Why Storytelling Matters In Advertising

Storytelling is an integral part of humanity. It's how we pass on our accumulated wisdom, beliefs and values. When it works best, it brings out layers of emotion in us that makes us recall elements from our lives. Why does this matter to advertising? Nowadays the modern consumer is better informed than ever and, according to this Nielsen study, prefers to gather information from their peers rather than from marketing materials. This means that in order to keep in touch with their audience, brands have to evolve from marketing machines and move towards interacting like friends, telling stories and sharing anecdotes. Great advertising layers emotion upon the rational features of a product to create a strong personal connection with a brand.

Three Great Storytelling Ads

1) Google ‘Dear Sophie’

Google: not just cutting edge software but a facilitator of love between human beings. Released in 2011, the ad features a man writing emails, sharing pictures and videos in a virtual scrapbook for his daughter Sophie using Google Chrome browser. Google engages with our emotions by using technology to tell a human story about connection. We are moved by the story because it's relatable and makes us recall moments in our life similar to those on screen. And boy was it relatable - at 10.5 million views it was the humanity behind the technology that won the engagement for Google.

2) Chipolte Scarecrow

This short film feels like Chipolte's parable against the fast food industry, and the importance of 'food with integrity.' It has no explicit call to buy the company's products. Instead, the film follows a central character, the scarecrow, through a typical day at his job in the food industry. Depressed by the industrial atmosphere he breaks free and establishes his own little business selling natural, home-grown food. It visualises Chipolte's values of sustainably farmed, local produce and hormone-free livestock raised under humane conditions. The audience in turn connects with the brand's core values, which leads to a much more loyal customer.

3) Thank You Mum, P&G

What could be more relatable than a mum's love for her child. The ad follows different mums across the world in everyday situations as they support their children throughout their lives, encouraging them through victory and failure until they become Olympic athletes. The ad specifically celebrates its targets two demographics: firstly the mothers who many buy Proctor & Gamble products, and secondly their children who watch the ad and share it with their mothers. Its overwhelming success lies in a simple emotional truth, a moment of thankfulness for the everyday heroics of motherhood.