The Art of Storytelling vs Marketing
Posted on December 8, 2013
I have always admired Margaret Doyle’s flair. She has a knack for getting to the essence of a story and presenting it in an engaging and personal manner. Her latest post: The Art of Storytelling vs. Marketing struck a chord in me. Is there a balancing point between developing and telling an authentic story without coming across as blatant marketing? On the other hand, destinations are under pressure to continuously increase visitor numbers and revenues. Where is the balance between achieving financial sustainability for a destination and its stakeholders while developing a unique proposition and maintaining the quality of the visitor experience and quality of life locals? How does the way you tell the story (of a destination) affect this balance? Many destinations are currently struggling to define their brand or sense of place while appeasing the needs of commercial stakeholder interests…while concurrently attempting to engage and meet the demands of an increasingly sophisticated traveler in a hyper-competitive marketplace. Margaret’s passion in her storytelling is palpable. If more tourism marketers were able to exhibit the same level of passion in their messaging (or ‘storytelling’, per contemporary parlance) as Margaret does, they would achieve much higher levels of engagement with the intended audience. ROI tends to take care of itself with this approach.