In recent years, people are less receptive to “call-to-action” advertising and are increasingly drawn to entertainment and spectacle. Storytelling is the art of telling advertising with a story, an advertisement-narrative, an advertisement-fable. The idea of any story is to immerse the client in a created world and leave a lasting impression on the audience. As a rule, storytelling is not aimed at direct sales, but it works great for strengthening brand influence, positioning the company in the market, and increasing brand awareness.
Storytelling is used by all moderately successful companies, either blending it with other forms of advertising or making it the core of their brand promotion. The stories told can be local and used only within a single advertising campaign, or they can become the foundation of the brand concept. In the latter case, several types of storytelling are identified, and now you will understand what this means.
Company origin story
This story is a great way to enhance the company's image and get closer to the people. The typical story goes like this: “Mr. Smith was poor at the start of his career and could barely make ends meet. Then he took a risk, opened business N, and became rich and successful. Now he has his own castle, a couple of million dollars, and 33 yachts. Believe in yourself, and everything will work out.” Practically every world-famous company has such a “true story” in its back pocket – Puma, Nike, Ford, Mars, Apple, Instagram, IKEA, KFC … the list is endless. Try telling the public about your journey to success – the emotional response from the audience is guaranteed, and thus, your brand recognition will rise.
Brand-legend
These stories may not be entirely true, but they are perceived very positively by the public. Examples of brand-legends include the candy brand Chupa Chups and the creator of Daniel Wellington watches.
Enrique Bernat, the creator of Chupa Chups, was very young when he saw a little boy being scolded by his mother for getting his hands dirty with candy. Bernat quickly realized that attaching a stick to a candy would solve the problem. After launching the product, he approached Salvador Dalí to design the logo. Dalí's yellow daisy and Bernat's interesting idea did the trick. Today, the Chupa Chups brand brings the majority of the revenue to its parent company, Perfetti Van Melle.
Filip Tysander, the creator of the Daniel Wellington watch brand, went on a world tour in 2011 and met a gentleman from the British Isles named Daniel Wellington. The gentleman impressed him with his excellent taste in clothing and unusual nylon-strap watches. When Tysander returned home, he took the style of his British acquaintance as the basis for his new accessory brand. This story became memorable to customers and helped explain the unique design of DW watches.
Employee story
Who, if not an ordinary employee of a large company, can relate more closely to the public? This approach is often used in video ads by McDonald's, such as the 2017 campaign “Every Name Matters” or the spring 2018 campaign “We Value Different People.” A security guard named Andriy, a system administrator named Serhiy, or a cafeteria worker named Olya, with eyes glowing with happiness as they talk about how great it is to work for you, will surely be memorable and win the hearts of your customers.
Charitable story
We have already written that Generation Y and Generation Z love being involved in charitable stories, and the generosity of your company and regular help to anyone can strengthen your brand and make a significant contribution to positioning the company. Examples of such stories in the Ukrainian market include the Aroma Kava brand, which donates a portion of proceeds from the sale of large coffee packages to the “Tabletki” charity fund for children with cancer; PrivatBank, which allows customers to donate change from their transactions to help the army, orphanages, or cancer patients; and the Kyiv-based “Run under the Chestnuts,” with funds raised going toward purchasing equipment for the Children's Cardiology Center. Charity is not just a story but primarily an act, but storytelling like this can have a very positive impact on brand recognition and trust in the company.
Unreal story
An intentionally false, fantasy-based story that tells about the origin, production, or sale of a product. Milka's purple cows that produce alpine milk, RedBull that gives everyone wings, Twix whose bars are made in different factories, the Kinder Pingui penguin family, and many other stories invented to create a brand image. A unique character, an interesting fairy tale, and the right visual addition make unreal stories beloved by both children and adults.
How can storytelling be applied in SMS marketing?
It's certainly not possible to tell a long story with a dramatic ending in an SMS, but using storytelling techniques in SMS campaigns is always interesting and effective. As mentioned earlier, storytelling is not aimed at direct sales, but a good story can help build trust in the brand, increase awareness, and create a positive image of the company.
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Storytelling in SMS marketing must be well thought out. Often, it's not just one or two messages but a whole series of interrelated messages. In such cases, it's very useful to have a brand hero (like Matroskin the cat from “Prostokvashino,” Barney Bear from “Barni” biscuits, Red and Yellow from M&M's, or Santa Claus in Coca-Cola's winter campaigns), from whose perspective you can take your client on a journey in search of bonuses, a tour of your website, or a quest to find discount offers in an online store.
Advertising text written from the perspective of a Fox for the “Fokstrott” store or a pink Bunny for the “Zarechye” brand will make sense and look original. If you have such a character, even one that appears in your logo or local campaigns, now is the perfect time to bring them to life in an SMS campaign.
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Entire stories can also be hidden behind images. If you have a designer or a Photoshop expert on staff, ask them to create a mini-comic or visual story. This content will work well in Viber campaigns, where you can send images one by one over time, or send a single visual image with a button or link leading to the continuation of the story. Such storytelling will attract clients to your website or landing page and can boost loyalty to the company, becoming a memorable “trick” of your brand.
For example, look at the comics by Bird Born or Yehuda Adi Devir; these authors have gained popularity with their visual stories and earned good money. The attraction effect will work just as well in text form in Viber campaigns or SMS campaigns.
Today, storytelling is not just a classic narrative but also videos, infographics, comics, pictures, or memes. The more original and simple your story's design, the faster and better your message will be received by the audience.
Some recommendations for those who want to create an advertising story
1 Follow the trends
Relevant stories contain images of current heroes and references to recent events. Advertising with a “hot topic” narrative is always more effective than neutral advertising.
2 Get inspired by others' stories
As postmodernists say, all stories have already been told. Keep an eye on the stories of other companies – and you'll definitely create your own.
3 Use customer stories
Your customers can easily tell the story of your company for you. Ask buyers to provide detailed feedback on your product or service, recall funny cases or unusual situations related to your business.
4 Pay attention to design
No matter where your story appears, pay attention to its presentation: literacy, fonts, visual design, and layout.
Storytelling is an unusual solution to ordinary advertising problems. Stay on trend and immerse your customers in the stories you've created. Don't be afraid to get creative and let your imagination run wild: in today's advertising world, anything is possible! Good luck! ;)
