The Power of Storytelling In PR

Statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse outside of Disneyland. Photo courtesy of Travis Gergen.

“That’s what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.” -Walt Disney

When I think of storytelling, the person that comes to my mind would be Walt Disney. You know, the guy who gave us Mickey Mouse, Mary Poppins, made us cry when watching Bambi, and gave us the most magical place on earth…Disney World. Walt Disney has been telling us stories since most of us were born and he is one of the best storytellers of all time.

As a student, studying public relations, I’ve learned about the importance of storytelling. It might not be done in exactly the same way as Walt Disney, or in the same manner, but it's done for the same purpose. Storytelling in public relations is the best way for companies to communicate with their audiences because it is the most basic way of connecting with people. Storytelling can help brands create and show identity, create emotions (think about Aristotle's artistic proofs), and help shape attitudes and behaviors about that brand.

I recently read an article on PRweek.com by Lou Hoffman about how storytelling in public relations hasn’t been used for the proper purposes. His argument is on how storytelling should be used as a tactic to bring together all parts of an objective.

At first, I didn’t fully agree with what he had to say but then as I read on, I could see where he was coming from. PR professionals should be telling stories of how products, ideas, or people came to be and what made them unique and interesting. Hoffman argues that this is more compelling to audiences than just releasing a product and creating buzz over it. One thing that I fully agree with Hoffman on is that PR professionals have, “underestimated the power of anecdotes.”

This resonated with me because last semester I was a feature writer for my school’s magazine, Pipeline Magazine, where I learned about anecdotal leads and how they can be beneficial to capture the reader’s attention. Anecdotes help connect audiences with what someone else has experienced. It allows them to see the world through the storyteller’s eyes. With that being said, anecdotes help bring people together in a way that helps us relate to one another.

While on a study tour for my school this past week (check out our tour at #ksuprtour on Twitter) I kept hearing the importance of storytelling from every public relations agency we visited. This is what I learned from a few of the agencies we visited:

1. Edelman- Storytelling is more than simply telling a story. It’s about building lasting relationships through storytelling and bringing people together.

2. Cookerly- These guys are amazing storytellers! While visiting their office, they showed us part of their “Greatness Lives Here” campaign for Mercedes-Benz. It was so impactful because they told a story of how a company relates to the community that it’s become a part of. It’s the story of who Atlanta is as a city, community, what we stand for, and now, the new home of the Mercedes-Benz American headquarters.

3. Jackson Spalding- One of the takeaways from this agency is how storytelling can help during a crisis. I learned that a company needs to know the story of who they are because they will have that identity before, during, and after a crisis. I also learned that determining who your audience is, the message, and substance are the three most important things when telling a story.

A good storyteller knows his audience, keeps them coming back for more, and paints a picture with his/her words. Words have power! They can make a difference to one person or 1 million, and PR practitioners are at the forefront of storytelling.