Story Telling in Advertising

I grew up at a time when television was a limited commodity-well in Zimbabwe anyway. The station began broadcasting late in the afternoon (late enough to get some serious play in as well as finish your homework) and switched off shortly after midnight. With limited television time came limited advertising space. So when an advert showed it was really competing for space and attention. Despite this, many were, sadly, forgettable. There are two adverts that stand out in my brain when it comes to my childhood. Along with the theme tunes to Voltron and Captain Planet; the Toughees “Rhino advert” and Perfection’s “Where’s is mysoap” occupy a happy space in the portion of my temporal lobe that stores my past.

Why on earth would these two adverts stick in my brain when so many of the others did not? Neither of them presents any facts and figures about the actual product. It is precisely this reason that they worked so well. They work because they tell a story that transcends the product and connects with their audience. Chances are that if you ever saw the shoe advert that you started humming the theme tune the minute I referred to it; it was simply that powerful.

Getting your product across to people; whether it a presentation or an advert can come in three forms. Facts: the size, speed, efficiency, colour, how quick it takes to get the job done. In advertising this is the equivalent of a 1960’s voiceover ad, or the fake doctor telling you why he uses a particular brand. Second is evidence, showing why it works better than what you are using now. This is the brand a versus brand b type advert that seems to dominate the washing powder industry. Neither of these connects really well with people when compared to the third option: the story.

Whether you are flighting an advert or pitching a product to an investor you have to connect with your audience. Nothing connects faster than emotion. The best way to generate emotion is through a great story. Not just the classic Grade 7 model of a story that has a beginning, middle and end, but something more akin to a hero/villain tale with a problem, crisis and resolution. Condensing that story into under a minute makes a great advert.

There is a school of thought that the days of mass marketing are over; that television adverts are a waste of money because they no longer work in a world dominated by information. I’m not so sure that this is quite true. I just think we need to tell better stories. Certainly the infomercial’s days are numbered. The telemarketing with cold facts that try and build an emotion while bombarding you with product pictures is doomed to obsolescence. Part of this is the emotion they are building is fear. Through telling you there is a limited time offer, with a limited supply, and limited bargains for the first few orders it generates action by making you feel you are missing out. Bring out a great story that oozes positive emotion and the infomercial will lose every time.

Another aspect of the problem is today’s grapple for mind space. There is more information today than we have time to watch or process. We rely on headline news and recommendations of others to decide what is worth watching. So the infomercial worked well in the past because there were a few local channels to watch on television and nothing else. Today I have the internet with podcasts, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Udemy, blogs, Youtube, Netflix, a host of other streaming channels, as well as good old television with more channels on my DSTv bouquet than I need.

Despite all this volume so many people tell their story really badly, mediocre at best. That mediocrity gets drowned out in the hubbub of voices clamouring for attention. A great story climbs above that and naturally draws people to it because it resonates with them. Humans love sharing emotional stories. Great stories get shared and passed along to others.

A story must relate to the target audience. As much as I have a personal loathing for the hungry lion and zebra advert that plays before movies at the moment, it works because the children in its target market can relate to it (especially since there is a strong similarity to a mainstream cartoon movie). Comparatively, the brilliant 2015 Extra Gum commercial that ends in a proposal relates to me because I can vividly remember going down on one knee with a ring.

There must be a crisis or conflict situation. This can include a villain- in adverts the role of villain is often filled by the problem as opposed to a scary character. A couple being apart, a pile of dirty dishes, a child running through the dirt, running out of fuel, a question to be answered all work for this.

Finally there must be a resolution with a better outcome for the hero, one that ties in with your product and the reason for using it. A positive emotional ending is a powerful tool. People will remember how they feel every time they see your product.

Spend some time this week watching commercials critically, not just on television but invest in bandwidth and check out some on Youtube. Examine why some resonate with you and others do not. Then check your personal story and where it could do with a bit of polishing. Do it right and you could knock the Toughees advert out of my brain.

Why Cecil the Lion's story works so well-what we can learn

It has been brought to the (largely deaf) attention of a world preoccupied with a story as to why Cecil the Lion's story is receiving more attention than other issues that result in human death/disappearance. Check here and here for examples from Zimbabwe and the rest of the world. Not withstanding the use of media to promote a story that times well with a UN resolution on illegal wildlife trafficking there are a few reasons why Cecil the Lion resonates with us so strongly. Firstly the story has a clearly identified protagonist- the martyred, innocent lion Cecil who has no voice for himself; any other lion without a name and I doubt people would care as much. There are clearly identified antagonists who we can vilify, antagonists who have admitted to their part in the killing. And there is a clear violation of moral principle being told in the story-the taking of a collared Cecil from somewhere he was safe and luring him to an area where, without him realising it, he was a suitable candidate for a hunt. It is the clarity of the elements of the story that make it so powerful. Add to it a couple of horror details like bleeding for 40 hours before death and you have what is clearly a best seller. There is also created in the mind of the reader an identifiable pressing problem to be filled-that of justice-justice ably dispensed by the internet community on any platform associated with the 'villains'.


Unfortunately a dreadful and shocking abduction without a clearly identified antagonist is unlikely to grab our attention as much. Likewise a unnamed, dead, migrant we cannot identify with does not make a good protagonist in our minds as readers.


The best story wins.


(Please note that this post is not a commentary on the relative morality of these topics, rather it is simply pointing out what make the elements of a great story. Any story we tell; be it as a business about our product, in the news, or as individuals needs to have similar clear parts for it to resonate as well with the hearers.)