You will often hear marketers say this about storytelling marketing: “It’s about positioning the customer as the hero, your company as the master, and the customers’ pain point as the villain.”
It sounds nice, but what does it even mean?
Let’s not overcomplicate storytelling marketing.
Here are some examples: Describing how you did something, telling your brand’s origin story, following steps to put something together, etc.
Classic storytelling has three parts – a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Planning a trip, packing for a trip, taking the trip. That’s a story.
No heroes, no masters, no villains … just storytelling.
Why storytelling marketing works: you want the viewer to be invested and consume your entire message (e.g. video), you want them to walk away knowing something about your brand (and hopefully developing an affinity or desire), and you want them to have easy recall so they remember what your brand is about.
Here’s an example from Cartier, showcasing their brand throughout the years with just an image and text. Does it tell a story? You bet. Does it create affinity or desire? Sure. Do you have a better understanding of their brand? Hopefully, yes.
No heroes, no masters, no villains … just storytelling.
Storytelling Marketing in Action
Here are some examples of brands who accel at storytelling marketing:
1. Louis Vuitton – they tell their story about a humble boy from a village in France who showed an aptitude for craftsmanship at a young age and began working as an apprentice in the box-making and packing industry.
2. UFC – they use the Ultimate Fighter and Embedded Series to go behind the scenes showcasing the backstories and training of their fighters. The two best fighters on the planet could be fighting, but if you don’t know anything about them, you become less invested and less interested in watching. Part of the promotion of big fights is the build up, which heightens the emotions and intensity for the fans. Talent shows such as X Factor and America’s Got Talent always tell the backstory of contestants for this same reason – make you more invested.
3. Dollar Shave Club – you all know the famous commercial. Besides it being funny, it was telling a story. Here’s a problem with traditional razors, here’s how we solve it.
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