The video below came to me a few weeks ago via the wonder of interwebnets, making its way into my consciousness and social media stream like the virtual crowd surfer it is, passed to me by some now-forgotten friend/follower/member of the digerati.

When it comes to storytelling, every two-bit English comp major will blithely state that there is no such thing as a truly “new story.” [Usually such statements are punctuated with obtuse references to mythology, religion, Carl Jung and a smug sip from their half-caff soy mocha latte.] And the clip above hilariously points out the blatantly formulaic approach that often comes from Hollywood filmmakers. But as an ad man, there has never been a more crucial time to re-examine the art of storytelling than now.

Yes, I called myself an ad man. While most folks know me as a digital guy, you have to understand that my career roots go back to the traditional forms of the advertising craft. I believe in the power of brand and brand-building. And honestly, if you don’t accept, embrace and understand this fundamental principle of advertising and marketing, you have no business being in the biz. Period.

[Take it back even further and you'll see that my college career orbited around the study of the great "brands" of music. The challenge of performance preparation meant understanding the technical conventions of any given composer's time period, attempting to internalize and interpret their intent as an artist and assimilating all of that into a compelling personal dialogue with my audience. Later, I took a more academically oriented approach to that process by concentrating primarily on musicology rather than performance during my graduate studies.]

Let’s face it. There’s a lot of bad advertising out there. I mean, A LOT. Bad advertising is so easy to do. It’s lazy. It’s lowbrow. It’s like the crack of a snare drum — all attack and no sustain.

Good advertising is about telling the story that the brand can let you tell. A love story. A buddy story. A tale of conflict and resolution. Whatever the arc or archetype, every brand has a story and uncovering the components that construct that brand perception is the key to crafting that story. While the underlying technical foundation of that story may not differ much from brand to brand, each brand can offer a unique experience by crafting that story carefully and by respecting the varied experiences that their audience possesses that will ultimately drive how that story is received. It’s a simple equation, really:

Your brand + Your audience’s experiences = The brand story

All too often, we fall into the trap of bad advertising when we ignore our responsibility as storytellers. Maybe it’s a trap caused by “the quick turn job,” the appearance of a “one-off execution,” or any other of the myriad excuses dreamed up by advertising professionals or intentionally/unintentionally inflicted by our client-side marketing partners. But as a member of the team of architects responsible for the structural framework and ultimate execution of the story, we owe it to our clients to make sure we’re being true to our craft.

Bringing this back full circle, I appreciate the role that digital and interactive can play in telling a brand story. But that is only one potential touchpoint among an ecosystem of many possible experiences your customer can have with your brand. Digital in and of itself — like television, print, direct mail, brick-and-mortar retail, etc. — is only a single setting or character. It’s in how they all interact and move together…that’s the key.

So am I an ad guy? Yes. Am I a digital strategist? Yes. Am I brand steward? Absolutely.

Above all else, however, I have to be a damn good storyteller.