Presentation Thinking™ #181. What can music videos teach us about visual storytelling?
Stories and messages are best remembered with visuals. We’ve used countless examples of iconic movies to demonstrate this concept.
But what about music videos?
After the VMAs (Video Music Awards) were held a few weeks ago, it got us thinking about classic arcs, story shapes and how they might show up in our favorite music videos. Songs already tell stories themselves but when paired with a memorable dance, schtick or cultural moment, it makes the message that much stickier.
To tackle this episode, Molly brings in a few friends of the pod: filmmaker Asha Alaji-Sharif and Account Coordinator, Bridget Welch. From Madonna to Michael Jackson to Miley Cyrus—we dive into the most popular, most controversial and most memorable music videos of all time.
Music videos do indeed carry their own kinds of story archetypes that we can learn from in the B2B world.
This is an episode for: product marketers who like pop culture, music fans and anyone dealing with their nostalgia for MTV of the 80s & 90s.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
The “Best Of” lists we reference:
A handful of the heavy-hitter music videos we get into detail
Where to study the “shapes” of story:
Christopher Booker’s 7 Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories
Our personal picks for fave music video
- Bridget: Taylor Swift - Love Story
- Molly: Boygenius - True Blue