you been telling stories?

Growing up in a household in the North of England, for me ‘telling stories’ was something that could easily result in a warm ear, rumbly tummy and early bedtime...However, ‘story-telling' seems to be the word of the moment in PR-land. A fine fit you might think, given PR folks have been known to spin a yarn or three in times gone by. And therein lies the point…story-telling is nothing new, so why all the excitement?Perhaps a better description for what we are now seeing is in fact ‘truth-telling’, a concept that sees brands communicating in such a way that resonates with the recipient's ‘truth’, so that they can better process and engage with the information - ultimately feeling a closer, long-term affinity with your brand.The trick is that this kind of brand communication needs to be authentic, consistent and, most importantly, very very well targeted…and that can take a lot of effort, particularly for companies that don’t truly know or understand their audiences.If your audience was a five year old child, it would mean getting down to their level (literally), comprehending the world through their eyes and working out the best way for them to understand your message / request / plea so that they totter off absolutely in love with you and immediately do as you wish.How hard can it be…:)photo credit: L & C via photopin (license)