Don’t take serious stories so seriously
If you were trying to convince employees to follow brand guidelines, you could deliver stern do’s and don’ts about how to handle the company logo or warn employees not to use people’s personal photos in campaigns.
Or you could illustrate your message by mocking up an employee’s photo in an ad like this:
That’s how Chatter Monkey (aka senior publications designer Kelley Moore) handles brand education at MD Anderson — by writing hilarious stories to illustrate brand missteps, not by haranguing folks to use the right red in the logo.
An old joke in the speaking business asks, “When should you use humor in speeches?” The answer, “Only when you want to get paid.”
So when should you use humor in brand messaging? Only when you want to get heard.
Master the Art of Storytelling
It ain’t fluff. Creative material helps people pay closer attention to your message, understand it faster, remember it longer and act on it more quickly.
Are you ready to transform your message with the attention-grabbing, comprehension-boosting, memory-aiding, mind-shifting, behavior-changing superpowers of concrete, creative, colorful copy?
If so, bring Ann in to present Master the Art of Storytelling — a one- to two-day creative-writing course — to your team.
There, they’ll learn how to engage readers with great stories and bring your messages to life with creative elements like concrete details, description, wordplay and metaphor.
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