In writing this story about my mom, I realized it is truly a story about every mom. Everyone has that initial relationship with a mother whether it is good or bad, born or adopted. Mother is a universal language, a universal feeling. The ideal is warm and fuzzy, cookies and milk, tucked in and cared for. The reality is something more layered and nuanced with heartache, complications, and hopefully joy and love.
What if we could document this experience? And share our love, pain, triumph, and healing with each other? People crave connection and our stories are what connect us. We see this illustrated in the success of websites like Humans of New York. When we were cavemen and cavewomen, we sat around the campfire telling stories. We still desire that connection to each other today through our universal journey of life.
If you look around at some of the biggest brands, you will notice that they are often amazing storytellers. I quote Seth Godin (a marketing legend) often in my teaching, and he describes marketing as “the art of telling a story that resonates with your audience and then spreads.”
So how do we tell a story about mothers that will spread? We decided to put together a list of questions about mothers and invite people to answer selected questions on camera. Some of the participants were actors, but who were telling their personal stories. Some were students at the school and some were invited from our circle of friends. We procured a director and film crew, interviewers, a step and repeat as a backdrop, loads of volunteers to help it all run smoothly, and of course, craft services (food for the team working the shoot). Some pictures from the shoot are attached.
We filmed at The Los Angeles Film School (thank you, LA Film!). We had release forms, sign in sheets, and even directional bathroom signs. The director, camera man, and lighting were there to set-up early, so filming could begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. We had a waiting room and on-deck locations for the people to prepare. We had pre-interviews where an interviewer went through the questions the individual picked, and then discussed what it was going to be like in the filming room. It was a beautiful experience for people to share their stories with us on camera of their love and heartbreak for their mothers and mother figures. There was laughter and there were many, many tears. People were incredibly gracious and authentic in expressing their emotional stories. The logistics of the shoot were flawless. It was a day we will all remember.
So, what are we going to do with all this story telling film footage? It will be edited into short video pieces to use across social media and start a “Mom Story” dialogue. As this project is a book, my job, as its author, is to bring this story to life. As marketers, our job is to spread the word, create the excitement that will ultimately lead to a desire to purchase this book. In marketing circles, we call this the AIDA principal (Attention - Interest - Desire - Action). We are accomplishing this by telling our mom stories, both mine and the rest of our fans who choose to join us “around the campfire”. Only now our campfire’s soft glow is generated by our mobile phones, tablets and computers. This is where we gather today, and Stacey, me and the rest of the book team hope you will join us.
What stories have you told when launching your projects? How do you create connection in your community? Let’s share some ideas around the campfire below as we bring our projects to life.
Best, Pam, Author, and Stacey, Project Master.