Product launches and business presentations rarely impress me because they fail to reach minds and touch hearts. There are plenty of good communicators who can design a reasonably attractive PowerPoint slide and speak to it confidently. But leaders who can captivate an audience through story are rare. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is one such communicator. Chesky’s most recent product launch is a master class in storytelling.
This week Airbnb introduced “Trips,” a service that allows its customers to book tours and experiences. An experience can last for hours or days. They include everything from truffle hunting in Tuscany, to exploring the best surf spots in Southern California, or checking out Havana’s music scene with an award-winning vocalist.
The ads that promote and explain experiences on the Airbnb website and mobile app are purposely designed to look like movie posters. “Great travel is a lot like the characters’ experience in great movies,” Chesky told an audience gathered at the historic Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. He explained that the new service was inspired by mythologist Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. According to Chesky,
“A character starts in their ordinary world. They cross the threshold—think Wizard of Oz—to this new magical world, where they meet people…They have a moment of transformation and they return to the ordinary world.” As the Airbnb team explored the hero’s journey, a light bulb went off: Sharing homes and rooms is only one small part of a great travel journey. People remember the magic of an experience.”
In his keynote presentation Chesky took the audience on his own journey, using personal stories and photos to set up the introduction of the new product. The first three minutes of Airbnb’s presentation is a brilliant example of product storytelling.
“I want you to think back to your earliest memories. Think about the first big trip you ever took,” Brian Chesky began. “I remember mine. I was raised in Niskayuna, New York, A small town outside of Albany. The first trip we ever took was to Saint Louis. To get there, you’ve got to fly. It was the first time I was in an airplane. It was totally magical.”
Chesky’s first slide was a photo of him and his sister on that trip.
“Suddenly I dreamed of other places I could go. I asked my mom and dad if I could go to the most magical place on earth, the North Pole. They said it’s too cold and too far. We’re taking you to the Anheuser-Busch factory tour in Merrimack, New Hampshire.”
Chesky’s second slide showed a photo of a young Cheksy with a cap over head, not looking too happy.
“I kept asking and asking. They finally caved and they took me to [pause] North Pole, New York [pause] in the summer.”
The slide showed Chesky’s family standing in front of a sign that read: North Pole, New York
Finally, Chesky showed a photo of himself as a child with his mom sharing a loving moment at a lake. He said it was the most transformative trip he had taken as a child. “I found this photo. And it wasn’t in front of a landmark. It’s me and my mom at Lake George. It was a meaningful, magical moment.”
In three minutes, Chesky told several personal stories. His slides had no text and displayed four personal photos. Chesky set the stage for the new product that would help create meaningful and magical experiences for Airbnb’s customers. It was a vivid example of how to combine a product introduction, a new service, a brand identity, and the power of narrative.
As a communication advisor who has studied inspirational leadership for a quarter of a century, I can confidently say that if you’re not sharing personal stories, you’re missing an opportunity to build deeper, more meaningful connections with your audience.
“I kept asking and asking. They finally caved and they took me to [pause] North Pole, New York [pause] in the summer.”
The slide showed Chesky’s family standing in front of a sign that read: North Pole, New York
Finally, Chesky showed a photo of himself as a child with his mom sharing a loving moment at a lake. He said it was the most transformative trip he had taken as a child. “I found this photo. And it wasn’t in front of a landmark. It’s me and my mom at Lake George. It was a meaningful, magical moment.”
In three minutes, Chesky told several personal stories. His slides had no text and displayed four personal photos. Chesky set the stage for the new product that would help create meaningful and magical experiences for Airbnb’s customers. It was a vivid example of how to combine a product introduction, a new service, a brand identity, and the power of narrative.
As a communication advisor who has studied inspirational leadership for a quarter of a century, I can confidently say that if you’re not sharing personal stories, you’re missing an opportunity to build deeper, more meaningful connections with your audience.
Think about TED Talks and how they’ve become a global phenomenon. Viewers around the world watch one billion TED Talks every year. “What sets TED talks apart is that the big ideas are wrapped in personal stories,” Charlie Rose once explained on 60 Minutes. He’s right. Ideas that catch on are wrapped in story. Stories inform, illuminate and inspire.
“Good content marketing is not a crap-shoot,” the actor Kevin Spacey once told an audience of business professionals. “We do know how this works. And it has always been about the story. Audiences have spoken. They want stories. They’re dying for it. They are rooting for us to give them something to talk about.” A good personal story can help elucidate the ”why” behind a big idea and inspire the audience to see the world differently. Successful entrepreneurs like Brian Chesky often educate their customers with relatable stories of how they created the product to solve a problem, often one they faced personally. They share those stories with specific, concrete, and relevant details to transport the listener into their world.
A personal story educates, entertains, inspires, and ultimately fires up our collective imagination. Tell great ones.