Read Good Stories

Humans are a narrative-driven people. What drives us is not bare facts, but rather the story facts tell. We view history through the lens of the mythos—not with sterile data. We look at the world around us not as 1's and 0's—this isn't the Matrix and you're not Neo—but rather we see at the world as a sort of symphony of beautiful notes all in harmony—and disharmony—to create a beautiful song, that is, the ways of this world.

My poeticism is not something to be divorced from the world of business. In the marketing world, one of our tasks is to evoke the affections of a potential buyer in need of our product and/or service. It is the evocation of their affections that drives them to ultimately take action and become a customer.

This isn't some sort of Freudian-manipulation, but rather the way things are. We all work with one another's affections.

At this point, I must bring clarity as my use of the term affection is in the archaic sense—not the modern, romantic use today—so now I must give a brief definition.

affection(n.)

uh-fek-shun

More generally: feeling (as opposed to reason); spec. a powerful or controlling emotion, as passion, lust; an instance of this. Also: the faculty concerned with emotion and will. Obsolete.

Oxford English Dictionary

Our affections are simply what we feel and what were are disposed to. We work with each other affections in daily life. It is why you smile, show any sort of politeness, show anger or disapproval toward another in the way you do, soften your words to make ideas seem more favorable, paint your home the color it is, cook the meals you cook for others, among many, many other things.

To state again, this is not some sort of Freudian-manipulation where you are attempting to play with someone's subconsciousness and bend them to your will and your own desirable outcomes totally. It is, rather, you playing your part in the harmony that is our daily lives living in society with one another. It is inescapable and unavoidable. Step out of line and you will be socially ostracized or arrested. Working in social harmony is of great importance and is ubiquitous across all societies and civilizations.

Narrative is the structuring of all our facts, accounts, and perceptions in a way that is friendly and agreeable to our affections to communicate a particular story. All ads are mini-narratives in themselves. They all are telling stories. Some stories are in greater harmony with our affections than others.

How do you learn to tell better stories? Well... Read good stories! When is the last time you read a good book? When is the last time you read a classic? Have you ever read civilizational-level myths like The Iliad or The Odyssey? These are not stories that we had to read in school to simply be bored out of our minds. They are important because they reveal to us the concept of narrative and show us that we are a story driven people. Classics are classics because they are stories that transcended the times they were written and engaged with our affections in ways that make them timeliness and not bound to a specific people in a specific time and place.

In your own marketing and advertising, consider the narrative you are creating for your product/service. What is it? Is it good? By what standard you you using? You will only measure it against what you know. If you do not know "greatness" you can never use it as a measure.

Increase your standards, read good books, tell good stories and you will be rewarded for it.