We have a weakness for strong opinions.
Naturally, large corporations want to distribute their PR work worldwide. Most of them do this with the help of PR agencies. Medium-sized enterprises are more hesitant in this regard. Perhaps, to them, it seems as if the efforts and costs are too high? Many don’t realise that, aside from the domestic PR work, there are also different international agency models. It is noteworthy to take a closer look at the market and to choose the most appropriate model.
Storytelling: Our brain loves stories (c) Bryant Arnold
In our first blogpost on storytelling we promised we’d give you a reason why storytelling works as a marketing tool. Here it is:
The basic assumption of storytelling is that the unconscious mind controls a substantial part of human behaviour. Hence, also the purchasing behaviour. Or, as Werner T. Fuchs formulates it: The unconscious mind makes the purchasing decision, the conscious mind justifies it.
In his book „Warum das Gehirn Geschichten liebt“, Werner T. Fuchs presents mechanisms of storytelling. In it, he doesn’t only discuss what makes a story a story, but he also offers numerous examples from the world of marketing and innovatively links them with the latest discoveries in brain research.
I think small talk has been around as long as humans have. The only difference between centuries ago and now is that we’ve given it a name. But I can well imagine the kings of old having to entertain royalty from other countries, nervously trying to fill those uncomfortable silences with comments like, “So, what do you think about the weather?”… But today, I think it’s taken on an entirely different level of importance. I recently read that the success of a pitch depends largely on the first 5 to 10 minutes of the meeting. Guess what happens during these precious few minutes? Small talk! The article went on to say, that the moment the potential new client feels relaxed and comfortable in a conversation that flows seamlessly from the beginning, the more likely they are to sign on the dotted line at the end. However, this was an English article written by an American. And since I’ve been living and working in Germany, I’ve realized that over here, the dynamic of small talk is often somewhat different. So here are a couple of examples I’ve come across. I hope they shed some light on a few unexplained awkward moments.
