The New "C" Word?

CONTEXT

In May, I attended an event hosted by Reachforce where Lori Wizdo, Principle Analyst at Forrester, talked about the A plan for Buyer Obsession in the Age of the Customer.

According to B2B marketers, the content marketing engine has run afoul of the very reason it gained popularity. We are creating, collecting, curating...but is there context? 

At the Business Marketing Association 2014 conference, storytelling was a hot topic. Jonah Sachs (@jonahsachs) took the stage. His new book, Winning the Story Wars, he discussed 4 themes B2B marketers must embrace. The two that struck me are:

1. The company (brand) is no longer the hero
2. Share something that truly matters

How do companies become, and more importantly, stay relevant to their constituents*? 

*In a few years, customers/consumers shall be referred to as constituents of the brand. yet another "C" word. Bets, anyone?

Facts and figures are interesting, but tell me why I should care…

Data, statistical analysis and evidence-based conjecture is running rampant in today's business world. The sheer volume of information alone has companies and instutitions on a hot and heavy quest to cash in. 

The people who can drive adoption of a concept, product or vision and move it forward don't just rely on data. They rely on the ability to articulate a vision grounded in fact yet pushes the boundaries of what is possible. 

This is why I believe there is an art, not a mathmatical formula, for those who can who figure out what's important to today's buyers while sprinkling tomorrow's possiblility within a construct that is believable.

Leaders draw on their experiences and observations to articulate the current environment (market trends, data), build relevant customers or prospect messaging (target articulation), and drive the desired behavior for the culture, brand, or product (mavens/believers).

Let me put it into a formula (since we all love them these days):

Market trends + target articulation + storytelling competencies = market voice + believe-ability, trust

(Key variable = personality acceptance by target market) 

IMHO: In Hi-tech, bleeding-edge, or super-smart markets - these storytellers are – gasp – engineers.

Marketers: Your job is to help get engineer’s expertise and translate that into something consumable by the target market, and make the technical rockstars awesome with being on point.

Engineers/IT/Tech: Stop shying from the light. Pick someone you trust to help you on the journey of understanding all the business inflection points, ramifications, or more importantly, how you (or your team) can drive top-line revenue.

Can this formula work? What are your thoughts?