Stories, Not Facts, Drive Human Behavior
Having just returned from my high school reunion, where I talked with friends I hadn’t seen in 25 years and reconsidered my expulsion and re-admittance to said school (very long story), an article by Benedict Carey in today’s New York Times, "This Is Your Life (and How You Tell It)," (reg. required) really resonated.
Plenty of my classmates didn’t even remember my tale. I recall it being hard to endure of course), but, I also look back on it as a very formative and positive experience within the longer narrative of my life. Today, the straight facts told as they happened would probably look awful (I am getting the files from my school just to torture myself, in fact), but what I remember is a sort of third-person perspective, a story to tell. It was me, but it wasn’t me.
Why do I go on about this? Because the NYT article reminds us that "…the human brain has a natural affinity for narrative construction. People tend to remember facts more accurately if they encounter them in a story rather than in a list."
The researchers mentioned in Carey’s piece also point out that there were "strong correlations between the content of people’s current lives and the stories they tell." Specifically, the article pointed to two groups of people: 1) Those who remember a lot, but seem to glom onto the darker details, and 2) those who also remember a lot, but link even the bad things to redemptive themes.
While I wish I could point you to some incredibly insightful marketing angle, I can’t. I was just fascinated by the human behavior side of things. Still, perhaps some of you will find a way to use this knowledge in your marketing approach. How about…?
1) Talking with your core customers, and getting a feel for whether or not they seem to be the first or second type of person. Hear and record how they tell their life stories for clues into how you can present your brand to fit in.
2) Always keeping in mind that most basic truth: that people tend to remember things as stories more than as a list of facts. Now, what about those bullet points you seem to overuse when presenting your wonderful product or service to the masses?
Do you keep the narrative of your brand, with all its fits and starts, positive and forward-moving in the eyes of its beholders? Read Carey’s article, consider your company’s story, and let me know what you find.
May 24th, 2007 at 2:43 am
Great pick to blog. The fact that you were fascinated by the human behavior aspect is interesting considering how behavioral traits are increasingly being observed among customers by functions such as sales and marketing. And that too at a very quantifiable level. One of the reasons I retain my present girlfriend is cuz she says am a good story-teller
May 24th, 2007 at 8:42 am
Human behavior is endlessly fascinating, while marketing strategies/tactics occasionally get boring. Your girlfriend is a discriminating woman. Storytelling capabilities should be on everybody’s “mate checklist.”
May 24th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Great post, along with your others in the same vein. I’ve insisted on the storytelling and personal in the way I’ve designed our website - often against the fearful advice from well-meaning friends.
My partner, Sandy, has been a jeweler for 35 years, and about 90% of our business is creating custom and meaningful “story” rings, typically with mountain and nature themes. We even made a set of marriage vow renewal rings with their kids, mountains, a corona, the northern lights, and more. And recently, a woman memorialized the passing of her ex-husband by commissioning a Yosemite pendant - they’d traveled through there in a VW bus during the 60’s.
We work out of our home and have no other employees, and our life and work are nearly completely intertwined, really. So, from both sides, it’s all about the stories.
I’ve designed our site to mirror this and folks that find us through their own desire, imagination and surfing skills (we don’t advertise) most often begin a relationship with us that lasts beyond the transaction.
I’ve also received several really useful tips on website usability from clients as well.
Just 3 years ago we walked away from a retail shop and it’s truly amazing that we’re able to live through our web sales - a great story in itself.
And a related story: I was a sociology and anthropology teacher at our local community colleges. A student who’d taken one of my classes the year before was telling a group of students about a video I’d shown about chimps. In truth, I’d told a story, jumping around, making noises - no video, but she remembered all the details as a visual.
I could go on and on… I’m really enjoying reading through all your materials here - thanks!
May 24th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Wow.. thanks for taking time to write your comment, Lauren. It definitely sounds like storytelling comes naturally to you/your business and that you’ve learned to trust it - as it obviously generates word-of-mouth, no end. After a recent storytelling webinar I presented, a woman emailed me to tell me the story of this very cool company founded by a guy who was really good at presenting the tale of his “brand” and the people who interacted with it. Needless to say, I went straight to his site and bought something. Two weeks later, I went back and bought something for my brother to share the fun story with him. (for those of you who must know: http://www.cordarounds.com ) We sure can learn from the more entrepreneurial businesspeople of the world, can’t we?