By Audria Low.
Storytelling isn’t just for preschoolers.
Recall the times in the past where you nestled comfortably into your parent’s lap while they read you a bedtime story. Or the countless minutes spent trying to keep up with your friends and acquaintances’ lives through flashing Instagram stories. Maybe even the occasions where you shed a tear or two watching someone’s rags to riches story on Youtube. One thing’s for sure – we all love stories.
Since the ancient times, stories have been the preferred medium of keeping traditions alive, passed down from generation to generation. The stories we hear also shape our cultural opinions, norms and who we are today. What you may not know, however, is that storytelling has another important function – it can be an important tool for brands to market their product.
Without further ado, let us show you how to perfect your storytelling technique for your brand.
Getting started with the basics
First things first, you’ll need to know the basics of telling a story.
(Source: stryde.com)
Typically, narrative plot lines follow a basic structure as shown above, where the plot builds up with the introduction of a certain conflict, which eventually ends in a resolution that completes the storyline. For a classic example, take a look at South Korean beauty brand Laneige’s short film titled “My BB Love”.
The film, told in first person perspective, is a cheeky story about a Korean exchange student who develops a crush on a local girl. Although it is told in typical K-drama fashion, complete with cheesy romantic scenes, bright cinematic style and a handsome protagonist, it avoids overly-glaring product placement by subtly peppering the video with scenes of girls applying the holy grail Laneige BB Cushion.
Fun and hilarious, this advertisement ticks all the boxes in the making of a good, solid story.
Now that we’ve gone through the baby steps, let’s move on.
Cater to your target audience
The stories that are most memorable to us are the stories we can relate to best. The same applies for consumers – the stories that speak out to consumers and help them identify with your brand the most are familiar stories that touch the hearts of target audiences.
In this short film, the team at The Smart Local partnered with Canon Singapore to deliver a 4-min video dedicated to university sweethearts and couples in LDRs. It cleverly promotes one of Canon’s low-cost per print models (perfect for late night report rushing) by enticing audiences with the delivery of an on-campus love story, what every university student dreams of.
That’s what we mean by being aware of what your target audience wants, and pandering to them. Once you’ve got this in your hands, you’ll need to learn to…
Make the message clear
In this age of instantaneous content and digital convenience, consumers’ attention spans are getting increasingly shorter, and people are getting more impatient. A widely-quoted statistic to prove this would be that the average human attention span today is down to a mere 8 seconds, less than the nine-second attention span of your average goldfish.
(source: Giphy.com)
Aw, snap! That means brands can’t just create any other story; you have to engineer a story that captivates and enthralls within seconds. You want to make sure that consumers feel that the media you’ve just made them view or watch was worth the click and worth their attention.
Unless your aim is to confuse potential consumers, make sure your site has a clear-cut message that lets them know what your brand is all about.
(source: shophousesixtyfive.com)
From the get-go, local brand Shophouse SixtyFive establishes itself as a proudly Singaporean label selling quirky and adorable bath and body products.
(source: shophousesixtyfive.com)
As can be seen from the quintessentially Singaporean product names that draw inspiration from popular landmarks and local delicacies, Shophouse Sixtyfive celebrates our heritage and is truly a name in the #supportlocal movement. They made the smart move of merging their brand story with that of the larger collective Singaporean story, and the message is clear: We have iconic products made by Singaporeans, for Singaporeans.
Leverage on others’ stories
A good story may not be yours alone. Take cues from Adidas’ latest campaign featuring the new Arkyn collection which targets female sneakerheads. The product was launched in New York under the #TLKS series, an intriguing panel discussion embracing the stories of women in the creative industry. Talk about #girlpower!
And it continues even in Singapore. You can see – Adidas isn’t just selling a product, it’s selling an attitude that strong, confident, multi-talented women from all over the world will buy into. Adidas sure is taking over the female sneaker market with this strategy.
Lesson of the day? Sometimes, people can get tired of hearing the same voice over and over. It may not hurt to showcase individual, unique stories from people affiliated with your brand, instead of churning out the same old stories from your end.
With that, you’ve come to the end of our beginner’s guide to storytelling for brands! We know, you must be thinking: Cool story, bro.
(source: Giphy.com)
Have an interesting story that you’d like to see come alive?
Don’t hesitate to drop us an email at hello@alto.sg for a free consultation![/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]