References exist in their own, pure worlds. There is never any mention of rivals, or of emerging disruptors. The spokesperson is rarely given a backstory, we learn very little about the events that got us here.

At best, the story might reference current global or industry trends, but there is little to connect it to the outside world.

This may be a missed opportunity. For many years, storytellers have tried to expand not narrow their content worlds. It’s why we have the Marvel and Star Wars cinematic universes, and why Hasbro, Mattel and Nintendo are rushing to build their own. It’s why we cannot rule out an Action Man origin story, or a live action telling of how the seven dwarves came to own a diamond mine.

Building a universe of content enables you to reinforce ideas, add colour and new context and demonstrate connection. This is good for Marvel’s cast of characters; it’s equally valid for a global community of advocates. For a storyteller, an expanding universe allows you to feature fresh voices but within a consistent tone.

Some ideas how this might look for advocacy content:

• Produce the standard case, but create a second piece of content where customers submit questions to be answered by the central spokesperson
• If you’re making a customer video, have another customer provide a short introduction outlining what makes this story so great
• At your annual event, have a panel of customers put questions to your senior management
• Engage customers with the best social reach to promote new advocacy content
• Create industry- or solution-themed content involving three or more customers (and I mean new content rather than retrofitting historic content)
• Actively connect advocates across countries or industry verticals
• For the most cinematically-minded, sprinkle your video stories with Easter Eggs, visual clues that link everything together

Nothing exists in a vacuum. No man is an island. Good stories are universal.