【體路網誌】I want to talk about storytelling; that is how athletes communicate with their sponsors and how to get audience engaged. Sports media has changed so much from yesterday when you went through typical old-school media. Athletes didn’t really have control over how and the kinds of stories they would want to tell. This is why it is so important to embrace all these new kinds of media that allow us to do things that we could not have done in the old days.
The technology we have makes today unlike any time in the history of humankind. Everyone has a camera in our pockets, social media becomes the way we get on hold of each other; everyone, is a storyteller.
Everybody has a story to tell.
What differentiates stories? What would make people read yours? We know it needs to be inspiring and catchy, yet always keeping it honest and authentic. Here’s an incident that make me realize storytelling is an art:
Speedo HK has been a sponsor of mine since 2006.
The first time I was presented to the public was when Speedo launch a new competitive product, they co-hosted a swim clinic with Hoi Tin Athletic Association in the Wan Chai Swimming Pool. They invited the Australian national swimming team and Leisel Marie Jones was there. I was as a bridge between the professional swimmers and younger local swimmers, and sometimes between the brand and the media. Back in the days I felt cool about myself for being in a photo shoot or attending events, it was like my time to shine. However, I did not feel fully involved because I didn’t have a voice on how to present myself and what I feel about the product. Besides not having a voice, there was indeed limited channels and space for self-explanatory. So now it is just better and more personal with the social media platforms. I get to display myself whenever I want.
Now there is a more equal playing field and I get to collaborate more with my sponsor, I feel lucky as they value my opinion and are willing to listen to me.
But let’s not forget the price that comes with convenience. Sports media, brand promotion etc. have become competitive because the cost of content creation is cheaper now, sometimes it gets repetitive and so frankly commercial that deters audience’s interest. Therefore, I learnt to stay genuine, honest in order to respect the audience, the sponsor and most importantly, myself.
