A Good Story Appeals to Everyone

In today's WSJ, "A new study shows that Coca-Cola's Super Bowl ad starring Charlie Brown was the most talked about ad online" according to a company that monitors blogs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiMf5cCDy1I

The article went on to interview the ad makers:

WSJ: "Coke has long struggled to create ads that resonate with teens but don't rub older drinkers the wrong way. How much did that issue weigh in your head when dreaming up this spot?"
Hal Curtis (the spot's creative director): "A good story appeals to everyone. And a story that is well told appeals to young and old."
Coca-Cola's Pio Schunker: "We are at our best when we speak to universal values that appeal to everyone rather than try and skew it to specific segments."

Understanding the audience and how to best reach them does not lie exclusively in the domain of ad makers. It's something we also deal with. For example, one of the things you could say we bring to the table is an outside-of-the-organization world view. As you know, organizations have their own internal culture, jargon, and priorities. And those don't always communicate well to people on the outside. So while we believe in understanding the world from our client's point of view, we're also able to view their issues with a fresh eye.

You might way we can provide a different perspective. So, whenever I work on a project I ask these questions: Does it make sense? Can an audience not familiar with the subject follow the logic? Does it hold our interest? Is it compelling? Or, to come at it from a different angle, does it tell a good story? That's our job, to make sure that it does.

And then it will have a broad appeal. Which creates a greater impact and makes for a more memorable piece. Like the coke commercial.