Storytelling is one of the oldest traditions in the world. Some of our greatest tales (the Odyssey, the Iliad, the Tortoise and the Hare, Santa Clause) have been handed down from generation to generation.

The value of these timeless stories is often in the lessons that they convey.

Fast forward to today – storytelling is still alive and well. Companies of all shapes and sizes tell stories to the people who consume (or might like to consume) their products. One of the hardest things for companies in today’s day and age is developing a captivating story.

One company that knows how to develop and capitalize on stories is Disney Pixar.

A little while ago, my son started watching Mater’s Tall Tales (a spinoff of the movie Cars) on Netflix while home from daycare sick. After watching the 25 minute animated tale a few times, a few things were evident. First, Pixar’s storytelling is superb and can keep both parents and kids entertained despite watching the same thing multiple times in a row. Besides the watchability, Pixar also made their characters extremely sticky. After watching a few of the vignettes my son was hooked and was cheering for Mater the Tow Truck and I thought to myself this cannot end well.
In the end I was able to win out in convincing him which car was cooler and a better buy (the $0.97 one), but it showed a value add for Pixar’s storytelling – more than 800 times  their Matchbox counterpart. They also hook ‘em young and can make a headache for parents trying to quell a crying tot in a store. Thankfully for this author, Toddler Espo is still easily distracted by new shiny objects and digs the $0.97 Matchbox cars. Fast forward a few hours to us picking up some things at a local Target and walking past the toy aisle. The younger Espo belts out Mater! Mater! Mater Truck Daddy! Like a good father not wanting to cause a scene in a store I roll my cart over to the car section. To my surprise the Cars cars were $8, while the same size Matchbox cars were $0.97, and the Cars were a little cheaper looking despite the higher sticker price.

Storytelling is one of the oldest traditions in the world. Some of our greatest tales (the Odyssey, the Iliad, the Tortoise and the Hare, Santa Clause) have been handed down from generation to generation.

The value of these timeless stories is often in the lessons that they convey.

Fast forward to today – storytelling is still alive and well. Companies of all shapes and sizes tell stories to the people who consume (or might like to consume) their products. One of the hardest things for companies in today’s day and age is developing a captivating story.

One company that knows how to develop and capitalize on stories is Disney Pixar.

A little while ago, my son started watching Mater’s Tall Tales (a spinoff of the movie Cars) on Netflix while home from daycare sick. After watching the 25 minute animated tale a few times, a few things were evident. First, Pixar’s storytelling is superb and can keep both parents and kids entertained despite watching the same thing multiple times in a row. Besides the watchability, Pixar also made their characters extremely sticky. After watching a few of the vignettes my son was hooked and was cheering for Mater the Tow Truck and I thought to myself this cannot end well.
In the end I was able to win out in convincing him which car was cooler and a better buy (the $0.97 one), but it showed a value add for Pixar’s storytelling – more than 800 times  their Matchbox counterpart. They also hook ‘em young and can make a headache for parents trying to quell a crying tot in a store. Thankfully for this author, Toddler Espo is still easily distracted by new shiny objects and digs the $0.97 Matchbox cars. Fast forward a few hours to us picking up some things at a local Target and walking past the toy aisle. The younger Espo belts out Mater! Mater! Mater Truck Daddy! Like a good father not wanting to cause a scene in a store I roll my cart over to the car section. To my surprise the Cars cars were $8, while the same size Matchbox cars were $0.97, and the Cars were a little cheaper looking despite the higher sticker price.

Storytelling is one of the oldest traditions in the world. Some of our greatest tales (the Odyssey, the Iliad, the Tortoise and the Hare, Santa Clause) have been handed down from generation to generation.

The value of these timeless stories is often in the lessons that they convey.

Fast forward to today – storytelling is still alive and well. Companies of all shapes and sizes tell stories to the people who consume (or might like to consume) their products. One of the hardest things for companies in today’s day and age is developing a captivating story.

One company that knows how to develop and capitalize on stories is Disney Pixar.

A little while ago, my son started watching Mater’s Tall Tales (a spinoff of the movie Cars) on Netflix while home from daycare sick. After watching the 25 minute animated tale a few times, a few things were evident. First, Pixar’s storytelling is superb and can keep both parents and kids entertained despite watching the same thing multiple times in a row. Besides the watchability, Pixar also made their characters extremely sticky. After watching a few of the vignettes my son was hooked and was cheering for Mater the Tow Truck and I thought to myself this cannot end well.
In the end I was able to win out in convincing him which car was cooler and a better buy (the $0.97 one), but it showed a value add for Pixar’s storytelling – more than 800 times  their Matchbox counterpart. They also hook ‘em young and can make a headache for parents trying to quell a crying tot in a store. Thankfully for this author, Toddler Espo is still easily distracted by new shiny objects and digs the $0.97 Matchbox cars. Fast forward a few hours to us picking up some things at a local Target and walking past the toy aisle. The younger Espo belts out Mater! Mater! Mater Truck Daddy! Like a good father not wanting to cause a scene in a store I roll my cart over to the car section. To my surprise the Cars cars were $8, while the same size Matchbox cars were $0.97, and the Cars were a little cheaper looking despite the higher sticker price.

Storytelling is one of the oldest traditions in the world. Some of our greatest tales (the Odyssey, the Iliad, the Tortoise and the Hare, Santa Clause) have been handed down from generation to generation.

The value of these timeless stories is often in the lessons that they convey.

Fast forward to today – storytelling is still alive and well. Companies of all shapes and sizes tell stories to the people who consume (or might like to consume) their products. One of the hardest things for companies in today’s day and age is developing a captivating story.

One company that knows how to develop and capitalize on stories is Disney Pixar.

A little while ago, my son started watching Mater’s Tall Tales (a spinoff of the movie Cars) on Netflix while home from daycare sick. After watching the 25 minute animated tale a few times, a few things were evident. First, Pixar’s storytelling is superb and can keep both parents and kids entertained despite watching the same thing multiple times in a row. Besides the watchability, Pixar also made their characters extremely sticky. After watching a few of the vignettes my son was hooked and was cheering for Mater the Tow Truck and I thought to myself this cannot end well.
In the end I was able to win out in convincing him which car was cooler and a better buy (the $0.97 one), but it showed a value add for Pixar’s storytelling – more than 800 times  their Matchbox counterpart. They also hook ‘em young and can make a headache for parents trying to quell a crying tot in a store. Thankfully for this author, Toddler Espo is still easily distracted by new shiny objects and digs the $0.97 Matchbox cars. Fast forward a few hours to us picking up some things at a local Target and walking past the toy aisle. The younger Espo belts out Mater! Mater! Mater Truck Daddy! Like a good father not wanting to cause a scene in a store I roll my cart over to the car section. To my surprise the Cars cars were $8, while the same size Matchbox cars were $0.97, and the Cars were a little cheaper looking despite the higher sticker price.