Welcome to the age of the storyteller. I've said this for a long time. If you know me, you will be tired of hearing it. The age of the nerd is coming to an end. The nerds gave us all the tech. We are now in the age of the storyteller. The people/ companies that best use the tech, to tell stories, will be the most successful.
I don't believe you can get away with having just a website anymore. Or just a Facebook page. I don't believe you can get away with regular status updates -- I am referring to businesses here. People want more. They want to be a part of something. A part of your story. You need to create one for them. It's this immersive culture.
I will say it again, businesses that tell the best stories, will be the most successful. This is the beauty of where we are today. There are so many different platforms in which to develop your tale. Let it start on Facebook with a clue. Move it on to YouTube, introducing a fictitious character. Plant a cryptic message on the wall outside your company's headquarters. Tweet the second part to the clue. Develop an app whereby they can follow the unfolding of the story. If done right, you will have an audience for life. Transmedia storytelling.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that within ten years ad agencies will become redundant. So will marketing companies. The company of the future is a storytelling company. A company that is tech savvy and sensitive to multi-platform storytelling. That's my view anyway.
I'm heading to Vegas to see all the newest tech. To begin formulating ways to use this tech in storytelling.I'm going to talk to some nerds. See what they have up their sleeves for 2013. See how we can start using the next wave of tech to tell more stories, about ourselves and our companies. I think that's the point. To add value to the world. To create something magnificent.
What excites me the most about this field, is the endless possibilities. And it's all still so new. There are no rules. We are pioneers, and we are making things up as we go along. I am keen to blog about what I find. I know there are some big names headed to Vegas to discuss exactly this: how to advance storytelling.
As a company, if you want to connect with your audience (customers), tell a story. Find an angle. Great storytelling is all about angles. Angles and turning points. And the imagination. Take it one step further and offer your customers a chance to be a part of the story, using all the tech available to you, and you have done something special. When I say 'tech,' I mean everything from blogs through to Facebook.
I am excited about this trip. We are busy developing the world's first storytelling city in South Africa. It's big. CES 2013 has come at the right time. Let's see what magic lies in wait.
This blog is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post on the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2013), the behemoth consumer-electronics trade show held annually in Las Vegas. To read other pieces in the series, click here. What are your thoughts on CES? We invite you to submit pieces of 500-850 words -- for possible publication in The Huffington Post -- to ces2013@huffingtonpost.com.