Winning the story wars: why those who tell--and live--the best stories will rule the future

Abstract

Trying to get your message heard? Build an iconic brand? Welcome to the battlefield. The story wars are all around us. They are the struggle to be heard in a world of media noise and clamor. Today, most brand messages and mass appeals for causes are drowned out before they even reach us. But a few consistently break through the din, using the only tool that has ever moved minds and changed behavior--great stories. With insights from mythology, advertising history, evolutionary biology, and psychology, viral storyteller and advertising expert Jonah Sachs takes readers into a fascinating world of seemingly insurmountable challenges and enormous opportunity. You'll discover how: * Social media tools are driving a return to the oral tradition, in which stories that matter rise above the fray * Marketers have become today's mythmakers, providing society with explanation, meaning, and ritual * Memorable stories based on timeless themes build legions of eager evangelists * Marketers and audiences can work together to create deeper meaning and stronger partnerships in building a better world * Brands like Old Spice, The Story of Stuff, Nike, the Tea Party, and Occupy Wall Street created and sustained massive viral buzz Winning the Story Wars is a call to arms for business communicators to cast aside broken traditions and join a revolution to build the iconic brands of the future. It puts marketers in the role of heroes with a chance to transform not just their craft but the enterprises they represent. After all, success in the story wars doesn't come just from telling great stories, but from learning to live them.

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