Feature
The Gist
- Emotional appeal. Storytelling humanizes brands, creating stronger emotional connections.
- Customer resonance. Authentic stories evoke emotions, aligning with customers' values.
- Brand identity. Storytelling reveals the people, values and culture behind a brand.
Storytelling is not just a tool, it's a potent strategy that breathes life into a brand and creates emotional connections with customers. It's about humanizing a brand, presenting it as more than just a business entity, but rather as a relatable character with its own personality, beliefs and values. Storytelling creates emotional ties, the kind that lead to loyalty and an affinity toward a brand. It allows brands to illustrate a unique narrative that resonates with their customers. This article will delve into storytelling, what it means for brands, and how brands are successfully using it as a marketing strategy.
Humanity Is All About the Art of Storytelling
Humans are natural storytellers and have been telling stories since the beginning of humanity. We enjoy hearing a story, as well as sharing a story with others. Very often, the story one tells others has a main character — the storyteller — and many secondary characters — everyone else. We’ve been listening to stories all of our lives: from our parents, siblings, school teachers, ministers, as well as neighbors, entertainers, musicians, artists, writers and businesses.
A 2017 report from Harvard Business Review revealed that chemicals such as cortisol, dopamine and oxytocin are released in the brain when a person listens to a story. If our goal is to drive a point home, cortisol facilitates the formulation of memories. Dopamine assists with the regulation of emotional responses and helps to keep the listener engaged. Oxytocin is associated with empathy, a crucial element in creating, deepening, or maintaining deeper connections with others.
John January, co-CEO at Signal Theory, a brand development, marketing and design firm that humanizes advertising through behavioral science, told CMSWire that it’s important to remember that people really don’t change — we still think and react the same way now as we did when we gathered around the bonfire after a successful hunt or gather.
“Around those fires, what did we do? We told stories,” said January.
“Storytelling is a singularly powerful strategy for brands because our lives revolve around stories. The stories of our history. The stories of our tomorrow. The stories that we tell ourselves. Whether they are little or big, stories are fundamentally human. And that’s why brands should tell them," said January.
When businesses tell stories, much like human storytellers, the stories they tell have a main character — the business itself, and secondary characters — their customers. Similar to the stories one person tells another, they often have a theme, such as the secondary characters having a challenge that must be surmounted — and of course, the hero of the story (the business) comes along and solves the challenge, providing the secondary characters with a happy ending. Of course, this is an oversimplification, but essentially the business tells the story about how they are able to provide a positive outcome for the customer, the community or the world at large.
“Meaning is at the top. Joy is in the middle. And comfort is the foundation. That’s it. That’s all people really want,” explained January. “It’s truly no more complicated than that. So, in the end, those are the fundamental factors that should underpin the story you want to tell.”
The stories that brands tell today also have another element: They seek to humanize a business, to put a face on a faceless entity. Stories can tell a tale about the founder, the executives, the employees of the business and the community it serves. This gives the brand an opportunity to express itself in ways that traditional marketing practices do not provide. In order to be effective, brands must fully understand themselves to be able to articulate their stories.
“Every storyteller has a POV. What’s your brand bringing to the world? What is the point of the story you want to tell? Not just the selling strategy,” said January. “But your own worldview. Are you a joy, comfort or meaning brand? Do you offer a combination of two? To resonate, you need to offer all three. How can the story you tell amplify a different, perhaps less developed, part of your brand?”
Brands are often convinced that technology is the solution for every problem or challenge, but the simple act of telling a story creates a human connection that technology alone cannot replace. “Technology is not a replacement for the connection a story can build with the people you want to reach. Don’t look at tech as a magic bullet. Look at it as a tool that can help you tell richer, more immersive stories,” said January.
Related Article: Storytelling Drives the Modern Customer Experience
A Brand’s Stories Must Resonate With Customers
Anna Grace Du Noyer, consultant, speaker and group director at Fierce Brands, a group that includes niche agency Fierce PR and circular fashion label Fierce Wife, told CMSWire that her personal journey, which was defined by overcoming a lifetime of trauma, the traumatic deaths of her parents and domestic violence, led her to become a well-known advocate for inclusivity and empowerment, which formed the bedrock of the narratives that are woven across the Fierce brands. “These narratives have transformed the Fierce Group into more than a corporate entity,” said Du Noyer. “These narratives serve as an aspirational beacon to our audience, resonating with their experiences, aligning with their values, and fostering an emotional connection that transcends typical consumer-brand relationships.”
Du Noyer provided an example of a brand that successfully uses storytelling as a way to resonate with customers. “One compelling example is Apple, with its iconic "Think Different" campaign. Here, the narrative centered around the rebels, the troublemakers, and the round pegs in square holes — an ethos which resided at the very heart of Apple's identity,” said Du Noyer. “By aligning themselves with the narrative of innovation and non-conformity, they not only appealed to the emotions of their customers but also differentiated themselves from competitors.”
Related Article: The Power of Storytelling
A Brand’s Stories Must Be Authentic and Organic
Authenticity is the foundation of trust. Consumers today are increasingly skeptical of traditional advertising and are more likely to connect with brands that are genuine and transparent. When a brand tells authentic stories, it demonstrates its honesty and builds trust with its audience. Authentic stories have the power to evoke emotions and create a deeper connection with customers. When a brand shares stories that resonate with its customers’ values, aspirations or challenges, it creates an emotional connection that goes beyond mere transactional relationships.
Ricci Masero, marketing manager at Intellek, a cloud-based learning technology provider, told CMSWire that to tell genuine, organic stories that align with a brand's values, it's important to humanize the brand and present it as a relatable character with its own personality, beliefs and values. "This approach generates emotional connections and fosters loyalty," said Masero. "By incorporating narratives into content, businesses can engage readers emotionally, rather than just presenting facts. This immersive experience helps audiences connect with the content on a deeper level, leading to better brand recall, engagement, and sharing."
Masero explained that when it comes to incorporating storytelling into your marketing efforts, it's crucial to remember that authenticity is key. “To achieve this, start by delving deep into your brand's identity and purpose. Understand what makes your brand unique, the journey it has taken, and the impact it aims to make in the world,” said Masero. “Then, identify stories that exemplify these qualities and create emotional connections.” Masero suggested that the stories can revolve around a brand's origin, customer testimonials, or the positive changes the brand’s product or service has brought to people's lives.
“Storytelling is a powerful tool that can elevate your brand and create meaningful connections with your audience. By embracing genuine, organic storytelling techniques, you can breathe life into your brand, making it relatable and memorable,” said Masero.
Storytelling Reveals the Faces Behind a Brand
Through storytelling, brands can go beyond the typical product or service descriptions and reveal the face behind the brand — the brand’s identity, values, culture and the people who drive it. By humanizing the brand, storytelling creates emotional connections builds trust, and enables customers to see the brand as more than just a business.
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Erin Banta, co-founder of Pepper, a unique sustainable custom-made home goods ecommerce site, told CMSWire that consumers like being able to put a face to a brand, and businesses can achieve that type of brand awareness by using storytelling as a marketing strategy. "For example, testimonials or client highlights are one way you can tell the story of your brand and your business," said Banta.
"On social media, repost user-generated content and endorsements from influencers to give your brand that personal touch. Once you’ve created that brand awareness, your name will remain in the forefront of your customers’ brains," said Banta, who believes that building that story, and history, around your brand builds customer engagement, investment and loyalty.
Final Thoughts on Storytelling
Storytelling is a potent marketing tool that humanizes brands, creating emotional connections and enhancing customer loyalty. By authentically presenting their unique values and impact through stories, brands can resonate with customers on a deeper level. This not only personalizes a faceless business but also differentiates it from competitors, building enduring customer engagement and loyalty.
