Stories have always been present in our culture. It can even be said that they surround us everywhere- in literature, the Internet, TV, radio, and simple conversations about daily events. Stories can also find their application in commercials. ‘Narrative marketing’ is another name for ‘storytelling’. It refers to tales created by brands in order to draw the clients’ attention and develop a relationship with them. Bare facts and mere data are unattractive and, what is more, difficult to be memorised. Stories are different: a well- constructed narration remains in memory and lives its own life long after being received.
How does storytelling work?
Forming a good story requires great creativity and imagination, but it’s worth taking the effort. The mass of information flooding us from all sides makes it hard to stand out. A shocking, funny, absurd, or emotional narrative with a distinctive character, a short but catchy plot strengthened by a moral is a perfect way to intrigue a client with the brand. A well-proven solution for forming such a narrative is to use a fairy tale model, tested schemes, and character types. The additional power of a story comes from the feature of a human mind which reacts best to what it is already familiar with. Thus, there is no reason why storytelling shouldn’t make use of the motifs or topoi already existing in culture. It is important for a story incorporated in a commercial to be understandable and interesting for all potential users. It should not refer to religion, politics or any other individual beliefs- positive emotions are a far better basis than risking misunderstanding or reception opposed to what was intended.
Storytelling in commercials can be divided into various groups. Brands frequently make stories based on ‘who I am’ or ‘why I am here’, vision narrative, and tales which teach and move feelings. A successful narration brings great benefits to the brand, because it engages people and has a positive influence on emotions, which is an extremely effective way of advertising.
