Storyscaping is one of the most effective methods to generate engagement with customers and users. Storyscaping was born in 2014 with the book “Storyscaping: Stop creating ads, start creating new worlds” by Darren McColl and Gaston Legorburu.
There is no exact definition for storyscaping, but industry professionals define it as a novel marketing technique to achieve greater engagement by conveying a message through a story that conveys emotions.
Differences between storytelling and storyscaping
In recent years, many companies have used storytelling as a way to connect with customers and users, while communicating brand values.
To this day, storytelling is still a very effective marketing technique, but in recent times it has undergone an evolution. The new version of storytelling is storyscaping.
With storyscaping, the goal is to make consumers live the stories that brands have, rather than buy them. In other words, the consumer is the hero of the brand story and the brand is his or her mentor.
Pillars of storyscaping
Storyscaping is based on four fundamental pillars, which are connected by shared experiences and values.
- Brand strategy: The consumer is the hero of the brand story and the brand is his mentor. It is the discovery of purpose.
- Consumer insight: It is the encounter of desire.
- Product positioning: The product is defined and an experience is created.
- Consumer journey: The search for needs.
These 4 main pillars of storyscaping create an organized idea. According to the writers of the book “Storyscaping: Stop creating ads, start creating new worlds”, the organized idea is defined as a type of idea that helps define how the brand interacts with the customer.
In addition, it attempts to connect the customer with the brand’s purpose in a way that builds emotions between the two and inspires customers.
Questions that define an organized idea
- Does it provide you with a premise to organize the users’ connection with the brand?
- Does it help define the role of the channels you use?
- Does it stimulate the experience and trigger some kind of behavior?
- Does it fulfill the brand’s purpose or cause?
- Does it sound like what the brand is proposing?
- When you think about your organized idea, do you think you can create an experience that triggers that behavior you’re looking for?
- Does it have the potential to inspire experiences when people engage the brand in their stories?
Key features of storyscaping
Generate unforgettable experiences
Thanks to storyscaping, consumers can generate experiences of their own. These experiences in turn encourage them to take decisions and actions.
Moreover, thanks to the experiences, customers will have good memories of the brand and the emotional connection will be much deeper.
The customer is part of the story
The brand or product helps the customer to achieve and attain their goals.
The customer grows with the company
Unlike storytelling, stories do not have a closed ending. This technique allows both the brand and the customer to walk and evolve together.
Multichannel
Storyscaping is a marketing technique that adapts to multiple channels. Users can live the experience from the platform that is most comfortable for them.