Storytelling is no longer just a tool for authors, storytellers, or screenwriters. For several years now, it has also been preached in advertising, marketing, PR, and social media: Use the power of storytelling to engage your target audience with your brand or persuade them to take action, such as making a purchase.
From Slogans to Emotional Stories
Those of us who are older will still remember classic advertising from the 20th century. A problem is presented, and the advertised product solves that problem. A short jingle, the product prominently displayed – done. Nowadays, there are commercials where it takes several minutes to even realize what product is being advertised. Often, the spot is less about the product itself and more about evoking a certain feeling in the viewers. A prime example is the classic Christmas commercials from major supermarket chains here in Germany. They focus on families reuniting and celebrating together at a large table. It’s about coziness, joy, love, and togetherness. The supermarket is never shown, and if it is, the logo only appears at the very end or perhaps subtly on a shopping bag.
Why Has This Developed?
One aspect is the fact that the range of products and services has rapidly increased over the past few decades. The number of advertising messages that consumers are exposed to has also risen. Where there used to be only billboards, newspapers, radio, and TV, we are now bombarded with much more advertising through the internet.
This leads to the necessity for brands to first capture our attention before they can even talk about their advantages. Since we humans are emotional and social beings, this does not simply work by shouting often and loudly enough. That means, it does, but the customers will be more annoyed than willing to buy something.
Let’s take a short detour into gaming: Good stories have been part of the recipe for success in gaming for many decades. Anyone who has ever cheered for the lovable plumber in Super Mario Bros. knows this. When graphics were still pixelated, controls were clunky, and game mechanics were simplistic, there was only one reason to keep playing: the backstory. It captivates us with the classic elements of a good story: There is a hero who must overcome obstacles on the way to their goal. In Super Mario, these obstacles are even to be understood literally. In the individual levels, there are pits, blocks, traps, and many enemies to overcome before the plumber gets one step closer to his princess.
And so, the game creates something that is very important when it comes to our attention: emotions. We root for the hero to win his princess and rejoice when there is a happy ending.
Facts that are linked to emotions are stored in the brain much better, as science has shown. So marketers want to evoke (positive) emotions in order to get their customers’ attention and to be memorable.
What’s a Good Story?
The big challenge for brands and companies lies in telling suitable stories. Every Story needs a hero, but it is not always clear who the hero actually is. (Spoiler: It’s not the brand or the product!). This may be relatively easy for consumer products like nail polish (girl goes to a party and becomes the star thanks to Sassy’s new nail polish!). However, for topics like insurance, 3D design software, or a technical wholesaler (I just listed products I made PR for once), one must be a bit more creative.
Important components of a good story should always remain the same:
- The “Why”: Why are we telling a story? What is the reason? What’s our point?
- A hero/protagonist: This is NOT the company, but someone else or even the viewer.
- A conflict that the protagonist must overcome.
- Emotions that are evoked.
- The story is worth being told further.
So, the next time you come across an advertisement, a reel/TikTok from a company, or an influencer campaign, keep an eye out to see if the company has done its homework and is telling a good story.
By the way: Of course, there is still the classic comparative advertising structured like this: ‘We have two piles of laundry here, one washed with a regular fabric softener, the other with Olympia, the fabric softener of the gods.’ These spots serve a different purpose and take place at a different step in the sales strategy. But that is another story and should be told another time.