Storytelling thanks to IoT: Big Data & Tech for Big Stories

“Alexa, some romantic atmosphere please!” – Spotify plays the latest “Love Ballads” playlist, the lights are dimmed and the digital fireplace on the smart TV comes on automatically. You can imagine communication between people and technology in many households in one way or another. What is still uncharted territory for some has already been in use for years. Thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT)! From smartwatches and kitchen appliances to intelligent light bulbs: the networking of various technical objects via the internet enables direct communication between people and devices or even from machine to machine. The main thing that is collected is a huge amount of data. It sounds unromantic, but when used correctly, it can create great emotions among the target group.

What is important, however, is that we experience our environment with all our senses. However, our experiences gain significance primarily through our relationships with people, lived emotions and shared stories. This is exactly where brands need to start in order to become a true love brand. It is therefore important to focus on IoT and to use this interplay between data and the meaning derived from it to win over customers in a targeted manner.

Focus on Corporate History: Convincing with Storytelling for Big Data

So for the IoT to reach its full potential, we need to allow the technology to monitor our activities. In particular, it gets to know our needs and habits, but also our preferences. This presents companies with both opportunities and problems, because nobody likes to be spied on without knowing the benefits behind it. IoT products and services must therefore offer more than just practical functionality. They have to convince us to integrate big data and artificial intelligence into our everyday lives. So in order to ultimately bring campaigns to life thanks to the data obtained, the first step for brands is to use storytelling to pick up and engage the target group with their own company story.

Why does the fire exist? What is your mission? A clear vision that inspires, playfully captivates the target group and stands out from the competition is the be-all and end-all. It gives the company a purpose and emotionalizes customers. The aim is to move markets and, above all, people.

Filling Campaigns with Life: IoT sets the Story

Once the company story has been told and the target group convinced, the true benefits of big data, which can be collected thanks to IoT, come to the fore. In order to create really good campaigns, it is important to understand exactly how customers buy or use your products and what insights companies can draw from this and use for themselves.

This is what happened with the aforementioned streaming provider Spotify. In its big annual review, the company directly addressed individual users who stood out with their listening habits. For example, Spotify asked on large billboards: “Dear person who played Sorry 42 times in Valentine’s Day, What did you do?” Thanks to systems thinking, IoT creates a completely new environment for storytelling. On the one hand, making things easy to experience can mean touching and trying them out yourself. But experiences can also be shared: This is one of the main reasons for the success of the Spotify campaign, as everyone can find themselves here in some way.

Bosch, on the other hand, is not focusing on IoT in its current campaign, but is promoting it. The goal: a strong position in the Internet of Things, which the technology company intends to expand massively over the next few years. In the commercial, Shawn – the hero of the campaign – raps about his daily routine, which is determined by digital and networked devices. From lawnmowers to video systems in the fridge, automatic heating systems to mobile-controlled cars – everything in Shawn’s life revolves around IoT #LikeaBosch. The clips provide a detailed insight into the various technologies and show how they can be integrated into everyday life.

Emotions play a major role in the advertising world. In this blog post, you can read how Sadvertising helps campaigns get more attention.