Sessions at SXSW Interactive 2012 about Marketing and Storytelling

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Friday 9th March 2012

• Storytelling for Entrepreneurs & Startups

  by Lyn Graft

  Storytelling is one of the most powerful forms of communication you have as an entrepreneur to assist you in starting a company, recruiting employees, raising capital, securing clients and getting press. Stories are universal and almost 100% relatable to people from all walks of life enabling the entrepreneur to inspire and catalyze an audience. Stories also help us structure meaning around complex situations and enable entrepreneurs to make the intangible tangible. Drawing from the experience gained from filming over 300 entrepreneurs, this panel is designed to share thoughts and examples on why and how storytelling should be weaved into your startup, launch and growth activities. Key points covered: Speaking from the heart and connecting emotionally with your audience; Crafting a memorable story and creating champions to share your story; making sure your baby is not ugly and stands apart from the crowd; and telling people why we do and what we do. Specific examples and techniques for digital storytelling will be shown and explained

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Marketing
  • Startups
  • Storytelling

  At 3:30pm to 4:30pm, Friday 9th March

  In Salon B, Hilton Austin Downtown

  Coverage audio clip

Saturday 10th March 2012

• Winning the Story Wars

  by Jonah Sachs

  Everyone in marketing is shouting “TELL STORIES!” in perfect unison from their various feeds. But what is a good story? And how can you make yours great? In 60 idea-packed minutes, viral storyteller Jonah Sachs (Story of Stuff, The Meatrix) will break down what he's learned over a decade telling stories that have amused, enlightened and engaged millions worldwide.

  He'll cover: 50 years of Jedi Mind Tricks (how marketing masters push products and ideas, and why their tricks are failing you now); Freaks, Cheats and Familiars (how our brains are hardwired to remember stories that reflect ancient patterns); and the Digitoral Era (how to transform your stories for massive resonance in today's digital-oral tradition). Drawing on the research and thinking in Story Wars, available spring 2012 from Harvard Business Review Press, Free Range co-founder Sachs will source age-old and cutting edge wisdom, delivering insights from advertising history, evolutionary biology, psychology, and comparative mythology. This talk is a how-to, equipping you to apply timeless truths for story contagion and breakthrough brands.

  • Marketing
  • Storytelling

  At 4:00pm to 4:20pm, Saturday 10th March

  In Ballroom G, Austin Convention Center

  Coverage audio clip

Monday 12th March 2012

• @BettyDraper's Guide to Social Storytelling

  by Helen Klein Ross

  Making a story social isn't all about marketing. It's also about helping to build a better narrative – extending and enriching the story, whether your story is driven by a fictional character or a brand. We'll examine current examples of advertising, transmedia, brand fiction and branded content to determine what makes stories work for today's social audiences--and what makes them fail.

  • Brands
  • Marketing
  • Narrative
  • Storytelling

  At 9:30am to 10:30am, Monday 12th March

  In Longhorn, Omni Downtown

  Coverage audio clip