Why am I telling stories again..?
Hi, I’m Lucy O’Connor (please say aloud in Troy McClure’s voice).
You might know me as the human behind retired content brand, Monday Hustle, the literal voice of a few podcasts or the or the content strategist behind the behemoth event that was Pleasuredome The Musical; but what’s quite possibly most likely is that, at this stage, you don’t really know me at all. That’s ok, because if you’re alive reading this, it means there’s still time to meet, and if you’re into coffee, hand-cut fries and the betterment of humanity, we should definitely hang out.
I’m a writer / creative consultant by label, with a psychology degree in my armoury and an ethical heart in my anatomy. Aside from sounding like a slickly polished one-liner, what this means is that as a member of our results-obsessed society, I spend my waking hours thinking about the elements of a successful brand or campaign, observing the changes and disruptions happening in the content space, and, from a consumer standpoint, worrying about the technological climate we are operating in. I am obsessed by these topics and dissect them so incessantly that it’s a wonder I still have friends (and family members who acknowledge my existence).
What’s that, I hear you ask - in my opinion, after all I’ve experienced, observed and learnt, what’s the one thing that makes a brand, activation or campaign more likely to succeed? The one thing that provides a solid foundation, increases the likelihood of longevity, establishes a clear position in the market; the thing that no competitor can ever replicate or take away; the aspect that will attract customers, compel stakeholders, retain talent and support you on your mission to change the goddamn WORLD?!
The ability to tell your story.
Since the beginning of time, us humans have loved a good yarn. From the scary to the heroic, the bedtime to those with fairies as protagonists, we've found community, connection, feelings of belonging and a sense of identity through the power of storytelling. With our advanced language and communication skills, we tell stories in order for this life thing to make sense, which apparently has something to do with our insatiable need for a purpose that’s big enough to trump our knowledge of impending mortality or something.
Fast forward to 2019; audiences, followers, consumers, data points; aka, real people, just like you and I; are overwhelmed with branded campaigns, all offering information, choices, options and noise in exchange for a snippet of our bank account or attention. We are more woke, but more time poor, and while we still need things to eat, causes to support, and communities to be a part of, people just can’t even fathom the idea being sold to anymore.
This means that, in order to survive and thrive, a brand needs clarity, needs to stand for something, needs to develop an honest offering that’s told in a voice far less creepy than our best mate, Siri’s; which, in turn, involves more than just churning out content for SEO purposes, or having a brand promise on your homepage with the word ‘authenticity’ in it.
If you are out there, or about to be out there, and asking for the time, money or attention of real people, in my mind, you have a responsibility to do something worthwhile. Whether that’s enhancing real life connection, creating community, fostering relationships beyond the screen, building up, or maybe even dismantling, the society we live in, it’s gotta be bigger than the bottom line. With the digital landscape, thanks to platforms that are deliberately designed to be distracting and addictive, it’s the actual time and actual lives of actual people that brands have the superpower to affect and influence - which means we’ve got to try to do this thing right, so when all’s said and done, our story will be one worth telling, too.
So yeah, I’m Lucy, and I love this stuff.
Next instalment soon -
- Lucy O
If you’re interested in discussing your brand, campaign or project, or have any questions, hit me up using the contact form below.