Since the beginning of time, stories have shaped our culture. They’ve helped us understand the world in which we live, how we relate to ourselves and each other, and how to thrive on this planet. As marketers, communicators, brand strategists and agency professionals, we’re being called to elevate our best practices to a higher level with a new approach. Our industry is ripe for change. Now is the time.

A powerful story ignites imagination, fuels possibility and invites perspective shifts when its impact is clarified and articulated at the beginning of the creative process. Whether it’s an engagement campaign, commercial or in-person experience, a story can incubate, develop and expand throughout the production and its potential for impact is more fully realized.

Consumerism and profit at all costs is outdated and irresponsible. Our audiences deserve more from media. It’s time to engage with them differently for improved decisions and a brighter future. Increasingly, funders, investors, broadcasters, collaborative partners and consumers are looking to connect with a clearer sense of purpose beyond features-focused marketing, direct sales pitches and over-the-top advertising.

As an Indigenous storyteller and impact producer, I believe that the impact of a story is its spirit, the very reason a creative spark was ignited for a specific purpose at a specific time in the first place.

Our proprietary framework at reGEN, comprised of the six core components below, helps teams identify with clients and stakeholders at a deeper level, enliven their talent and gifts, and embody their values in the process.

1. Impact Vision: Developing Your 5-Point North Star

An impact vision describes the full transformative potential of a story. It often relates closely to a calling or deep sense of responsibility that a storyteller holds regarding a specific area of focus, societal solution or desired outcome. 

We often ask clients to imagine the story they’re creating is alive in the world. Audiences are experiencing it, and its ripple of impact has reached its full potential. This begs the question, what is the shift, change, solution or transformation that will become evident as a result? Your answer to this question can help you develop your North Star.

The North Star, also called Polaris, is the brightest star of the entire constellation. For thousands of years, Polaris has been a guiding light for navigators and travelers, letting them sail the seas and cross the wilderness without getting lost. It’s a beacon of hope and inspiration for many. As a society, finding our North Star is critical.

I invite you to consider these steps to help you formulate your five-point North Star impact vision:

1. Ask: What is the transformation, elevation, shift or impact you desire through the experience of your story — for yourself, your collaborators, your audience or future generations? Five years from now, what will the legacy of this work be?
2. Align: What are the values, priorities and intentions that must be aligned throughout its development to create the full potential of energy and momentum possible?
3. Allow: What is the magic you are inviting in, the possibilities and potential that the experience of this story will make more accessible to audiences as they receive it?
4. Activate: What are the specific next steps you are ready to put in motion? These are the clear invitations, calls to action, partnerships and opportunities you are nourishing through this story. 
5. Amplify: Who are you looking to connect with through this story? What are the outcomes you envision, and how can you best amplify your intentions with an authentic and caring approach?

2. Impact Narrative

There are 11 million sensory receptors in the human body and 10 million of them are dedicated to sight. What we digest daily holds great influence over what we believe is possible for our lives. The impact narrative tells the story of the impact vision reaching its potential. It typically covers the five Ws — who, what, when, where and why.

• For whom? As the ripple of impact created by this story expands, who will it reach?
• For what purpose? What will happen as a result, and why does this matter now?
• When? Will this shift, change, solution or transformation have an impact on society in this generation and in future generations?
• Where? Where will this impact be felt specifically? How will we know? What evidence are we watching for? Where will the milestones occur that we can celebrate?
• Why? Why is the legacy that is possible through the telling of this story important? What is the fundamental guidance, lesson, value or healing needed to be sparked or remembered at this time?

3. Impact Strategy

Once a narrative has been defined, an intentional course must be clarified and articulated to move the energy of the vision forward. An impact strategy provides the map to ensure a cohesive and effective project with multiple partners and collaborators. It’s the “song sheet” for what’s possible. Overlaid on the North Star impact vision, the strategy aligns energy with milestones to guide the next most impactful action to reach a collective vision. 

4. Impact Intersections

It’s not any one thing that an individual can do to create change, but rather the specific points of intersection or deliberate weaving that are most powerful. A dedicated process of creating impact unites us and builds unifying opportunities. As you begin to develop your impact strategy, notice the points of intersection or commonalities that show up. These intersections may be mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. They may spark when you consider the collective action needed to solve complex societal solutions essential at this time socially, culturally and environmentally. Perhaps the impact intersections for your story come alive when you think about local, regional, national and global possibilities.

5. Impact Partnerships

Scalable, sustainable impact requires strong partnerships. An exploratory question that we often ask filmmakers, changemakers and social impact entrepreneurs is, “Who are the 12 people you need to get in front of in the next 12 months in order to see the impact potential of your project exponentially expand?” This exploration helps us to think more broadly and begin to see the whole playing field in which your story plays an important role.

6. Impact Campaign

Most marketing teams and many industry professionals start their process with the development of creative outputs. However, beyond marketing, impact campaigns are circular, working back from the original vision. An impact campaign is the intentional methodology and strategic storytelling communications implemented to activate awareness, positive energy, momentum and impact opportunities around a transformative story. Beyond marketing of a film, a well-executed impact campaign feels reciprocally inclusive, inviting audience input and interaction, encouraging collaborative partnerships, attracting new opportunities and fueling compounding momentum to unlock the fullest potential of the original impact vision.

Beyond corporate social responsibility, brand storytelling, cause marketing and charitable partnerships lies the opportunity for brands to play an allyship role and support a societal narrative shift needed now for a better future. Our audiences deserve more from the media they consume — and today’s communicators are poised to help make a meaningful change.  

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