"Sticky" Stories: UC Davis and Stanford

The definition of a "sticky" story is very complex and has several requirements. The overall goal of these kinds of stories is to have the message stick in the reader's minds. The first step is to build a narrative arc, hook the reader, present a challenge, state a solution, as well as the strategy behind the solution, and issue a call to action. The second step is to select who your audience is and figure out how to speak directly to their interests. Step three is to know your core message, and make it as concise as possible. The fourth step is to figure out what kind of story you are telling, and what methods you want to use to tell it. Step five is elaborating on the call to action, and step six is selecting the medium by which you wish to convey the story. The final two steps of creating "sticky" stories are to create the story itself, and to share it with the desired audience.

Both the videos from UC Davis and Stanford conform to this story telling method by first stating the central problem they wish to address: traffic and bike collisions. The "aha moment" in which a resolution is found is featured in the introduction of the roundabout. They analyze the impact of the solution by determining that the roundabout makes the streets safer and students are injured less. The audience is clearly UC Davis and Stanford students as well as other college administrators. Going along with the "sticky" story method, the core message can be broken down into three words; biking is good. The call to action here is to encourage students and other universities to take the same measures they did in order to make biking a safe and legitimate means of transportation. Finally, there were able to create and share their story through the medium of an online documentary.

In a follow-up post, I will discuss how JMU can follow the examples set by these documentaries in order to create "sticky" stories that will effectively sway the audience toward a bike friendly campus.