The Element of Story

I was reading a magazine called Create, which is targeted to graphic artists and marketing people. There's an interview with Dan Pink who emphasizes creative thinking in a book called A Whole New Mind. He wrote Free Agent Nation, about the rising numbers of consultants/freelancers/people with home-based business. I've read neither book, but I have heard this guy talk. He is a great speaker, very funny.

So, anyway, the interviewer asked, "When you're working on a client's project for a commercial or an ad, how important is the element of Story?" Dan Pink's answer:

In the world of ubiquitous facts that don't have much value, what matters most is context. They [sic] translate that to a brochure, a TV commercial. Human beings are wired to hear "Story." When anybody goes home at the end of the day, they say, "How was your day?" You don't answer that with a five-slide PowerPoint presentation. You have a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

category: craft