edgar & the story behind the story

edgar& the story behind the story

as told by Damjan Obal

Hello, I’m Damjan

I will tell you the story about:

1. What makes a story

2. Hero’s journey

3. The power of stories

4. Stories for business & you

5. Edgar, the storyteller

6. Take away

Stories are not for children-only!No, really.

Storytelling 101

Five elements of a story: setting, plot, characters, conflict and theme

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/madelynnholmes/

Setting: Cottage in the woods...

Plot: Hansel & Gretel have outwit the evil witch

Characters: Hansel, Gretel, the Witch

Conflict: Good vs. Evil

Theme: Famine, outwitting the enemy

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/madelynnholmes/

What really matters:

storyteller, content and audience

Content. Is king.

Photo by: http://ingridsnotes.wordpress.com

moral

The audience

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seandreilinger/

Storyteller: my mom

Content: the scary story about the evil witch.

If you don’t behave the witch will eat you alive!

So, don’t be greedy, Damjan!

Audience: mini-me

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/madelynnholmes/

Photo by: http://www.manmoth.co.uk

http://images5.fanpop.com

http://images5.fanpop.com

Frodo is a nobody...

Frodo gets a quest

He meets a mentor (Gandalf) + secret stash

He gets companions

He faces powerful enemies

He gets stronger

He finishes the quest - saves the Middle Earth

... Frodo is a hero

The power of stories

Stories boost imagination & creativity

Stories for businesses & you

“We’ve gone from being exposed to about 500 brand messages a day back in the 1970s to as many as 5000 a day today.”

#Yankelovich Consumer Research

Stories differentiate you from others & create added value &

build engagement with your users

People have a basic need for storytelling. Good brands & products address it.

www.edgartells.me / @edgartells

storytelling tool empowering craftsmen

the problem

Drago the small craftsman

VS.

the solution

“About.me meets Tumblr for craftsmen“ #AngelHack jury

Edgar helps SMEs and craftsmen that are not as internet-oriented, to create visual storylines of their products and engage with customers.

why now?

“Craftsman on the rise“ #Wired #Guardian

“Microbrewers and Craft Beer Makers Raising Millions and Millions of Dollars“#247WallSt.com

why now?

800.000 craftsman, artists, makers

42 million unique visitors/month

15 million products

Curated catalog Sales up by nearly 300%

in 2013

Won the AngelHack Berlin, accepted in the Accelerator in SF, invited to the TechCrunch Disrupt and… saved a couple of cheerleaders

(the last one is a lie).

Now, forget about edgar and remember:

Tell the story

Offer an adventure to your users

Offer rewards for succeeding + failing

Tell the users the story about your values

Your product as a story character (the more tech you are, the greater the need!)

www.edgartells.me / @edgartells

damjan@blok-blok.com / @damjanobal