Storytelling - The answer for brands to effectively engage with their audiences

Robert McKee has well said that “Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world” because a creative depiction of a story of the brand better connects with the consumers. In the digital age, the appeal of a brand's story makes all the difference because we all are attracted to eye-catching designs and personalised narratives that connect with our interests, giving us a reason to come back to the brand.

For example, a small jingle, a remake of a song or a wordplay can really uplift the brand and does wonders for its online presence as it makes an impression on people's thoughts and mindsets. Therefore, it becomes essential for brands to create stories that relate to consumers and match the trends or moments.

In fact, as per the study by Headstream, consumers who love brand stories are 55 percent more likely to make purchases, a media report cites. This is the power of creative storytelling in digital advertising that can actually skyrocket the brands’ sales with maximizing reach.

Storytelling creatives - Then & Now!

Storytelling has been a timeless constant, however, in the era of digital new media, it has evolved and gained additional x-factors that allow brands to stand out in a competitive landscape. With the inclusion of rich media creatives, short video advertising, in-game adverts, and more, storytelling has taken on new dimensions and enhanced its impact.

For example, earlier brands strive to engage people with some fun, gameplay ads or freebies and goodies either in magazines or newspapers to make their recall. But today, these activities have been replaced by digital ads that enable people to rotate their phones from different angles, play games, try coupons or avail discounts wherein, the sole purpose is to grip user attention towards the stories and creatives.

So, brand owners can focus on the 3Ps of a creative, i.e., Purpose, Promise and Personality to deliver a great story that optimises the campaign and impacts its metrics too. This is because an amalgamation of these Ps in a creative ensures contextual relevance with brand suitability too. For instance, showcasing cafes and restaurants with the help of some rich media creatives to the users consuming content related to travel and accommodation (such as making a combo meal or exploring the coffee flavours etc) could drive better conversion rates with a possibility of a reduction in CPA and accelerating ad recall rate as well.

Impact of storytelling

In today’s tech-savvy digitalized world, storytelling creatives have become an inbound marketing means since people get meaningful offerings to engage and interact better with the brands. Moreover, digital creatives don’t only validate the purpose of storytelling but also justify the reason why a person needs it wherein, Bumper Ads, Virtual Reality Brand Stories, and Metaverse are effectively making their mark. These aspects when coupled with AI/ML mechanisms enable brands to create an effective recall value because it provides them with real-time data-driven insights that help marketers to make informed business decisions.

Bumper Ads being short and non-skippable ads of 5-6 seconds majorly occur on social media and short video apps and have also proven to be the most effective component in depicting brand stories. Since it triggers an image in users’ minds whenever they listen to or see something pertaining to a specific brand or while making certain actions for that brand. On the other hand, Metaverse and Virtual Reality have already been taking the industry by storm and winning the hearts of millions as it caters to netizens with virtual and lively experiences being physically available in the real world.

Hence, I think that creativity in digital advertising incorporating the 3C’s of story, i.e. Compelling, Convincing and Converting has been a powerful practice to humanise brands because when people feel compelled by a story in a good sense, they pay attention to the brand too. Moreover, people often feel a personalised connection with the brand creatives having the 3Cs of storytelling since it holds their interest and they find a relatability with the brand.

Vishal Singh is the country head - India, Xapads Media