May is Military Appreciation Month in the United States with Memorial Day on the 27th.
I believe healthy societies gratefully reflecting and remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice is good for us all.
This is a month when patriotism is often prominently featured in advertising and every once in a while someone creates something that is nothing short of awe inspiring. This year Xfinity, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, and Kathryn Bigelow, along with a group of Vietnam veterans and a young girl, hit a home run. It is storytelling and branding at its best!
Great story telling in marketing and advertising is not easy, and it is sure to fall short when we make it about ourselves rather than our target audiences.
“The Aviators” is an example of what right looks like using the most important feature of effective storytelling, making your target audience the hero!
“The Aviators” features a group of Vietnam veterans who served together as pilots. But there’s another hero in this story, a young lady who is the granddaughter of one of the veterans. She is on a mission to make her grandfather’s reunion special. She introduces them, and us, to some virtual reality technology with the help of Xfinity, who is barely mentioned by the way. It is an emotionally moving story that connects the veterans with their youth, a granddaughter and grandfather, and viewers with their experience.
Grab a tissue, watch the video, and I hope you have a grateful week-Perry
Perry Rearick
Chief Editor, Follow Your Buyer
prearick@followyourbuyer.com
