Media Perspectives: Telling Tales on YouTube.

In what ways can the following question be approached in the case of YouTube viral video advertisements ‘How does the narrative form of ads affect consumers’ responses?’ (Escalas 1998, p.280)

John Lewis is known for incorporating music along with the plots to create a unified meaning. Plato’s historical approach to narrative is using stories that imitate world around us through “characters, plot, scenes that plays a mediating role between time and narrative” (Boje, 2001). To accomplish “emplotment” – arranges of texts within time – mediations of incidents need to occur. John Lewis capture #ExcitableEdgar accidently blowing fire every time he’s excited leading to burning or melting incidents. The “heterogeneous factors” create one narrative theme and starts when “agent” Ava helps Edgar control his condition by giving him a scarf to protect his nose then finding the present that’s perfect for him leading to a “unexpected result” where he put his powers to perfect use by lighting the Christmas cake on fire, highlighting Christmas tradition. This configures to the theme loneliness where no one should be left out on Christmas no matter what the circumstance. John Lewis constantly uses instrumental music to convey abstract plot by allowing listeners to “respond to music from other cultures and ages due to the openness to re-emplotment” (Ryan, 2004. P279).  The soundtrack “Can’t fight this feeling” by Bastille helps guide the protagonist emotions that he can’t control his excitement which leads to destruction due to his powers. It also states, ‘friendship has grown stronger’ and he doesn’t want to disappoint Ava as the village hates him for ruining Christmas spirit. It also marks ‘cold darks winter night’ constructs pathetic fallacy of alone and down. Furthermore, “Music indicates a way of moving, an anthropomorphic character who moves” (Ryan, M.L. ed., 2004). This displays Edgar human properties and shows a journey. Throughout john Lewis adverts it uses employment and music to identify between time and space. However, Pennington and Hastie “Episode schema” suggests the sequence is more focused on the character motivation of “human goal-oriented sequence” not a series of events. For instance, #Elton advert accompanied by his hit song ‘Your song’ shows how a gift in your childhood can influence whole life. This leads to consumer motivation to aspire to Elton successful rise to superstardom. The celebrity endorsement means fans recognise character and can have a sense of nostalgia.

Advert take viewers on the protagonist journey where there is a state a change, the change is needed for the viewers to understand how their brand can have good outcome in the consumer life. This can be interpreted with Todorov three stage theory of “Equilibrium – Disequilibrium – re-equilibrium” (Todorov and Howard, 1977, P122) which suggests an “ideal narrative begins with a stable situation which is disturbed by some power or force” which results in a state of “disequilibrium” (Todorov and Howard, 1977 p213). Recognition of disruption needed to resolve the problem to outcome a resolution so equilibrium can be restored. For instance, #MontyThePenguin explores a boy and his toy penguin imaginary play. However, Disequilibrium is created when Monty becomes distracted as he wants to feel real love and starts not playing with the little boy. The recognition is when the boy realises, he must get Monty the penguin girl he deserves. Equilibrium is restored as the boy can now play with both penguins. Adverts adopt narrative form of “synthesizing principle” (Todorov and Howard, 1977, P122) which is “determined and effected by camera”. This shows a process of change in a situation which is gradual or sudden to end with a completed change. The protagonist Monty shows a gradual change to feeling lonely and loss of love to feeling happy and loved. Adverts need to show a state of change as consumer tend to follow the “serial position effect” (Terry, 2005) where beginning and end most memorable. It begins with the boy playing with his toy penguin and ends introducing the new penguin into his imaginary play. The change is adding a present can give someone Christmas they have been dreaming for. This constant short sentence paragraphs at the end of adverts clarifies brand values and narrative. The logo for john Lewis and Waitrose to engage consumers so audience remember the brand.

However, #Clue 2008 ad does not fit this narrative structure as there’s multiple different subjects which many resolutions. Furthermore, #EltonJohnLewis doesn’t fit this narrative structure due to the non-linear narrative of flashbacks and flashforwards. It takes the consumers back in a journey from fame to receiving his piano as a child. This fits a more “circular narrative” which can be clearly understood at the end of advert.

Many advertisements contain traditional themes of folktales. Propps Morphology of Folk Tales are identifiable in many contemporary narrative forms presenting the audience with a structure that is about success. It focuses on a narrative that is shared throughout folk and fairy tales across culture and time periods.  The template of 31 functions making the action of tales includes preparation, complication, transference, struggle, return, recognition and not all the functions needed to be found in every folk tale. In #TheJourney the narrative sets a quest for the snowman who leaves the girl snowman in order to find a present. The journey is the struggle where snowman faces obstacles of weather and the traffic but comes back to give the present the girl snowman deserves. The morphology is concerned with the roles the character plays towards the “spheres of actions” (Propp and Wagner, 1968 p79) where there needs to a Hero, Villain, Donor, Helper, Dispatcher, False hero and the princess which unfolds the actions. However, not all the characters are present as “advertisements are too short in length and too structurally simple to have narrative constructions as complex as those in films” (Browen, 2016). Most John Lewis adverts only portray helpers or donors – the ones giving presents. The helpers include the children who built the snowmen and the Hero could be the snowman as he drives the piece. Contrary to what Propps states, characters in John Lewis have “personality or moral worth” and the main protagonist is not there to drive the actions, they are more there to evoke sympathy. Brunvand’s “generalized approach” (Newton, 2010, p51) to “folkloric advertising” with twelve categories of general motif which has symbolic significance in story. Newton study shoes other world, folktale characters, magical helpers are most popular motifs that are displayed in adverts. “Other world” captures the consumers desire for futuristic environment which is a good medium to display “progression and evolution of a product” where ordinary world and special world collide. For instance, “folktale characters” like Edgar create other world as well as linking with ordinary world of using human products.  Also using magical helpers, the ones endorsing the product by presenting it to consumer. Non-linear narratives make frequent use of motifs to connects moments where separated from time and space. For instance, #EltonJohnLewis goes back in past creating futuristic elements of time travel but identifies Elton with piano. Also contrary to Propp, adverts don’t display a sense of evil but more sense of exaggerated sense of lack or insufficiency. For instance, #ManOnTheMoon focuses on the lack of resources to give message to a man on the moon mainly due to gravity and distance. The solution is the present of a telescope and balloon’s given by the donor of her family. Once the magical agent used the lack was removed and has achieved goal to not leave anyone out over Christmas.

Prop theory is concerned with the idea of a single plot so when narratives present complex storylines it can be difficult to identify the strands. For instance, it can be hard to distinguish the hero and villain. Barthes “Semiotic Theory” (Barthes, 1993) can identify  #MozTheMonster symbolic code as a monster which show villainous qualities as children associate monsters as frightening but he’s the hero as he just wants to play but sad to see child is overtired so gives a nightlight for him to sleep. Strauss comparative approach regards “syntagmatic sequence (the unfolding of the story) incoherent” adverts should be replaced with “paradigmatic sequence” (Dundes, 1998, p40) where there’s an underlying myth. The myth being there’s “Binary Opposites” suggests there always opposite ends of the spectrum which creates the conflict and drama and creates the meaning. In adverts this opposite need to be contrasting from start to end of the story. For instance, across the year’s john Lewis has explored human vs supernatural (child and monster), young vs old (Young Elton to Old Elton), Loneliness vs Happiness (Bare) and pathetic fallacy of gloom vs bright.  However, this theory suggests this creates conflict and drama whereas John Lewis it creates a harmony. These opposites are formed in to portray a message not to leave anyone out on Christmas. The juxtaposition of environment sends a message that buying a present for loved ones can lighten up their Christmas and make it more magical. The juxtaposition of character makes loneliness and happiness a visible difference.

Media industries are re-operating thus changing the way consumers absorbs media; this is known as media transition; media is the key driver of culture and commerce. John Lewis commercials main output system was originally for television which generated standardization and rationalization. This creates a “homogenizing culture” (Jenkins, 2008) as created dominance over production and distribution and allowed power among “gatekeepers”. This doesn’t allow a form of interactivity or argument. This form of spreading content meant John Lewis were only attracting a certain stereotype of middle aged due to television adverts only being broadcasted at certain times, channels.  Jenkins “convergence culture” (Jenkins, 2008) means companies are now broadcasting on many media output channels which are seen as “hybrid spaces” (Jenkins, 2008) creating more diverse audience. These hybrid spaces allow online cookies which is an information tracking device to aim adverts correctly. These spaces like YouTube and other social social-networking software, commercial broadcasting, games and merch. Bedtime stories and audio books of #MozTheMonster have been introduced on the John Lewis YouTube channel that creates an audio narratology to sponsor google home speakers. This could be due to YouTube video receiving hate for giving children nightmare. The most recent, 2019 adverts use an array of shorter advert clips featuring Edgar with different products like hairdryers and headphones creating humour making it more memorable. They also use form of “immersive experience” by promoting their characters in store. For instance, LEGO Bright Bricks recreated iconic scenes from the last five John Lewis Christmas adverts and the model was displayed in toy department in oxford street. This uses a postmodern concept of “hyperreality” where the story world and characters are becoming the presence of the brand. The consumer base is growing and becoming more diverse every year due the increase platforms.

The digital age brings radically new forms of narrative to how we tell and consume stories due to the multiple channels and outlets. Jenkins “participatory culture” allows “artistic expression and civic engagement” (Jenkins, H. 2008). Digital technologies innovate everyone to produce and customise content via YouTube. In today’s media environment hashtags invites participation and debate yet marks popularity within trending patterns. This creates a sense of “transmedia storytelling” where mashup and remixes are dispersed across multiple delivery channels. Their contribution can be shown through a simple hashtag. This is done due to fandom culture using textual poaching to create humour in popular political views or simply mixing two favourite narratives genres together. For example, one parody includes Donald trump and Greta Thunberg identifying as Edgar and Ava #ExcitableEager which changes the words to fit controversial political debates. Within fandom itself it receives likes of “16k” and comments including ‘masterpiece’ and ‘I honestly can’t tell if this is pro trump or anti trump’. There’s also fan interactivity where they create their own perspective of the narrative with another user responding, ‘I think it’s both, you can laugh at both’. Another parody of #ManOnTheMoon marked the ‘dark side version’ joins Star Wars fans to John Lewis. This narrative ending is an explosion of the earth after Vader receives his present from the girl. Even if consumers are not remaking or sharing the hashtag of commercials they are still engaging. The 2.0 web allows “a world view of video-on-demand, pay per view and subscription TV” (Venkatesh, 1996, p319). This creates “interactive technology”. For instance, markets like YouTube increase interactivity due to the comment section allows audience to have a value of their opinions on the brand and the narrative commercials. There channel gains 167k subscribers with Christmas adverts gaining “10M” views compared to the average “60k” views the channel gets. Marxists argue ideology works in the interest of the dominant class as they can control values and beliefs that should only be controlled by companies. They argue consumers should stay passive and not active as promotes bourgeoise and encourages consumerism. This also allows Barthes “Death of the Author” meaning there’s no longer privatisation of content and society can recreate videos. This means now the author may not even understand what he/she producers. This explains why some adverts on their YouTube for John Lewis are made unavailable. Due to changes in technology, society and culture this creates a sense of post structuralism where consumers response is important.

To conclude, the power of storytelling and narrative form is evident in corporate communication and commercial advertising. John Lewis use traditional narrative forms by taking consumers on the protagonist journey through the story world, plot and characters which is always presented in linear with a song. This gives reasons why the consumer – normally portrayed as the helper or magical agent- a reason to buy for loved ones. It elicits emotional response every year as John Lewis focus on sentimental values that evoke feelings of warmth. For instance, #EltonJohnLewis combines traditional marketing techniques of selling the piano but relying on autobiographical storytelling to create a personal journey that the consumer will understand as he’s recognised for being one of the biggest superstars of all time. Furthermore, the most recent #ExcitableEdgar doesn’t sell a main product but portrays a message to make sure to get loved ones a present that will be perfect for them. The brand continuously features characters the audience can sympathise with and that will make consumers buy into brands. A recent strategy employed this year is using the character personality to sell products. Edgar uses products like speakers, headphones and hairdryers so audience can understand the variety on what they sell. However, its apparent that postclassical narratology form allows engagement in consumer response that can reaches out to wider audience demographic. This is due media transitions like YouTube creating more a community and fanbase allowing new narratives to evolve like parodies using intertextuality of joining texts together. Furthermore, YouTube adverts are now going viral as allows consumers to share, like, dislike and comment on narrative features allowing interactivity.

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