
Creative Awards
The campaign theme for this year’s awards, marking the 45th time it has been held, is ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
By our News Team | 2021
Telling the story of your brand to reflect its value in a fascinating manner. That’s PR storytelling.
The payoffs in PR storytelling are numerous when done properly. Agencies will continually enjoy earned media, perpetuate their (or their clients’) brand voices and create brand love.
“Investment in PR storytelling is highly advised,” writes Stanley Olisa, a strategic communications consultant from Lagos, Nigeria. He says that, according to a Global Communications Report published by the University of South California’s Centre for Public Relations, storytelling tops the list of communication tactics in modern public relations.
The reason for this is simple: People are becoming more aware of direct and conventional marketing strategies, making them impervious to these strategies – to the point that they avoid them.
Olisa offers some tips for the ideal story:
Photo by Rain Bennet @ Unsplash
Emotions: “When creating a PR story, think about how it will evoke emotions. Your storytelling should stimulate the desired emotion. People [seldom] forget how you made them feel.”
Be genuine: “Use real characters for credibility purposes. Do not fake or exaggerate the brand story – tell it as it is. People are quick to tell when a brand isn’t authentic.”
Be factual: “Back up your product claims with facts and statistics in your storytelling. This reinforces your narrative and can capture the interest of your target audience.”
Multiplicity of channels: “It’s always more effective to employ a variety of platforms and a mix of different content formats to tell your brand story. Use traditional media, blogs, social media and websites.”
Emphasises Olisa: “The point is that, with storytelling, you can activate more areas of the brain than [with] statistical information or basic factual content. Your audience will immerse themselves in the subject of your story, if engaging and relatable. That becomes the starting point of attitudinal/perception/behavioural influence.”
Source: Marketing Edge, Nigeria
The campaign theme for this year’s awards, marking the 45th time it has been held, is ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’.
The new identity debuts in Africa next year and ‘pays homage to the brand’s rich heritage while taking a big leap toward the future’.
There is a rise in demand for clothing adapted to the needs of disabled consumers. But online retailers must give the process more thought.
Marketers must base their strategy decisions on digital facts, not commonly held beliefs. Here are a few such myths that have been debunked.
Podcasting guru Jon Savage to discuss whether podcasts are the ‘comeback kid in marketing’s rock ‘n roll band?’
While some legislators want a complete ban on TikTok due to spying concerns, US marketers want to spend more on the platform.
Utah is the first state to heavily curb minors’ access to social media, but others may follow with even stricter laws.
Businesses can make more accurate predictions about demand, optimise their operations and make better decisions about inventory management.
High-level Chartered Marketer (Africa) programme equips marketers to operate successfully in the continent’s complex and diverse markets.
Why do some articles captivate readers and encourage them to keep reading, while others make them lose interest after just a few sentences?
Analysis finds social media used by less than 4% of people, while mobile phone connections are equivalent to less than 60% of Malawians.