​
 

When Clark Gable appeared in “It Happened One Night" without an undershirt, sales of that garment plummeted. Consumers flock to raw eggs after seeing “Rocky,” and they're driven to covet Aston Martins thanks to "Skyfall." "Ocean's 8" featured a whopping 76 products, from luxury brands like Cartier to Cheez Doodles.

​

Does anyone doubt the power of storytelling to change behavior?

Media veteran Karen Withem has been harnessing the persuasive power of digital communications for 20 years, garnering tens of millions of dollars in earned media for her clients. She contributed to groundbreaking programs like California's 10-year anti-tobacco campaign, which cut adult smoking rates in half. Her client portfolio includes Los Angeles International Airport, American Honda Motor Co., Kellogg's, Bosch Home Appliances, UCLA Medical Center, as well as first-to-market technologies, PBS stations and non-profit organizations.

​

"Product placement was born in 1896, when Lever Brothers' Sunlight Soap appeared in a Lumiere film," Ms. Withem says. "It's come of age alongside the entertainment sector and is now a $23 billion global industry." The lines are fuzzier than ever between clients and media outlets -- which include veteran and novice influencers who speak (or shout) through a myriad platforms: blogs, YouTube, TikTok, podcasts and more.

Research verifies what we intuitively know: Viewers act on what they -- we -- absorb through media. Harvard Business Review reports that when we watch stories with relatable characters, our brains are flooded with oxytocin, the "trust" hormone. Through her firm,  Canyon Diamond Media, Ms. Withem partners with companies to identify their audiences, refine messaging and drive behavior through content creation.

All of which begs the question, since consumer buying habits are changed by blogs, Youtube and films, why not other behavior? In addition to her successes in consumer and B2B digital marketing, Ms. Withem also uses video to boost non-profit organizations and tell original stories with social justice themes, including her documentary now in production, "The Aftermath: Justice and Healing for Sexual Assault Survivors."