When contents come from people, we tend to believe they are more truthful than those coming from brands. That’s why companies seek influencers and play user generated contents as ace card
Brand storytelling can be explosive, but it will never be as effective as people stories, particularly if related to friends and relatives. Lots of research confirms this: 88% of consumers trust online reviews as they value recommendations from personal contacts (think of TripAdvisor), word-of-mouth generates more than twice the sales of paid advertising, Millennials trust user generated contents 50% more than original brand contents.
Even a highly demanding audience such as moms with kids 0-12 prefers brands telling authentic stories, as stated by 35% of women surveyed by Eumetra MR and Fattore Mamma for recent study Monitor Mamme 2018. Only 14% likes aspirational, ad-hoc built stories, while 49% appreciates irony.
How to integrate people experience into product and corporate storytelling? A possible strategy is about influencers, taking care of scouting those who are closer to brand values and image. When designing a campaign or a sponsorship, it’s fundamental to set each ambassador free to create interesting and relevant contents for his/her own community: Orogel, Henkel and Nilox did it, but this is an increasingly popular option. According to Influencer Marketing Report 2018 by IED Milano and AKQA, about 65% of businesses which invested in influencer engagement programs increased their budget in 2018, and 79% will spend more in the next twelve months.
Another strategy is about user generated contents, that are more or less spontaneously published by clients and consumers. The challenge here is to find the right way to invite people for a product review, be pictured while using it, place brand hashtags in posts and stories. Be prepared to tolerate a certain distance from corporate guidelines and maybe some negative comments, but results can be really good, as proven by Mediaset 6come6 or Peg Perego, or the latest campaign by ADMO. When they are not at all stimulated, user generated contents might be incredibly creative … do you remember little Lucio and his Nutella, or gummy bears transformed into vodka drinks?
User generated contents might also come from staff and employees, who are highly influent ambassadors for their own companies. Looking for an example? Search for Storymaker Club by Generali. At the end of the game, brands are for people who live them every day, and claim the possibility to be part of their storytelling with customised aesthetics and communication codes.
