Big Box Storytelling And Defining a Brand

Walmart

Walmart does its own storytelling.

I recently blogged about the importance of doing your own storytelling and not letting others do it for you. This is especially critical for anyone facing tough reviews or upset critics.

It isn’t hard to find examples of it being put into practice. Take a look at big time businesses in that situation and they’re all using video to tell their stories. Case in point… Walmart.

At least half of you just cringed. It’s a company that’s popular for its prices, and unpopular for… well… a lot of reasons.

We all know Walmart faces a ton of PR challenges, but its leaders are doing their best to be storytellers and get out messages they probably feel like the traditional media isn’t reporting.

You can find some of them at Walmart’s YouTube channel under the playlist… Our Stories.

They aren’t anything magical. All of them are pretty short… less than a minute. Some have a “commercial” feel, others tell more of a story. I’ll let you guess which ones I prefer.

Anyway, the point is that the big boys get this issue. When you’re facing harsh critics, it’s important not to let them define you.

It would be easy for companies like Walmart to sit back, take the criticism, and count their dollars. Instead, company leaders stand-up for themselves and point out the things they’re doing right.

Ideally, businesses should be doing this all the time which counters any harsh reviews that may come up. Whether it’s customer testimonials or highlighting the company’s charity efforts, there several types of stories you can tell to define yourself.

Be a storyteller.

 –Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.