HOW THE AUDIENCES FEEL CLOSER AND CONNECTED TO THEIR CULTURE

WITH STORYTELLING

Communication is a conscious attempt to share information, ideas, attitudes

and the like with others, and will continue to be the most important way of expression
that is at the core of all that makes us human. This process by which people
exchange thoughts, feelings, and impressions is the oldest form of education. Story
telling is a way of passing down cultural beliefs, traditions and history to future
generations. The power of communication is unimaginable but nowadays with the
young technological savvy population, capturing their attention by way of storytelling
is a very difficult, but not impossible task. For this reason in this essay we will
discuss how to tell amusing stories to different audiences such as: children,
Backpackers and non-English speakers. By creating a story-based experience the
details will remain in one’s memory forever.

Firstly it is important to say that storytelling is very important for Tourism, business or
whatever tourist attraction in the world, because is an interpretative and effective
communications way to inspire people. To engage connections and emotional
experiences set up audience's commitment behaviors about the story of a local
region with relevant information in regard to a product, activity or event.

Storytelling can be used to introduce a new topic into the public and contribute to an
ongoing conversation and engage people as active participants, and in that way the
stories convey values and touch the emotions. Also provide coherence, stimulate
cohesion and links between the person which tells the story and the audience, for
this reason is very useful for tourism organizations telling stories to their audiences in
order to maintain the history through generations and thus feeling closer to them,
with the intention to meet the traveler needs of knowing when they visit a specific
place.

Secondly, the advantages of change the storytelling to different audiences is due to

the story can be adapted depending on the type of personality with the people that
interact us, in this form we can better capture their attention, as an example is very
distinct to tell stories to some adults than some children or even more to tell stories
to English speakers than non-English speakers. Is very important to realize whether
the audiences do not capture the story very well, because in that moment we must
do a change and do different, and in a fun way

In the travel and tourism context, it's not hard to imagine the positive impact of good
storytelling: after all, memorable travel experiences are all about stories - stories of the
local communities and their cultural traditions, stories told by the expert local guides,
and stories about the travelers themselves that become part of the travel experiences.
 
So how can storytelling be used for destination marketing in a way that gets travelers
excited about experiencing all that your destination offers?
 
Your Destination Does Have Stories. Find and Tell Them!
What does travel storytelling mean for destinations? Storytelling, simply, is a means of
conveying and interpreting experiences in a way that engages those you’re sharing the
story with. The sharing of experiences is most effectively done through characters -
people with unique individual perspectives. And memorable stories have a plot that
enriches the experience of the story by illustrating such story components as challenges,
conflict, and change.
 
When you think about these key elements - engaging experiences, people with intriguing
perspectives, and memorable events - storytelling for tourism destinations sounds very
much like a natural part of what marketing a destination means and what's involved in
promoting travel experiences in a destination.
 
So the first important point to recognize when thinking about the role of storytelling in
destination marketing is that your destination does already have great stories, or
elements of great stories. The things that make your destination attractive - the people,
communities, food, nature - are the sources of your story ideas, and you just need a few
key ingredients to turn those ideas into engaging, memorable stories.

Share Experiences Through Multi-Sensory Media

Let's start with how you deliver your stories and where you share them. In terms of how
and where to share your stories, storytelling is probably best defined or understood
through the impacts that it makes and the impressions it leaves - rather than through
strict adherence to certain types of formats or medium.
 
As you can see, for example, in this Outbounding.org discussion forum about
storytelling, there are many different approaches to travel storytelling, and the leading
storytellers in our industry are making use of a variety of platforms and medium to share
their experiences and inspirations.
A picture is worth a thousand words - so goes the famous saying. When it comes to
travel storytelling, a picture is a powerful tool that can sometimes convey so much more
than words can. As described in this excellent piece on visual storytelling ("Photography
Tips; Visual Storytelling" by Ian Mallory), well captured images add meaning to the
viewer's experience, and portray intriguing stories. They are "memories in digital form"
that transport the photographer and the viewer to the time and place where the images
were taken.
 
In a similar way, videos can be a great addition to your storytelling toolbox. From this
interview piece on Inc. (which is focused specifically on video ads, but still relevant to
other types of video storytelling), here's a useful tip on how to create videos to share
online that will resonate with viewers:
 
"If you can allow the viewer to project him or herself into a mental state of experiencing
the product and having a positive reaction, it can go a long way toward convincing them
that they should take the next step toward having it. If you try to make the response to
a product seem more grand or have a larger impact than people intuit what it would, it'll
have an adverse effect on your brand. People don't like to be lied to" (Adam Lisagor).
 
What Makes Your Stories Authentic?
Authenticity is another concept that is often talked about in the context of travel
storytelling and destination marketing. Increasingly, travelers are looking for authentic
local experiences in the destinations and communities they visit, and this naturally
translates to the type of stories that resonate with those travelers.
 
But when sharing your destination's stories, what does authenticity mean - to you, to the
members of your community, and to the traveler? Whose perspectives should your
stories represent so that you are promoting authentic experiences that resonate with
travelers and respect the locals?
 
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explores questions about authenticity and narrative
perspectives in her brilliant TED talk "The danger of a single story", which reminds us
that our experiences of countries and cultures are composed of many overlapping
stories, and that we run the risk of fostering misunderstandings and prejudices when we
learn only from a single story.
 
The 2014 Ebola virus epidemic has brought to light the alarming tendencies that many
people have to rely on single stories: single stories built on a dangerous misconception
that the vast continent of Africa is "all the same", and that what's happening in some
countries in "West Africa" represents all countries of Africa. Due to the fear driven by
these stories, despite being thousands of miles away from the affected areas, East and
South African destinations have seen a big dent in tourist arrival numbers, impacting
thousands of jobs and livelihoods.
 
On the other hand, many tourism industry leaders have responded with a united voice to
counter the single story about "Ebola in Africa" and to get the important messages
across, namely, what is needed to support those countries affected by the disease, and
how we can counter the harmful stereotypes that are hurting tourism in non-affected
countries.
 
The Unite 4 West Africa campaign is a great example of this, using the power of stories
to transform single-story perspectives into multiple stories about the beauty and the
current and future potentials of tourism destinations across Africa. The campaign aims to
"help put the ebola outbreak into perspective and to prevent the stigmatisation of the
ebola affected countries in the future."
 
"All these countries had an enormous potential to benefit from tourism, and now they
will struggle to break the stigma of Ebola long after the actual medical crisis has been
averted. This is where tourism can play such a strong role." - Jeremy Smith, WTM
Responsible Tourism Blog

Claves para escribir un storytelling eficaz

Todas las empresas tienen una historia que contar. Un relato que puede potenciar su
estrategia de marca. Se trata del arte del storytelling y lleva un par de años siendo uno
de los protagonistas del Branded Content. Pero, ¿por qué es tan importante?

Si te convencen los argumentos racionales, te encantará Annette Simmons cuando

afirma que los datos duros ya no logran conquistar porque “son las historias las que
hacen posible crear una realidad”. Las mentes más afiladas, disfrutarán de Christian
Salmon cuando describe el storytelling como “la máquina de fabricar historias y
formatear las mentes”. Aunque por mi parte, me quedo sin duda con la premisa de
Galeano cuando dice:

Los científicos dicen que estamos hechos de átomos, pero

a mí un pajarito me contó que estamos de historias.
@EduardoGaleano
CLICK TO TWEET

De una forma u otra, nadie duda que el storytelling es una de las herramientas más
importantes en el Branded Content, pues el “arte de contar historias” es la clave
para que las personas compartan un vínculo emocional con las marcas.

El storytelling en la estrategia de contenidos

El storytelling es un viejo conocido del redactor creativo. No deja de ser una técnica
para conectar con la parte emocional de las personas, ayudando a cada marca a ser
única y fácilmente identificable en la mente de los consumidores. Sin embargo, el reto
es ahora ponerlo al servicio no de una pieza, sino de un plan de contenidos. Si la
empresa que contrata la creatividad no ha identificado bien sus valores, es probable
que tenga dificultades para preparar una estrategia de contenidos diferenciadora
guiada por el storytelling. Según los principales autores de esta materia,
el storytelling debe al menos cumplir los siguientes requisitos a lo largo de plan de
contenidos:
A nivel racional

 Crear experiencias interactivas.

 Generar contenido relevante y útil.
 Cumplir con los objetivos de comunicación planteados.
 Conseguir resultados.

A nivel emocional

 Sorprender a la audiencia.
 Generar interés y expectativas.
 Crear relaciones profundas.
 Humanizar la marca.

¿Cómo saber si un storytelling es un buen storytelling?

Esta es una de las preguntas claves para cualquier profesional de los contenidos.
Historias hay muchas, pero entre ellas también se pueden colar los “cuentos chinos”,
que en nuestro caso vienen a ser aquellas historias que no llegan a las personas porque
no son verosímiles. Para comprobar la eficacia de una historia, el experto en
neuromarketing, Werner Fuch, propone el siguiente barómetro.

1. Tiene un tema primario: Vida y muerte, llegada y partida, amor y odio, bien y
mal, seguridad y miedo, verdad y mentira, fuerza y debilidad, esperanza y
desesperación.

2. La huella es importante: Las historias pueden apelar a eventos de nuestras vidas

que nos marcaron. Sucesos de la niñez, adolescencia y juventud, que son parte del
patrón común del crecimiento.

3. Los puntos de anclaje están bien marcados: El relato debe encontrarse vinculado
a grandes compendios, cuentos o refranes, donde podemos evocar otras historias que
sean reconocidas por la audiencia a la que va dirigida.

4. La estructura es clara: Se debe mantener un comienzo, desarrollo, punto álgido y

fin.

5. Existe un héroe o acción heroica: Las personas necesitan proyectarse en un héroe

para dar sentido a la historia.
6. Existe un adversario: Todo héroe debe tener un villano. Son figuras que cobran
importancia en la dicotomía.

7. Cuenta con la presencia de un escudero: Actualmente un héroe es mucho mejor

aceptado si actúa junto a otros acompañantes que complementen sus acciones y
muestren contrastes en estilo y carácter.

8. Existe aplazamiento: La gestión del tiempo en la emoción a producir en la

audiencia es clave.

9. Cuenta con detalles: Una historia para ser real requiere mostrar algunos datos
concretos. Así aumenta la autenticidad y se da certidumbre al escenario.

10. Tiene un fin recreable: El relato requiere tener un fin que debe permitir que la
audiencia se identifique para permitir recrear su propia historia.

Más allá de los formatos

Una de las piezas más significativas en el sector de la publicidad española en el

2014, ha sido la campaña de Campofrío para Navidad. En ella se dan casi todos los
puntos mencionados por Fuch anteriormente. Repasando las campañas de Campofrío,
es fácil darse cuenta que la marca lo está haciendo bastante bien desde hace algunos
años, cuando dio un importante giro a su comunicación. Aunque este año el tono es
algo más valiente, desde la agencia McCann se ha seguido construyendo sobre la base
de 2013 sin perder el foco en un target de la tercera edad, tan estratégico para la marca
desde hace algún tiempo.
Sin embargo, hay algo que no contempla el barómetro Werner Fuch y que es
fundamental en el Branded Content. En mi opinión es que el storytelling no es una
cuestión de formatos y debe gestionarse desde un buen anclaje en un discurso de
Branding coherente en todos los puntos de contacto con la audiencia. Es decir, velar
siempre por la marca en esta nueva realidad omnicanal. No dudo que hay que ofrecer
una buena creatividad en cada formato y luchar por la relevancia como si no hubiera
un mañana, pero es importante que todos sumen en la misma dirección. Si no,
corremos el riesgo de ir creando marcas algo histriónicas ante la complejidad del
sector, los estudios de mercado y los formatos publicitarios.
photos, sketches, illustrations, audio and video.

You must learn how to tailor your narrative that looks appealing to the specific
audience or audiences it is aimed at

First we have to think about what motivates them

creativity, imagination and a curious spirit come into play

Story telling is the creative tool that helps us get rid of our physical and mental stress