For 18 years, Park Howell has been the owner and chief storyteller of Park&Co, an advertising agency in Phoenix, AZ that exists to build movements that matter.
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Are your presentations flicking them off or turning them on?
When given the honor to command an audience, most presenters default to binary facts, figures, features and benefits. The trouble is that your audience’s light switch of interest can just as easily and instantaneously be flicked off as turned on. I prefer the rheostat of story. With it you control emotional nuance to take your audience from darkness into light. That’s called, “Character arch,” one of the most powerful ways to influence behavior. What's your story?
High performance storytelling drives Audi “Prom” spot for Super Bowl XLVII
Smart brands on the world's most super advertising stage know that powerful storytelling outperforms stupid spots every time. I have held storytelling workshops around the country showing people how to use these proven nine steps – in this order – to standout, engage audiences, and ignite movements. Audi's "Prom" spot is a perfect example. Here's the blow-by-blow breakdown using an abbreviated, but universal, Hero's Journey story structure by Joseph Campbell to show you how great storytelling connects with us on our most primal ...
What stories are your customers making up about your brand?
Our brains are suckers for story. They'll take the most benign stimuli (like most powerpoints, car dealership commercials, and mission statements) and attempt to knit narratives from them in an exhaustive effort to make sense of the world. Here's a brilliant example: watch this one-minute film, created in 1944, and scribble down what you see. Show it to others and see what stories they create. Of the 114 test subjects in the Heider/Simmel study who saw this rudimentary film of crude geometric ...
Can creativity really increase sales?
Do award-winning TV spots generate more sales than your typical, "50% off, buy now, this weekend only!" commercial? "Absolutely!" according to a 10-year global study of creativity and advertising that is the basis for the new book, The Case for Creativity by James Hurman. I have yet to read the book, but the deck is compelling. The Case for Creativity View more presentations from James Hurman I found the sixth slide in the deck particularly interesting, so I had to wrap some pop neuroscience around it. ...
Teaching a fly fishing guide from Lee’s Ferry how to fish with social media
"Oh no," you're thinking. "Not another 'how to' social media training from a social media 'expert.'" You're right on both accounts. I'm no self-proclaimed social media guru, and this isn't your typical social media primer. This is about fishing for customers and trout, and it is in answer to a question from our fly fishing guide, Jared Nelson. "How do I get more business?" Just like my son and I are to fly fishing, Jared is a fingerling to marketing. He guided us over the ...