What is it about some stories that keeps us coming back for more?
I might as well admit it, I’m writing this after a trip to the cinema to see the new Maverick film, a full 30 years after loving the Top Gun original. But as I was walking home, I got to thinking, what is it about some stories that keeps us engaged, in some cases for half a lifetime? It can’t just be Tom Cruise, right?
A quick look at the Amazon bestseller list confirms my theory – there are some stories we never get tired of. So what is it that makes a story stand the test of time?
At Toucan, we’ve been helping clients tell their stories for years, so we’re well placed to work out what hits the mark and what, to coin a Top Gun phrase, goes off in a flat spin heading out to sea. And no matter what story we’re analysing, in what genre, it’s back to the same thing. Human connection.
Strip away the fighter jets or bond-style car chases or animated princesses and successful stories all do the same thing – they touch the audience with emotion, make them feel they are part of the journey and allow them to forget themselves for a while.
Sometimes when I’m sitting in the cinema I steal a look at the people around me and how rapt their attention is to the story that’s unfolding on screen. When I see that in our own audiences, as our films bring people to tears or make them howl with laughter. As our communications encourage more people than ever before to stand up and be counted, or our events transform a company’s journey, I know we’ve done something magical. At Toucan, we love nothing better than seeing our stories hit home. Permission to buzz the tower, sir?
