Who doesn’t like a good story? Ever since we were little kids, we’ve been fascinated with stories- funny, emotional, heartwarming, all kinds of them. Storytelling is an age-old method to keep audiences involved and invested in a concept. Right from ancient rock paintings, to modern-day brands using stories for advertising and marketing their products, storytelling has always been used to forge a bond with people and create an impact.
Connecting with the audiences has become more important than ever. But at the same time, creating a lasting impression in the minds of these people is getting harder and harder, in an era of decreasing attention spans and oversaturation of content. This is where visual storytelling comes in. Conveying a message through visuals not only increases brand recall but also evokes an emotional response in the audience, making them fall in love with the brand or product.
The key is to create an advertising strategy in which consumer insights are used to weave relatable narratives. This will make for a relatable story and a strong brand image which can easily lead to a positive response in the minds of consumers whenever they come across your product.
Some of the biggest brands in the world have reached their level of success and brand awareness among audiences through effective storytelling. The best examples of this are Google, Facebook, and Airbnb, which have accumulated millions of users.
Airbnb uses messages that promote a sense of community, exploring the thread of humanity that can connect strangers. By promoting localized experiences first and then tying their brand offering in, they’re not only creating a demand for their services but also stimulating the feeling of meeting new people and building new memories – something that we all desire. Due to this strategy, they have become one of the world’s more extensive, and popular online marketplace for lodging, homestays, and tourism facilities!
Similarly, Facebook’s mini-story series showing the lives of people like you and me, allows us to imagine ourselves achieving what we want with the help of the platform, just like the characters did.
Even a brand selling a product as commonly used as a washing powder, Surf Excel has created a campaign, Daag Ache Hai, with a beautiful message. It pushed people to see not how effective their product is in fighting stains, but how stains on clothes don’t always have to be a bad thing – if they happen because of doing something positive. Ariel, another washing powder brand, used a story showing the importance of sharing household chores with their campaign #ShareTheLoad to appeal to their audience using a simple but universal insight.
It is important to remember that to tap into the audience’s hearts and stay there, even high-end celebrity endorsements need an appealing story! A brand can never go wrong with a product that serves the purpose and an idea that helps it say the right thing to the right people. With the evolving times, it is storylines that endorse not the product as much as what the product stands for. Be it setting out to do what your heart desires, following your passion, or finding a connection with a stranger in a town you’ve never visited before.
If you think you have a knack for tapping into the emotional and empathetic sides of people to change the world, then Pearl Academy’s Advertising and Marketing Course is a perfect match for you! Through our postgraduate course, you can learn and master the art of storytelling, copywriting, and brand marketing, and use your skills to reach the hearts of millions! Along with international collaborations and exchanges, this course will prepare students to be detail-oriented, practical, and tech-savvy. To know more about our course, click here.
