Storytelling in Advertising: How Narratives Connect on an Emotional Level

Telling a good story is what makes brands stand out. It's not just about selling stuff; it's about making a connection that sticks with people because they can relate. This is all about exploring how telling stories in ads can really make a difference in bringing brands closer to people. Like marketing in general, storytelling communicates with our unconscious mind and there's only a limited and anecdotal understanding of how storytelling affects the mind.

Stories have been a way for people to share knowledge and values for ages. When ads tell a story, they do more than just try to sell a product, they reach out and touch people's hearts, leaving a lasting impression. This is done by taking a theme of conflict or a problem and centering dramatic events around this conflict.

Breaking Down Storytelling in Ads

What It Is and Why It's Important

Storytelling in advertisements is all about sharing a brand's message in a way that's more like a story and less like a sales pitch. A story generally has -

Ads generally are around 10-30 seconds long so that means you only have a few seconds to set the stage to hook the viewer and wrap it up. This approach to advertising can make people empathize with the problems the protagonist feels when they are relatable. When a brand offers a solution to this problem, your audience sees a direct connection with themself and the brand. As this creates a stronger emotional tie, it will make your brand more memorable in the process.

How Storytelling in Ads Has Changed

The power of video allows you to flash up to 30 unique images per second at your viewer. That means you have up to 900 unique frames in a 30-second ad. Storytelling in ads can convey a lot of information by editing shots down to around 4 frames (you probably don't want to go less than that). You will notice that ads have a much faster pace than ads from the early days of television.

Compare that with a 2024 Superbowl Ad

Why Emotions Matter

If people only made decisions over facts, marketing would not exist. People often make decisions based on their desires. Desires are defined by our unconscious mind. Stories are a way to tap into our emotions, to turn people who are just watching into fans of the brand.

Thinking and Feeling

Our brains process information in two ways: thinking and feeling. These two processes don't happen simultaneously. Feeling happens in real time while thinking requires our consent. We all know the feeling of seeing a compelling ad that makes you want to buy the product but as soon as you look it up, you see a flood of negative reviews and experiences from people who purchased the same product. Great storytelling gets an individual to the point where they are enticed to start thinking about your product.

Good stories make people talk about them after the fact, teaching us something new and making us feel strong emotions.

Although this controversial 90s Calvin Klein ad campaign gets a bad rap for being exploitative (it is) these ads are a masterclass in being able to create strong feelings from viewers that evoke strong emotions on a very limited budget. The themes of this campaign haven't aged well, but it got people to talk about uncomfortable issues based on setting an uncomfortable but fake scene.

Creating a Story

Characters People Can Relate To

In any good story, characters are key. In ads, having characters that viewers can see themselves in helps build a stronger bond between them and the brand. You only have about 3 seconds to convey who the character is so you will have to convey this by what is implied, what they do, what they are wearing and where it is set.

Stories That Reflect Real Life

A story needs to be something people can relate to. In ads, the story should show the ups and downs of life, which makes the brand more engaging. A great story has a subversion of expectation at some point that makes it interesting.

The Message at the Heart of It

Every story has a deeper message. In ads, this message is what connects the brand's purpose with the viewer's life, showing why the brand matters. Your message needs to connect to the desires that your customer has that your product or service can help to solve.

Overcoming Challenges

Stories often have a problem that needs solving. This can help viewers see the brand as a helper in their own lives, offering solutions that make a difference. When you come up with a problem in a story, brainstorm what it would take to make this problem as big and bad as possible. Hold the tension of this problem for as long as possible and release it right before the end.

Making Stories Even Better

Using Universal Themes

Some stories use common themes that people connect with. This makes the story feel more powerful and can create a deeper connection with the brand. If an ad is muted and you can still understand what is happening, then the story does a good job communicating its message. People often want the same thing - respect, love, prosperity and peace.

Being Real

In a world full of information, being real stands out. True stories build trust and show the brand's true character. A common theme in ads today is that you see people who look like real people in the ads.

Stories and Brand Identity

Building the Brand's Story

A brand's identity is like its own story. It tells people what the brand is all about, its goals, and its values. Usually the brands you see on television ads are already very well established. It's going to be difficult to tell your brand's story in the same story as a story designed to convert clients. When you tell your brand's story, it needs to be in a place a customer has intent to hear about it. To this day, I don't know much about the story of how Nike was founded but it doesn't change the way I feel about their products as a consumer. Let's instead look at how they tell a story.

Learning from Successful Brands

These stories go beyond just ads; they become part of culture. In this example, Nike endorses an individual who is prominent in a culture that aligns with their pride campaign.

Connecting with the Heart

Bringing People Together

A great story doesn't just get watched; it invites people to be part of it. This can create a community of people who love the brand and what it stands for.

The Future of Storytelling in Ads

The World of Social Media

Social media has changed storytelling by making it more interactive. Now, people can be part of the story, sharing and shaping it in their own ways. This means taking advantage of user-generated content.

New Ways to Tell Stories

New technology is making stories more immersive, letting people feel like they're part of the story. This can make the connection with the brand even stronger. AR, VR and MR are all on the rise and can create more ways of experiencing empathy (more on this in a later article).

Measuring Success and Understanding values.

Hearing from Viewers

The best way to know if a story is working is to see how people respond. Their reactions can help brands know what's working and what could be better. Show your story to people you know or if you can afford it, run focus groups around it.

The Importance of Being Honest

When telling stories, it's important to stay true. This builds trust and shows that the brand respects its viewers. Remember that advertisements often fall on a captive audience so the most you can do for them is show respect and give them value for their time.

The Lasting Impact of Stories

Stories are at the heart of what makes us human. In advertising, they have the power to turn simple messages into something that can truly touch people's lives and get them to make decisions that align with your goals. As we look forward, the power of storytelling in ads is the key for brands to connect with people on a deep level. When I first met a new client of mine, he showed me his deck of slides with facts and figures on the work they were doing. I told him how this make very little sense to me and that one story about someone whose life changed due to his business was all he needed to get people to buy his service. Stories are the best opportunity you have to simplify what you do to connect more meaningfully.