The suspension of disbelief

What's the story? #5 - why storytelling will always be the key to building great brands.

I was at the Comedy Store in London a few years ago, and one of the acts (called Mike Gunn, I think) was on a roll. He told the audience that he was a keen amateur golfer, and had just got back from an amazing golfing holiday, in Malaysia. 

He was playing on a beautiful course in the middle of the lush rain forest, assisted by a local Malaysian caddy. He teed off from the ninth hole, and just caught the sweet spot, sending the ball soaring high above the fairway, straight down it towards the distant green.

His caddy turned to him and said: “Tiger Woods.”

“Thank you very much,” he replied, feeling pretty damned good. “Didn’t think it was too bad myself.”

“No, no,” said the Caddy, pointing frantically to the thick undergrowth surrounding them. “Tiger. In woods.”

The comedian, who already had the audience on his side, got a huge and well-deserved laugh. Apart from one man.

“I don’t believe you. You didn’t really go on holiday to Malaysia,” he called out. “You’re making it up.”

“Of course I’m f**cking making it up,” said the incredulous comic. “That’s what I do. I’m a stand-up comedian. It’s in the job description.”

He then proceeded to rip into the man mercilessly, about what a sad life he must lead, taking everything so literally. And got a lot more laughs.

Did anybody in that room seriously believe the story was true? Of course not. When telling stories – in a comedy club, for advertising or our kids at bedtime – we create artificial constructs: situations that we and our audience know are fake. But if we tell a story that feels ‘true’ we get the audience to suspend their disbelief, and come along for the ride. 

Great storytelling, wherever you find it, always contains a human ‘truth’: something we recognise about ourselves, about human experience and often the absurdity of life, but told in a way that makes it seem powerful and fresh, and makes us feel something. When it does, it becomes resonant and memorable. And makes us want to hear more of the story or – in the case of advertising – buy whatever the brand telling it, is selling.

It could be a man sitting backwards on a horse, a gorilla playing the drums, or a tiger in the woods. Or rather in your tank.