These days, if I get any phone call on my mobile from a number I don’t recognise, I reflexly activate the speakerphone and start the voice recorder up on my watch.I used to get quite tense and angry when I received these calls. At my own practice a few years ago, we fell victim to a scam operated by UK-based scammers. We didn’t lose much money, but that was just by pure luck.

I saw this advert on Youtube the other day when it appeared before a Youtube video that I subscribe to. I was waiting to watch the latest Vlog from Casey Neistat, when this advert really caught my attention. It caught the attention because of one simple theme, a theme that has been used for centuries. The advert told a story, something humans have been doing for ever. Watch the story about LeeFest below. Further information about LeeFest can be found below the video.

http://leefest.org.uk/holding/index.htm

Brands using storytelling is far from a new concept and obviously just telling a story doesn’t make you a fascinating brand but if a story is presented in the right way, it adds something different to what you are offering and makes you stand out from the crowd.

Thinking deeper about the LeeFest advert which as you have hopefully seen is actually for Android devices, I wasn't thinking I want an Android phone or I must get on Google but that the advert managed to catch my attention and pull me into a awesome story and that was why I liked it. Yes it makes my mind aware of the Android brand but I didn't feel like I was being sold to, I just got taken in by a simple tale and I think that is something we all get attracted by. Examples crop up in our everyday life all the time. This could be a Facebook post someone shares, an advert like I am sharing in this blog or a great story shared between friends down the pub (old skool!). The perfect example was from a few weeks ago when the John Lewis Xmas advert was released, it was eagerly anticipated and everyone quickly had an opinion on it. I am sure the advert has been shared an amazing amount over social networks. Read more here. The advert told a story, which got people talking and exchanging views, whether they liked the advert or not!

I have never followed anyone's vlogs before on a consistent basis until I started watching the earlier mentioned Casey Neistat on Youtube and I think the reason I have found them so enjoyable and addictive is because each vlog follows his daily life in NYC as a businessman and filmmaker and it always involves a story or an adventure. He has a fantastic ability to tell a story within a few minutes, with his unique personality shinning through. This skill to tell stories through Youtube has made his channel gain 1.5 million subscribers and has led to many opportunities that I am sure he uses to his advantage to improve his brand (which is him), as well as setting up the video based social network Beme, which also has the theme of storytelling as the main aim!

So what is our story? GDPUK was established in 1997 by Tony Jacobs when he realised that dentists in the USA were talking to each other over email on a regular basis but there was nothing similar in the UK. Tony wrote a letter to the BDJ to see if other like minded dentists wanted to network and discuss dentistry over email, he supplied his email address and colleagues started emailing him! As simple as that. GDPUK was born. These emails then evolved into a Yahoo mailing list which eventually carried text advertising and then in 2008 our current site was born and we haven’t looked back since. As we approach 9500 members and over 220,000 posts on our forum, we would like to think that we still have a community spirit and that all members feel part of something that has made a positive impact on UK Dentistry. Colleagues have been brought closer together and have made friends for life. Plus they get to help their fellow dentists and offer plenty of advice! The GDPUK story is still evolving and we can’t wait for what the next chapter will bring.

Do you or your brand have a story to tell? How can you get your message across in a different way that attracts the audience you are looking for? What story can you share with your potential or current clients?