‘In the next 10 years, we will see diverse stories and it will be more real-time’

Storytelling is the core of any content on any platform. In the world of advertising, idea and storytelling play a very important role in getting the communication right. At the e4m Content Jam conference, industry experts discussed various nuances of content and how it is evolving.

The session was moderated by Ashish Khazanchi, Managing Partner, Enormous. The panellists were - Pallavi Chakravarti, Founder & CCO, Fundamental; Amit Akali, Chief Creative Officer, Wondrlab; Mukund Olety, Group Chief Creative Officer, VMLYR; Richard Mascarenhas, Director, Conde Nast; Gaurav Dagaokar, Co-Founder & CEO, HOOPR.

Khazanchi started the discussion by asking the panel - What makes one a great storyteller? Who is according to you is a great storyteller?

“Great storytellers are great observers. You observe a lot even while doing normal activities like sitting in a restaurant looking at people constantly. We are in the business of talking to people, we are commercial artists.” Said Chakravarti.

Dagaokar added, “It also comes down to people who express fearlessly. Expression is super important when I want to tell a story. When I am telling a story, I don’t want to worry about how people are going to perceive it. Rather, I want to worry about whether am I expressing the truth. And we see that a lot with songwriters, especially in music. One should also master the mode in which they are expressing their story.”

Sharing his views, Akali said, “We are not in the business of storytelling only, we are in the business of storytelling for content. The business of advertising is also evolving constantly. There is a sudden shift in content creation right from print where we had high-end photographers coming in to influencers coming up with their own devices and shooting with their own content.”

Olety said, “I would like to add that emotional connection is one of the important elements. Great storytellers have an emotional connection with their audience and make them act like press a button. Once you start looking beyond the traditional formats of storytelling, I think collaboration becomes key.”

Mascarenhas said that experiences make a great storyteller. “Experiences and how do we narrate those experiences. I don’t think the format is the maker or breaker of the story; even if tell your experience with just one mobile, it doesn’t really matter. The experience should be authentic, some of the great storytellers are sharing their experiences.”

Khazanchi then jumped on to the next topic about how storytelling will change in the coming years.

“15-20 years ago, we were all used to the 30-second format. Then with the change in platforms, we started telling stories in six seconds and then somebody decided I am going to tell stories on reels. That's what happens; as technology shifts people’s behaviours shifts. How the content changes, largely depends upon platforms. Who knows what’s next? Nobody can predict that. But what I know is that in the next 10 years, the walls of production and budget will break down, and this will democratize storytelling. We will see diverse stories and it will be more real-time,” Olety responded.

Presenting a counter argument, Chakravarti said, it is also going to be tough. “I think that it’s going to be tougher. There will be an explosion as the timelines of things being fresh is already shrinking. What is also happening is people are living in an age where brands are talking to people, it was a one-way thing, and now people are becoming brands themselves. Everyone is realising that I can monetize this, and I think the problem is that there are plethora of people realising that they can earn”

The conversation then moved toward Gen AI and all the panelists agreed that AI is an aid to creation, it can only act as a tool, and no one can take away the humanness of communication.