Recently, a riveting video was making its way around the internet, tapping into the emotions of those who remember all too vividly the horror of the Boston Marathon bombings which took place one year ago.
This was a joyful video, however. Adrianne Haslet-Davis, a professional ballroom dancer who lost part of her leg in the attacks, was on stage once again, performing for the first time since that horrible day. News outlets ran excerpts of the dance, noting that the prosthetic leg Haslet-Davis wore had been custom made for her by a team of engineers at MIT.
If you clicked beyond the news coverage to watch the full video online, however, there was much more to it. That MIT team was led by Hugh Herr, director of the Biomechanics group at the MIT Media Lab and founder of BIOM, a technology company focused on personal bionics. He is also a double amputee who lost both legs after suffering severe frostbite during a rock climbing expedition on New Hampshire’s Mount Washington in 1982. Furthermore, his introduction of Haslet-Davis and her dancing partner followed his TED talk entitled “The New Bionics That Let Us Run, Climb and Dance” in which he describes the technological intricacies involved in bionics, and predicts a future in which innovation melds with the human experience, eliminating disabilities as a whole.
Pretty heady stuff. Fascinating, too, and compelling enough to get me to really think about Herr’s company and what they are working on. As I watched Haslet-Davis wipe a tear from her eye and take a bow on the TED Talk stage, surrounded by her personal team of engineers, I knew that the combination of her story and Herr’s vision had drawn me in. When the video ended, my next virtual stop was the BIOM website. I was hungry to learn more.
That is where, from a PR stand point, the circle is complete. A human interest story catches our eye; further attention shows it to be part of something much greater, the combination moves us, and we are not just receiving a message – we are actively seeking out related information on our own.
A lot is said today about storytelling, and though it may seem like just another hot catch phrase, it is actually embedded in our nature as humans. The telling of tales, the sharing of lore, goes back to life’s very beginnings. It’s no wonder that in today’s fast-paced, immediate response digital world, a truly moving story will stop us in our tracks.
At Kovak-Likly, we work with our clients to draw out those stories, and to find the ways in which they can emphasize the human connection with their target customers. Promoting a product which is scientifically innovative is exciting, no doubt about it. Explaining how that product can improve day to day living for the people who use it, gets it sold. Both are important and need to be combined in well thought out ways. Here are a few things to think about if you aren’t quite sure what your story should be:
Why did you or your company first decide to do what you do, or make what you make?
Most times, there was a problem that needed to be solved. What was it? And how did you identify it? Necessity is the mother of invention, and your customer wants to know what prompted your innovation. If it’s something they can relate to, you have their attention.
Do your company leaders have a personal connection to the problems your product solves?
Empathy and a deeper understanding of your target customer’s challenges forgoes a connection, a commonality, that linear messaging simply can’t replicate.
How will your product allow your customer to tell a better story?
You’ve shared experiences, shown an understanding of their challenges. Now, let your customer know how you will solve their problem. The promise of a better scenario will be given fair consideration by a customer who feels understood, thus opening their mind to your possibilities.
Like anyone, we love hearing and telling stories in the name of improving lives. If you’d like to sit down with us to find your story – and give it a voice – we’d love to hear from you.
-BML
