8 Nineteen Communications
130 Atlantic Avenue Toronto, ON, Canada

PowerPoint banned from executive meetings??!! Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos thinks so and we couldn’t agree more. Sure, there is a time and a place for PowerPoint but what resonates most with executives and those with influence? A story. A well told story with anecdotes, verbs, nouns, a beginning and an end this is what our brains are wired for. Bullets don't inspire. Stories do.

Balloons For Ben made our eyes well up (with dust, right?). #NuggsforCarter has us cheering for a high schooler and against Ellen as we watched in real-time on Twitter. An online content series for Harley Davidson turned into must-see TV in prime time. The common thread that weaves all of these amazing brand stories together? These stories built emotional resonance and at the same time, made global headlines.

Launching a new product? Have an event. Relocating your office? Have an event. Changed your hair color? Have an event. With event marketing dominating most strategic communications plans, having and event to check off on your task list is becoming the norm. What’s going to make you rise to the top? Authenticity, emotions and engagement. Your event will then live long after the final drink is poured.

Have you ever watched those painful brand stories that are so corporate it could be for any product? The desire to appeal to such a broad audience typically leads to an inauthentic voice that only speaks to the fear of one backlash tweet. Instead, be bold, be authentic, and be relatable. Also, do it well. Treat every video like it’s your Super Bowl half-time ad.