Narrative Transportation & The Magic of Disney World
We all know that stories are powerful. They stick with us. They change us. And the idea of harnessing this powerful tool to promote, grow, and increase your brand presence is not new. Folks have been talking story and business and how they go together for years. So while you may have heard of this pairing before, do you really understand how the power of story could transform your business? Would you like to know how you can take your customer on a magical journey where they will feel lucky and honored to be part of your business? If so, put on your story-thinking cap and get ready to launch into your own journey of becoming a storytelling expert.
Narrative Transportation Theory | Let’s Go on a Ride
First stop: let’s learn about a theory on storytelling called “narrative transportation theory” or NTT for short. Although you may not have heard this term before, you have certainly been transported by a story. Narrative transportation theory is basically a fancy term for the realm of studying how stories transport us and what that means.
Think back to the last time you started a movie or dove into a really good book. As you were watching those first few minutes or soaking up the first chapter, the story began to pull you into its world. And while that was happening, two different realms emerged: your current reality and the story realm. Your current reality may have included popcorn, a comfy recliner and your favorite Marvel movie. Or it could have included a paperback novel, scented candle and cozy blanket. Either way, your current reality exists in our present physical world. But as you start to invest in your book or movie, you begin to enter into the story world. This process is the phenomenon known as “narrative transportation.”
As you are being transported into the story world, some interesting physiological and psychological phenomena begin to happen. You can almost feel a physical pull. Your lean into the story and the world around you starts to blur. As the physical world fades away and the story world grows larger, your current reality is basically non-existent. You won’t perceive all the minor distractions in your physical world because the story world has begun to take full control over your experience.
And two very interesting things happen as you transition from your current reality into the world of the story:
You begin to emotionally empathize with the characters
Your imagination begins to merge with the plot
When your imagination merges with the storyline it becomes intertwined with the plot and starts filling in details about it. As this happens, your heart joins the emotional journey of the characters and you begin to physically experience their emotions. If they’re going through a very emotional moment and experience a sense of loss, you experience that sense of loss with them. If they rejoice after overcoming adversity, your heart swells with joy as well. That’s why you cry when George Bailey returns home on Christmas Eve in It’s a Wonderful Life. It doesn’t matter that George Bailey isn’t real. Your emotions are invested in the story...so you feel it...and are essentially transported into the story. That is narrative transportation.
Stories Become a Part of Us
What's also very interesting about this whole immersive experience is this: when you leave the story world, the story is still felt. You carry that experience with you as a memory. It literally has become a real experience that’s now part of you.
Are you starting to think about how this concept could be applied to your brand to create a similar immersive experience? While you’re mulling that around, let’s get inspired by a company who masters narrative transportation in their entire marketing story...and that would be Disney World.
Disney World | Narrative Transportation Masters
Disney World is not selling you the opportunity to go to a theme park. They're inviting you to come be part of the magic. And when you're there, you're never just at a theme park...you’re immersed in the story of Disney World itself. It's as if you’re under the Disney spell and are experiencing this whole new world. Instead of arriving at Orlando, you’ve actually been transported to a magical place where all your dreams can come true. It’s not just a theme park like Six Flags. You didn’t show up for a roller coast. You came to Disney World for the immersion. That's what it’s all about.
Disney World is effectively utilizing narrative transportation. What they’re doing is leveraging storytelling to create attitudinal change, to inspire action, and raise their perceived sense of the value.
If you strip all the theming, characters, and experience away from Disney World, it’s nothing more than a mediocre theme park (no offense to any Disney fanatics, okay?). The rides aren't that amazing...but still...it’s honestly the absolute best theme park in the entire world because they’re adding that story component. Let that sink in a minute.
Although it could be just an average theme park, the layer of story elevates and transcends it to one of the most valuable vacation experiences your entire family can have. By utilizing story, Disney is enhancing the perceived value of the park. They're actually raising the value of the park...not by a more thrilling ride, but by creating a story.
They're also changing your attitudes about it. Instead of suffering while waiting two hours for a ride, Disney World actually makes waiting in line enjoyable by continuing the story experience. Visitors stay immersed in the story through theming and interactive activities so the wait time actually doesn’t feel long. And remember — they didn’t use magic to do that — just story. You would still wait in that line for two hours just to ride this mediocre ride because it’s more than a ride…it's about the entire experience. They're raising your attitude. You're not thinking about how terrible it is to wait in line; you're just excited to be there.
It's impacting your beliefs and and inspiring you. It leaves a lasting impression because you carry the experience with you when you go home. You know you did something immeasurably different than just going to a normal theme park. You literally believe you just had a magical experience.
Stories Add Soul
So that's what storytelling does. By adding in storytelling, you're injecting a soul into your entire experience. A story adds this whole other layer of meaning to your brand and your customer’s experience.
You aren’t manipulating people's perspective or tricking them to see something that's not there. What you're really doing is pulling the meaning of your brand to the surface and drawing that out. That allows you to paint your brand with this deeper meaning...with this myth.