Promotion died: Meet Engaged Tribal Storytelling


Promotion Died. Meet Engaged Tribal Storytelling

Web 2.0, Asia, automation, a global financial crisis & consumer skeptism have fueledthe death of old school advertising and promotion. With three screens; television, computer and mobile today’s consumers areempowered publishers, editors, contributors and collaborators.

Individuals are advertising.

Web 2.0 enables individuals to connect, share, create, design and architect; social connections, networks, communities and personal communication portals. With incredible precision consumers are creating their own customized media channels. Channels in which they alone control what information is allowed entry, which information is shared and what tribes and social groups are aligned with and trusted.

Time starved and overloaded with choices consumers trust friends and rely on online reviews to help facilitate decision making.

So if old school advertising and promotion is ineffective in today’s marketplace;


Permission based, trust fueled, engaged, tribal storytelling.

Permission Based Marketing

The brain child of Seth Godin, permission based marketing, is based on the belief that the highest purpose of an organization is to bring consumers a highly valuable, relevant message that they voluntarily choose to engage with. Permission based marketing is theopposite of spam, uninvited email and all other forms of intrusive, uninvited message‘spray and pray.’


In a world where organizations have routinely breeched trust consumers are starved for transparency and authenticity. In light of current world history its imperative businessrethink all communications and for that matter all interactions. Transparent, high integrity, authentically led organizations that build trust and confidence will outperform their otherwise unconscious and incongruent competitors.


Think Apple. Think volunteers working at the Apple store. In the old days business talked AT us. It was one way messaging. Today it’s about engagement, a give and take in a social context. A social conversation is one that includes three or more individuals. Join the conversation, listen, contribute, lead, facilitate and engage. And don’t forget business is all about people adding value to other people.


If you missed Godin’s book, “Tribes,” DON”T. The idea behind tribes is as old as human beings themselves. People like to connect, feel important, belong, commune and ultimately like the television show Cheers showed us, people want to be missed. Tribes are groups of people that resonate with a common, big idea. Think Obama and CHANGE. Think Harley Davidson and FREEDOM. Think Gary Vaynerchuk and WINE FOR EVERYONE. As Nielsen’s research has shown, we trust our friends and join them when asked. Movements spawn tribes and tribes spread messages and trusted reviews, stories and referrals, they influence.


Story takes facts and puts them into context and delivers them with emotion. Hollywood has been doing this since its inception. Facts get forgotten. Stories are remembered. The human brain is wired for story. Business is about people, it’s about connecting people to solutions and opportunities. Story illuminates the uniqueness of a business or organization and helps to differentiate it in a highly, crowded, noisy marketplace.


Gaming is the new literature. The lines between play and work have blurred. In a world that is full of uncertainty consumers are looking to have fun, laugh, learn and want to be entertained.

2 Responses to “Promotion died: Meet Engaged Tribal Storytelling”

  1. Ross Simmonds

    Great read Pam! – This is exactly what marketing is all about. It’s no longer a monologue its all about creating dialogue between the brand and the consumers. As a result, trust as you stated will be established which in turn will develop into a tribe.