How digital stories connect to the experiential world

STORYTELLING What kinds of experiences do people seek out, and which ones do they avoid? In this article, the two authors, Dieter Georg Herbst and Thomas Heinrich, explore the art of storytelling and the emotions it evokes.By Prof. Dr. Dieter Georg Herbst and Thomas Heinrich Musiolik Since time immemorial, we have been telling ourselves stories to enrich ourselves with unique experiences. We can't get enough of good, exciting and eventful narratives. Science and practice also agree: communication works best when it triggers strong and uniquely attractive experiences - through storytelling.In our article "With strong stories to intense experiences" we described how important experiences are. In this article, we want to answer the question of what experiences we can trigger, that is, what bundles of feelings.Our coordinates in life: avoiding the bad and finding the goodWhen we act, we want to avoid bad things. When people are faced with a decision, they examine the possible alternatives to see which will give them the strongest and best experience. This comparison happens in parallel and unconsciously. More than that, people physically recreate the expected experience briefly themselves to avoid the risk of deciding wrongly: They scream with happiness themselves (Zalando) and imagine biting into the chocolate with a crash when seeing the Magnum ad. Prof. Joachi Bauer writes: "Every time an action is planned or realized, nerve cell networks in the brain go into action, registering how its implementation would physically feel. "We prefer the company that promises us the strongest experience. People therefore opt for those companies that trigger uniquely attractive experiences - BMW, Porsche, Volvo. But small and medium-sized companies are also loved by their customers, appreciated by journalists and courted by financiers.Successful companies with successful stories arouse many strong feelings, they show effective images, create stages and allow people to experience them up close. All of this touches us. If I can't save the world in real life with Excalibur, then let me do it together with the hero.Using stories to change the behavior of othersThe owner of a small, delicious snack bar in our neighborhood decided to offer stories to his customers. Since then, they change every week - it's pure experience. Want an example? Craftsmen, hairdressers, bicyclists - the snack bar owner noticed that many of them don't wear helmets, ride in the dark without lights and disregard traffic rules. "I'll do something about it and do something for them," he thought to himself. So he created whiteboards offering a 20 percent discount for bicyclists who wear helmets, turn on their lights and stop at traffic lights. He drew stories and wrote lyrics. When we saw the first bicyclists with helmets and lights on, waiting for the green light, we were very pleasantly surprised. Within a very short time, he managed to change the behavior of cyclists with his stories - with a discount for their next snack.These experiences are important for peopleAre there models we can use to shape experiences in our digital storytelling? Motivational psychologists know three basic motives that guide people from all over the world through life: Safety, Arousal, Autonomy. They name these basic motives differently, but the content is very similar:"      Safety: Man carries within himself the need for permanence, stability, security and balance. He longs for attachment and care, home and tradition."      Excitement: People are looking for new stimuli, they want to be unique, break out of the usual and be active."      Autonomy: Man wants to strive upwards, to show performance, to enjoy success and superiority, to assert himself against others, to expand his territory.Positive and negative sides of feelingsEvery motive system has a positive and a negative side, the good one man seeks, the bad one he avoids: Man avoids fear and insecurity and instead seeks safety and security. He wants to avoid defeat, anger, rage and dissatisfaction and find superiority, a sense of victory, praise. Instead of boredom, we look for enjoyment, tingling, fun, excitement and variety.For digital storytelling, therefore, the most important task seems to be to connect the company with positive experiences, i.e. a mix of feelings such as safety and security, enjoyment and excitement, status and superiority.Safety and securitySecurity, bonding, caring and closeness are important for building communities and supporting each other. Employees maintain a friendly interaction, the hierarchy is flat and there is little distance between management and employees. People are on first-name terms and work together much like a family. The opposite would be autonomy and distance: Here, the distance between management and employees is rather large, there are many management levels, the style of interaction is rather formal and people are on first-name terms." Values associated with security: Friendship, family, caring, bonding, warmth, conviviality, home, nostalgia, loyalty, security, health, reliability." Company: Disney with its traditional family values, insurance companies, financial consultancies, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers of traditional brands." Brands: "The dentist gives these to his family," "You only give a kiss to friends," "I want to stay the way I am," "Reliability for many years," "Good things in life never change."" Typical statements: "We are close to the customer", "I like working in a team", "Communication is important", "Together we are stronger", "I have been on the market for a long time", "I have many years of experience", "With me you play it safe", "I ensure stability", "Many successful projects speak for my consistency", "With me you don't have to worry about anything".Stimulus, discovery and excitementCompanies should develop, otherwise they fossilize and stagnate. Change, development, discovery - everyone carries them within them, but to different degrees." Values: Curiosity, fun, creativity, individualism, variety, lightness, imagination, enjoyment, openness, sensuality, pleasure, humor." Brands: IKEA: "Discover the possibilities," "Red Bull gives you wings," "Surprising and unexpected" by Chanel Chance." Typical statements: "I always offer you new stimuli", "I show you things you have never seen before", "I break out of the usual", "I look for variety", "I avoid boredom", "I make sure we are different from others".Dominance and autonomyCompanies that embody autonomy and dominance show their outstanding performance, high position, status and power. They want to assert themselves, strive to the top, expand their territory. Consumers with a strong autonomy motive use high-priced brands such as jewelry by Cartier, watches by Rolex, and cigars by Davidoff; they drive high-end cars. They try to maintain their power through fitness." Values: victory, struggle, elite, power, achievement, assertion, pride, honor, status, fame, freedom, ambition, efficiency." Business: Manufacturers of high-end cars, designer clothes, products that enhance performance." Brands: Double Rift: "Against severe pain," Black Krauser No. 1: "Taste at full strength," L'Oreal: "Because I'm worth it."" Typical statements: "I'll give you an unassailable lead," "I want to be better than the others," "I work very hard," "I'm an expert in my field," "I like to fight," "I enjoy victory over others," "I strive to reach the top," "I want to expand my territory."Conclusion:Our digital storytelling should tie in with these motives/goals. Then we can create strong and unique feelings in digital media and with digital technologies that lead the customer to choose us and not our competitor - they feel most comfortable with us.