I know I’m part of what evidently must be a tiny fraction of
the United States population. I have never watched a single moment of “Game of
Thrones.”
That’s hard for me to admit. I love watching all of the
“hot” televisions shows – and, as a former movie critic, I spent years seeing
movies well before they were released to the general public. However, for some
reason, “GoT” never captured me.
As fans of the show started posting with vigor on social
media, “NO SPOILERS” until HBO airs the final episode this weekend, it made me
wonder: Does spoiling the ending ruin the story for most people?
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot more work helping
professionals in many fields – especially financial services – in crafting more
compelling narratives that help them connect at a deeper level with their
clients. If a friend refers a prospective customer to your business – and tells
them the story of your business before you’ve had the chance to relate it –
should you go ahead and present your story anyway?
In other words, would
it soil the impact of their story if the ending was spoiled before your
telling?
Interestingly, research from Jonathan Leavitt and Nicholas
Christenfeld of the University of California, San Diego says it does exactly
the opposite.
“Writers use their artistry to make stories interesting, to
engage readers, and to surprise them, but we found that giving away these surprises makes readers like stories better,”
they write. (Emphasis mine.)
One of their interesting conclusions is that the authors of
any story – for example, you in relating a narrative about your products
and services – should try to keep the ending a secret. In this way, people who
are unfamiliar with your story…and those who like surprises…don’t have the
conclusions revealed.
However, you should
not spend your time worrying about whether anyone else is spoiling it as they
re-tell your story.
The UCSD researches state that, “spoilers may allow (the
audience) to organize developments, anticipate the implications of events, and
resolve ambiguities that occur in the course” of reading or hearing the story.
Maybe the producers of HBO shouldn’t care so much about
anyone learning how “Game of Thrones” concludes.
And, there’s no doubt that all of us in business should be happy when people
love our story so much, they want to re-tell it to others – even when it may
spoil our thrilling, successful conclusion.
(By the way – are you telling your story to customers? It’s one of the Four Cornerstones of Distinction found in my books, Create Distinction and Iconic.)
You’ve finally realized that your business is a “show business”…explored how your customers have changed…and accepted the challenge to deliver them with the “Ultimate Customer Experience” that they demand.
Yet, a critical question remains…
How?
How do you connect with your customers and employees during these crazy times?
How do you communicate and establish those critical emotional connections with them?
How do we grab the customer’s attention?
You take the “High Concept” approach.
The High Concept is a short, powerful, attention-grabbing phrase that interests and involves your audience.
“Bomb on a bus.”
“Clown with a red balloon.”
“Kids bring a board game to life.”
“Shark attacks terrorize a small ocean community.”
“Teenager travels back in time and back again using a car.”
“A band of unlikely companions on a quest to destroy a ring.”
“A small group of soldiers must find the lone surviving son of a family and escort him safely home from World War II.
How long did it take you to guess that I was talking about Speed, It, Jumanji, Jaws, Back to the Future, Lord of the Rings, and Saving Private Ryan?
These phrases are proof that the “High Concept” works. They could even be as short as one word. The mere mention of the word “Shark!” evokes the image of the movie, Jaws. Just saying “Genie” makes you think of all the wishes you could make as Aladdin did…while hearing “Iceberg” instantly makes you relive the horror of the Titanic sinking.
There’s power in communication. These short phrases or even single words can make you feel a range of emotions because they make you remember a movie that left a lasting impact on you.
The same concept can be applied to business – in your “show business.”
Domino’s revolutionized the pizza business with their simple High Concept. Thanks to Domino’s, we expect all pizzas to be delivered in “30 minutes or less.” We may even ask the delivery guy from an entirely different pizza chain if our pizza is free when they arrive “late.”
When we say something “keeps going and going and going and going…” – do you expect the Energizer Bunny to suddenly pass by in front of us and interrupt our conversation? Even Gatorade has somehow taken the word “quench” and made it their own, and now we feel that only a brightly-colored sports drink can truly satisfy our thirst. And when you hear someone tell you to “have a break,” do you suddenly want a Kit-Kat?
The High Concepts are more than just taglines, they’re powerful words or phrases that have been ingrained in our minds and taken on a life of their own. In many cases, these brand High Concepts have become more popular than the brands themselves.
The best High Concept statements are incredibly difficult to craft – but powerfully important to have.
Because your High Concept should describe the lifeblood of the unique culture and offerings of your company, it must become something that has deep and lasting roots in your organization.
