Mobilizing Attention:
Storytelling for Innovation
Jeffrey Kim
University of Washington | jykim@u.washington.edu
Arnold Lund
Microsoft Corporation | arnie.lund@microsoft.com
Caroline Dombrowski
University of Washington | cd1@u.washington.edu
[ 1] Hargadon, A. B.,
Bechky, B. A. “When
Collections of Creatives
Become Creative
Collectives: A Field
Study of Problem
Solving at Work.”
Organization Science
17, 4 (2006): 484–500.
March + April 2010
interactions
Recently, BM W launched a U.S.
campaign for Minis, aimed at
vampires. The slogan “Feel the
wind in your fangs” ran alongside a photo of the car. Gillette
and Harley-Davidson had similar
vampire-themed ads, and if a
consumer follows up on the ads,
eventually a trail of URLs leads
to the website for HBO’s “True
Blood,” a television show based
on the premise that vampires
exist and have come out of hiding. The American League of
Vampires, arguing for vampire
rights, faces off against another
group, the Fellowship of the Sun,
which wants to take back the
Earth for humans. Other related
sites include an online-dating
service for humans and self-identified vampires. This elaborate
marketing campaign enhances
and develops the storyline from
the TV show. Reactions have
been mixed, but the campaign
itself has gotten significant attention for acting as if the storyline
were entirely true. By extending
the television story into Web
space, the show attracted new
audiences and expanded potential participation by viewers.
Humans seem hardwired to
process information in the form
of stories. Throughout human
history, whether by oral tradi-
tion, writing, or dance, humans
have shared information, co-
experienced different lives, and
cemented relationships through
stories. Stories are sticky, they
persist, and they can be magnet-
ic, attracting people and interest.
How can stories and storytelling
be used to inspire creative ideas,
encourage constructive partner-
ships, and increase the pace of
innovation? We propose that
stories focus people’s attention
on particular topics, aligning
their interest and acting as the
invisible driving force behind
innovation.
