Brand Storytelling: What it is and its Impact
- Chirag Anand
- Jul 25, 2023
- 3 min read
A lot of brands rely on storytelling techniques to make a connection with their audience. Discover more about what this means and how to begin.
Consider a story you enjoy, such as one from a podcast, novel, or documentary. What about that tale stuck with you so much? Most likely, it made you feel something. Many components that attract you to your favorite book or movie are also in a brand story. And the plot has a similar objective.
“Good stories surprise us. They make us think and feel. They stick in our minds and help us remember ideas and concepts in a way that a PowerPoint crammed with bar graphs never can.” - Joe Lazauskas and Shane Snow, The Storytelling Edge.
You and your clients are the main characters. There is a conflict (a personal or customer-related pain point), growing action (your quest to find a solution), and a climax (the launch!). The reader or spectator is left with a feeling, which is the most important thing.
What is Brand Storytelling?
As it applies to your brand, brand storytelling tells a narrative using words and visuals for teaching and entertainment. In a sea of noisy, unimpressive content, we swim against the fierce flow of the go, go, go, and bigger-better-faster era. Thanks to brand storytelling and sustainable marketing strategies, your brand will remain afloat as others around you gradually sink.
Great storytelling is an experience:
Providing just facts and data would bore your consumers, and it needs to be interactive and appealing to their consciousness. You must present your values and emotions and how that would affect their lives. Rather than showing a boring bar graph, integrate the same statistics into a video, make it interesting enough for the viewer to get hooked, and slowly and steadily reel them into your pitch.
Storytelling in marketing is not just for films and pictures;
it can also be done through written, verbal, or visual media. And they can be shared through any media, including billboards and social media. In a chaotic market (by design), stories can help marketers cut through the noise and create advertising that connects with consumers... and stays.
Let's take the example of National Geographic to do a deep dive into its impact,
Storytelling is a crucial component of National Geographic's social media approach. The business is renowned for publishing amazing photographs that compel social media users to pause scrolling and request more information. After leveraging the vibrant, captivating photos, National Geographic attracts users by putting tales alongside the images. The 'wow' factor of Nat Geo is increased by fusing compelling narratives with spectacular images, which keeps viewers returning for more. National Geographic gives the photographers credit instead of branding the pictures, which adds more credibility and transparency to their content. Instead of solely concentrating on marketing the company, sustainable storytelling makes this technique more relevant and natural.
Another excellent example would be Airbnb and its marketing campaign.
In this one-minute-long commercial, Airbnb manages to say a lot. A new hero is presented, and we follow her adventure throughout the advertisement. The moment she says, "I always imagined there was just one Paris," her issue is obvious. Then she takes the audience on a journey through all her adventures in the city. As this is a story of human connection, Airbnb is likely to appeal to a broad audience. Additionally, the business uses a strong CTA at the conclusion:
"Stay in over a million homes around the world." The CTA isn't overly insistent and fits with the rest of the narrative.
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People tell stories to pass along knowledge, share significant experiences, and encourage one another—whether huddling over a campfire or binge-watching the newest Netflix series. Satisfying this evolutionary need is a terrific strategy to ensure the success of your brand.
Contact us today to become a compelling storyteller; your clients will be clamoring for more of your goods and services.
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