Storytelling has always been one of the most effective marketing techniques in the assortment of specialists. Often it is storytelling that makes customers fall in love with brands for years, are able to buy any product of a particular company or acquire a specific service even with a margin of several hundred percent. At the same time, a marketing message based on emotional stories spreads the fastest, and we observe storytelling in brand promotion at every step.
Storytelling and its role in advertising and brand promotion - How to do it right?
Storytelling has always been present in our lives. Long ago, mysterious prophets conveyed truths under the guise of unusual twists of events. Today, marketers and companies of all kinds sell their services and products to users in the same way, using storytelling to promote and advertise their brand.
Storytelling in brand promotion and advertising is the domain of many large and small companies. Whether they sell electronics, toys, organic meals or cut their hair to their customers. An interesting and unique story can turn even products that are not attractive at first glance into something that people may want to identify with. After all, much more often than the mind, we are guided by emotions, and properly told stories direct them towards the products of specific brands.
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Storytelling and its scheme - How to tell good stories?
We have millions of stories of all kinds. The vast majority that is visible on a daily basis on different advertising spaces are built on the same scheme. There are elements that are found in almost every effective story. Using a simple scheme, we can divide the stories we see in the ads into three elements.
Presentation and the beginning of the hero's path
The initial stage in which viewers get to know the hero and form an opinion about him. It appears at the beginning and accompanies us throughout the duration of an advertisement, a story, or a book. We get to know his current world, in which he lives, the products he uses or the worldview he holds. There is also a need or goal that our hero would like to fulfill. However, this is the stage at which he is just getting ready for a longer journey.
The difficulties he encounters on the road and the people who help him
Soon after the first stage, the hero meets the first adversities on his way, and the reality around him changes. He confronts his worst enemies, gains allies and gradually overcomes the burden of setbacks falling on him. He can also hit an obstacle, the overcoming of which will almost cost him his life. Most often, this is also the stage when a mentor slightly smarter than the main character appears and pulls him out of oppression.
Achievement of the goal by the hero
Overcoming the problems and challenges he had along the way usually results in the acquisition of a symbolic item. It is a symbol of the inner transformation that the hero went through all the way and the struggle he had to fight. Only with her he returns to the previously abandoned reality. The final moment is the otherwise happy ending that so many of us know from all kinds of series, movies, commercials and books.
Storytelling in marketing - an example of application in practice
There are plenty of examples of successful implementation of well-told stories, as most of these successes belong to brands we love. Sometimes it is the stories that give us reasons for such reactions.
- Mom can not choose the dirt on the T-shirt that her son soiled while playing ball.
- There are attempts to use “ordinary” washing powders that do not give anything. The shirt is still dirty, and the viewer sees a big stain on it.
- Suddenly, mom discovers the powder of the brand “x” and with its help smears the dirt on the T-shirt, makes her son happy, and she herself is happy with the money saved, which she would otherwise have to spend on new clothes.
There is no doubt that marketing without the magic of storytelling would not be as effective as it is today. Stories are the foundation of the cereal brands we eat for breakfast, the phones we use, and even the cars we drive to work. Storytelling brings people together on all levels and allows you to show the values represented. They can do this with the help of purchased products!
Monomite - The recipe for an interesting story in a nutshell
If you want to tell interesting stories, the monomite should be the first concept to know. This model allows you to plan your story in such a way as to increase the chance of gaining popularity and moving the user. There is no doubt that once you learn this proven way, you will begin to notice its use in most of the ads you watch. This is because it is used by both small companies and large corporations, who want their stories to arouse concrete emotions and be interesting.
Understanding the concept of monomyth will help you material on YouTube
Joseph Campbell brought the concept to a wider audience, He published a book entitled: “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”. It has become a staple for marketing professionals around the world.
If you want to use the monomite in storytelling and promotion of your company or brand, in advertising, we should take care of the awareness of its key elements. It usually consists of several stages, the presence of which together creates an emotional story.
- Status QUO - Daily, normal, constant situation, also called the old world,
- encouragement to leave the old world and go out in the direction of adventure, a call to go on an expedition,
- the appearance of the image of a guardian, mentor, guide who supports during the adventure of the main character,
- adventures, challenges, problems and adversities, that is, the stage in which the action takes place, more and more things happen,
- breakthrough point, also called the deepest cave,
- obtaining a symbolic artifact, a symbol of victory, coping with a given situation,
- return to the status QUO with a new value in the form of said symbol, knowledge or elixir.
As you read the list above, you're probably wondering how long a story has to be to have all these elements. It turns out not so much at all. After all, ads usually don't last for hours. The creators have to fit more than once in a dozen or tens of seconds and include a story that will move the viewers during this time, will cause emotions.
If you look at the most popular ads, whether you consider the shorter or longer ones, you will surely find ones that fit all of the above in 30 seconds.
An example is Lufthansa advertising:
Types of stories - What stories to use in advertising and promotion?
When planning the marketing and promotion of your business, including subsequent stories, it is useful to know the types of stories. Depending on which one we choose, we can achieve different goals and results.
Who am I? - Every company wants to introduce themselves or their brand hero. There is no better way to do this than to use a story with such an overtone. By telling about the main character, his past and what exactly he is engaged in, while containing all the elements of the monomite, we have a chance to get good results and interest potential audiences. A video with the aforementioned story at the same time can prove to be a good form of presenting your range of services and image in an appropriate way.
Why am I here? - A story that tells usually about the path and the way that led to the place where we are. When constructing such a creation, we can focus on people and events that took place in the past. We have the opportunity to show how individual events shaped the hero. An example is Audi advertising.
Lecture (instructive story) - A story, most often with a moral that affects the user in a specific way. It can educate him when we introduce him to the complicated world of the creation of our product. At the same time, it can also be focused on social issues, when, for example, with the help of the history of the areas most affected by climate change, we urge it to take care of the environment.
Vision - If your goal is to raise awareness of a common vision in users, this is a kind of story for you. This is a story in which you show what you are striving for. A message of this kind is an opportunity to show what products are going for and how they are changing the lives of their users. Only then will he be able to identify with them. An example here can be an advertisement for AirPods from Apple, in which it shows how the user can feel after buying a product.
I know what you are thinking (what you are facing) - Every business collides with customer questions and objections. Sometimes these are doubts about the products and other times uncertainty about the quality. It is then difficult to present the answer in such a way that the person on the other side gains confidence in it. If, on the other hand, we use a story for this purpose, for example in the form of a video, it will become easier. The concept of such stories is that a potential client can identify with a hero who has similar dilemmas. Then the message contains solutions, which are most often the products of a given brand. Doubts are dispelled, and the story itself convinces to buy.
Storytelling in brand promotion - Emotions are the most important
Even the best language construction can prove ineffective when there is not enough emotion in it. It is they who give people energy, motivation and a tendency to identify with a particular hero. When telling the story of the company and using storytelling in brand promotion, we must remember to include in the middle the vision, mission and goals. If you need help telling the story of a brand in an interesting and unusual way, contact us.
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