The Seven Deadly Sins of Startup Storytelling

|Subway famously took the opportunity to turn a true story into pure gold. College student Jared Fogle demonstrated that you can lose a ton of weight on a diet of Subway sandwiches... The Jared story ran as the lead campaign for Subway for 10 years — during which sales doubled.

Fellow NFL fans here might have seen a segment featuring Jared behind a table of Subway sandwiches last weekend on the set of Fox's pre/postgame coverage. I'm not sure which amuses me more- that this guy is still cashing checks as the spokesman for Subway, or that the company is still milking the ad campaign for every last ounce that it's worth.

The Story Wars are the battle to be heard in today’s overcrowded media marketplace. In the fray, you either tell stories that inspire people to act and share or you get immediately forgotten.

But it’s not just marketers who sell ideas, causes or products who need better stories. Our audiences desperately need to receive them. Ours is a global culture in search of new stories to give our lives meaning and hope. That’s why those willing to tell – and live – the truth in the timeless language of great storytellers will rule the future. Winning the Story Wars will show you how.[http://winningthestorywars.com/]