It's Time To Tell A Better Story

Andrew Geller on why digital platforms need to be a place for more unconventional storytelling.

- Andrew Geller

Everybody these days loves storytelling. Brands love stories that enable them to connect to their audiences in more meaningful ways. People just love to be entertained. And now, with an unlimited amount of apps, sites, social media platforms and formats for content, from gIFs and spots, to short web films and branded content, it’s become much easier to do just that.

So then, why are we seeing the same old types of content created and shared in basically the same ways? Why aren’t the stories on these platforms concepted, created and distributed in ways that reflect the diverse and different tastes of the people that watch them?

It’s because most brands and creatives telling stories on these platforms are missing the point. By design, these platforms should be the perfect place for experimentation. Don’t get me wrong – platforms like social networks aren’t necessarily being ignored as storytelling outlets. Instagram now has Instagram TV, Facebook has Facebook Watch, Snapchat is doing original content, and YouTube has spent billions on YouTube Red. What bothers me, though, is that too often this content is just traditional TV that’s cut down “because it’s the internet” and slapped onto these different platforms. It shows that people are still afraid to deviate from that traditional model because, frankly, it’s been proven to work. But we can do better.