EAE News
Storytelling: an essential marketing technique
25 de November de 2020
Who can resist a good story?
Telling a good story can be a real artform and, in the world of marketing, a unique way of reaching the audience. We spoke to two experts, Víctor Ronco, the Digital Transformation Manager at Skoda Volkswagen Group and graduate of the Master in Digital Marketing and Electronic Commerce at EAE Business School, and Alicia Prados, the Social Media Copywriter at Desigual and also graduate of EAE’s Master in Digital Marketing and Electronic Commerce, to examine the intricacies of this technique, that is growing faster than ever.
How would you define storytelling in a single phrase?
Victor Ronco: It is the art of telling stories with the aim of connecting brands with potential or existing consumers. Brands are interested in both kinds of consumer. You have to keep giving current customers reasons to love the brand and, at the same time, make an impact on potential new consumers to persuade them and lure them from the competition.
Alicia Prados: It is the art of creating stories that connect with our audience at an emotional level, that appeals to what fascinates, surprises or moves us and the lasts over time.
Creating stories as a way of communicating with others has long been used in traditional marketing. How does it differ in the case of storytelling?
V.R.: Absolutely, creating stories to reach customer goes way back. They even say that the first example of content marketing dates back to 1895, when the pioneering tractor brand John Deere created ‘The Furrow’, a magazine that was not directly designed to sell, but rather to disseminate editorial content from the farming sector through its stories.
The expansion of storytelling has occurred because of the evolution or migration from conventional advertising to new narratives, which, in turn, is due to the fact that there is so much more advertising than before. In fact, some studies estimate that a resident in a Western city receives no fewer than 4,000 advertising impacts every day. This forces brands to strive to stand out to consumers who are bombarded by these mass advertising impacts and they have become mature and smart as a result. New ways of persuading them are needed. Consumers will not forgive brands that they feel are treating them as fools.
Therefore, we have to embrace new ways of communicating and accept that traditional marketing no longer works for new media that have been transformed thanks to the digital world and transmedia approaches. There are, however, some traditional marketing campaigns that are so well done that, despite the passing of the years, would still have a really positive impact. One such case, in my opinion, would be Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ campaign. The brand has been using the slogan for decades now in advertisements that always convey the spirit of excelling oneself through emotive, inspirational stories.
A.P.: In traditional marketing, the brand used to speak unashamedly about how good it was, using one-way communication in which the audience was just the recipient of reason-based information, but it did not transmit emotion or tell a story. In contrast, when we use storytelling strategies, we are appealing to what concerns, interests or excites the customer, who is on the other side of the conversation. We want to generate a reaction or feeling, as if the brand were a person, taking part in a conversation.
Moreover, it is well proven that people love listening to stories, as they release oxytocin in our brains, which makes us more empathic. At the end of the day, we are using one of the oldest communication techniques: we remember human stories but forget data very easily.
What purpose should well-applied storytelling strive to achieve, in your opinion?
V.R.:The first purpose is to generate emotions and the second is to sell. We must never forget that the aim of marketing and advertising is to sell and, as creative professionals, we sometimes lose sight of this fact. Our campaigns must form part of a strategy, not simply be designed to show off. Campaigns are sometimes devised with the aim of winning competitions. This is a bad idea because brands cannot survive on awards alone. That is the big difference between an artist and an advertiser: both have to generate emotion but the latter has to do so in order to sell. The advertisement is the means, not the end. This issue has long caused tension between creative agencies and advertisers. We have to strike the right balance.
A.P.: The ultimate aim of storytelling is to connect with the customer on an emotional level, enabling them to see values simply and clearly, so that they feel that they identify with them and a bond of trust is generated and, therefore, the customer buys our product or service (now or in the future).
How have the customers’ demands or expectations changed in recent years with respect to the brand? Is the need to generate customer empathy or engagement the decisive factor that they are looking to achieve? Or do other factors matter more?
V.R.: In terms of the brand, it is a matter of adding a layer of emotion to the traditional narrative, striving to build a long-term connection with the customer, compared to conventional advertising, which is more focused on the short-term. However, we always have to bear in mind that customers are now far better informed, also with respect to brands. So, if you tell them a story that is not aligned with what the company does, they are going to reject you. For instance, if you claim to have human values when communicating your brand, but the company does not then abide by these values, it will probably face a reputation crisis.
Brands, governments and individuals have all been guilty of lying on occasions to protect their interests. Many of these lies have been revealed, which has made consumers far more critical that they used to be. If they do not believe the message, they will investigate and word will spread like wildfire. Social media provide the platform for them to air their criticisms, which will spread faster than the campaign and it is almost impossible to stop them.
A.P.: Consumers are saturated with advertising, so companies are making great efforts to create interesting contents that hold their customers’ attention. With the emergence of social media, communication is much more dynamic and two-directional. The audience is no longer just a recipient, but rather they are now a participant with the capacity to interact.
Customers expect honest empathic brands that are aligned with their values and concerns, regardless of the kind of product they are selling. In the case of the Covid-19 pandemic, for example, brands that have collaborated with the health service or which have launched campaigns in support of disadvantaged groups are much better perceived that those that have not. Nowadays, users expect brands to take a stand against the problems that affect them and this will be a decisive factor when choosing where to spend their money.
In this respect, what can we achieve with storytelling that we cannot achieve with other techniques? What unique possibilities does it offer?
V.R.: Generating emotion and a longer-lasting relationship for the brand. A conventional campaign has a shorter-term perspective and it can be measured in sales. In contrast, storytelling is measured in willingness to buy, image and brand reputation. As such, it is obviously harder to measure and, as a result, it is more difficult to correlate with sales. The ideal option is to combine conventional advertising campaigns with storytelling.
A.P.: Connecting empathically with the audience at an emotional level. This kind of relationship goes far beyond a mere financial transaction, as it enables consumers to consider the brand at a human level and creates bonds that last through time, as long as our messages are consistent.
What categories can we divide storytelling into and which do you find most interesting or offer most possibilities?
A.R.: There are as many categories as you can imagine. It is interesting to get to know each company, its values, objectives and the products or services it offers. We can talk about the brand’s story, universal issues that connect the customer with the company, or complicated situations that we can give them a solution for, whether the issue is related to our products or services, or more complex matters, such as Covid-10 or the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Every writer has their own division, so it is a good idea to read to gather a big variety of resources that respond to the needs that we may have at any given time.
In terms of the different channels that we can use, does transmedia storytelling represent an added challenge?
V.R.: The digital world is increasingly used in storytelling because it involves a more progressive and scalable advertising investment, unlike television campaigns for instance, for which the starting price is far higher. The digital sphere has therefore become an affordable channel for distributing longer pieces. When using a transmedia approach, one common tactic is to launch a short version of a campaign on television and another longer piece digitally. It is unthinkable not to embrace the digital world, bearing in mind that there are far more people on Facebook or Instagram every day than watching television. As such, if you do not use digital channels, you have a huge competitive disadvantage. There are lots of people that you simply will not reach. This is true even in a country like Spain, with high television consumption, with a penetration level of around 86%. Nevertheless, the most advisable and common option is to combine it with digital channels because of their scope, costs and extra coverage.
A.P.: I see it more as an opportunity than a challenge because it enables us to create stories in which the audience plays an active role. This involvement generates a greater connection and bigger global impact, in the form of different languages, adapted to each channel. Telling a story from different points of view makes it even more interesting and generates anticipation if we have to find out the end or complete the story.
Should good storytelling be short? Is less more?
V.R.:I always say that there are long movies that fly by and short moves that drag on. If the content is good, the duration should not matter. However, we should bear in mind that we consume shorter and shorter contents all the time.
A.P.: The most important thing is that it is easy to follow and not to complicated. If we do not understand it first time, it has not been well executed and we will have to change the formula. The fact is that users’ consumption on social media is increasingly based on immediacy and speed, so our storytelling has to be concise and, in many cases, also short. It is increasingly hard to hold people’s attention, so the messages that we want to communicate have to be very powerful for the audience to stay with us right through to the end.
Can you tell a story about any company/product? Can anything be turned into a story?
V.R.:Yes. In fact, one campaign that I really liked was to promote public safety on trams in Melbourne in 2012. It was called “Dummy ways to die” and the really fun animated video went viral, leading them to make an app with the music. It became a real worldwide phenomenon, with over 188 million views on YouTube. The keys to its success? In my opinion, opting to deal with a really delicate issue in a humorous way, creating attractive content to watch that conveyed a lot of information and, most importantly, it achieved the campaign goal of raising users’ awareness of the need to take safety measures when using public transport. However, as I always say, we must remember that going viral is a consequence, not the objective.
A.P: Absolutely, it does not matter which company or product we are talking about, it can always be turned into a narration to communicate its values and ideas and thereby connect with the customer. It is essential to have a clear idea of our target to use the techniques that best suit each specific case.
How should it be integrated within a Digital Marketing plan?
V.R.: It depends on the type of campaign but, in general, the digital sphere enables a piece that runs for longer, which is better for telling the whole story. We should launch an omnichannel campaign on our own media, such as the brand’s social profiles, as well as combining earned and paid media.
A.P.: It should be a fundamental part of the Digital Marketing plan because it will help us to articulate the plan right from the beginning. If we have clear objectives, we will know which tools to use, when and how. Social media are a great vehicle but our storytelling also has to feature on our website, in our e-mails to our customers and any kind of digital communication that we use. I cannot conceive of a Digital Marketing plan without integrating the stories that we want to tell.
Tell us a little about your professional experience in this area, particularly in your present company.
V.R.: The most interesting content marketing campaign that I have worked on was Red Bull Stratos, for which I oversaw the distribution in Spain. It was a milestone in the history of humankind, a reality produced by the brand. All kinds of editorial content could be generated about it, a story of people overcoming challenges in real time, the perfect story. All the media want to tell the story, without having to pay anything. Another great campaign was Skoda’s Cowboys in the Desert, which highlighted depopulation in Spain, particularly in the Tabernas desert in Almeria, with a series of videos about people in a town almost completely cut off from the world, to whom they gave a car to reach other local towns. It was a lovely story, very well told and aligned with Skoda’s values, such as satisfying mobility needs.
A.P.: As a journalist, storytelling is one of my natural forms of expression. I started working in media and press departments in sectors as diverse as nuclear energy and the European Parliament. I then moved to the other side, working with fashion brand, agencies and non-profit organizations. I am now responsible for creating contents for social media and different campaigns in the Marketing Department of Desigual. I really like working with a brand that sees storytelling as a fundamental part of its communication and which, thanks to its values and story, enables me to tell relevant stories that connect with the customers, because they go far beyond just commercial content. Moreover, I am a lecturer on storytelling and other courses on the postgraduate fashion programs at IDEP Barcelona, where I enjoy sharing my passion for telling stories with the future professionals in the sector.
What training should a good storytelling professional have?
V.R.: They need to have a certain set of aptitudes and to be creative. As far as training is concerned, they need a really good knowledge of marketing, the media panorama and audiovisual narrative.
A.P.:I think that it is essential that they read a lot and consumer a variety of cultural contents; film, music, photography, art or theatre. Moreover, they must be curious and pay close attention to what is happening in the world and, most importantly, on social media, so they need a good knowledge of Digital Marketing. Nowadays, there are lots of courses available focusing on the key factors required to understand what storytelling is, and I recommend these courses to anybody who wants to acquire a theoretical foundation. However, as well as this, they have to be interested in discovering stories, both good and bad, in order to learn from them. In my case, I benefit a great deal from travelling and being in contact with a broad range of different people, because storytelling is based on human experiences.
What kind of elements make a content go viral these days? Humour, emotion?
V.R.: The content has to be good but, in addition, the context has to be right, because a tweet at three o’clock in the morning will have a lower impact.
A.P.:I would love to have the recipe for success, but things are not that simple. Humour is a big plus when creating viral contents, but it is also good to touch the audience’s hearts or surprise them. The content has to be visual, without the fact that you are selling something being the most obvious aspect of the story. It is impossible to guarantee that a content is going to go viral. The magic only happens when the story is powerful and well told, connecting with the audience strongly and naturally, particularly if they identify with the protagonist. When we tick all these boxes, people cannot help sharing the content, and that should be our objective.
Could you give us any examples of companies that apply storytelling well and badly?
V.R.: For instance, Estrella Damm, which has managed to convert what started out as a summer advertisement into a process in which they launch the trailer as the commercial, followed by the full film on digital media, so that, off their own bat, people look for the piece that company has generated. As an example of bad storytelling, I would say brands that have played with issues like sexism, gender equality or racism and had their fingers burned.
A.P.:There are companies like Apple, Nike and Coca Cola that automatically come to mind when we talk about good storytelling practices. Moreover, I would add other more niche brands, such as Patagonia, which was one of the first brands to tell stories, or Reformation (US women’s clothing brand), that claims that “Being naked is the most sustainable option, we are the second”, telling a really powerful brand story with great humour and honesty. In terms of bad applications of storytelling, I would highlight brands that take advantage of unfortunate circumstances of events for their own benefit. The lack of humanity and the desire to sell at any cost is perceived very negatively by consumers. There are some recent examples related to the Covid-19 pandemic, with brands that have been more human and empathic with what is happening are much better perceived than brands that have not adapted their storytelling to the challenging times that society is going through.
In your opinion, in which direction will storytelling evolve in the future?
V.R.: Wherever the consumers take it, brands will respond accordingly. Digital Marketing is a matter of brands’ understanding the changing media consumption of consumers. The brands that manage to perceive these changes will be the ones that shape the evolution of the new advertising narratives.
A.P.: Storytelling is the oldest form of communication, so it always evolves and adapts to any particular time in history and its circumstances. The future of storytelling is closely linked to the new forms of communication and, therefore, social media. Every time a new social network, app or technological advance appears, new guidelines for transforming the narrative are created, which enables us to create stories taking advantage of these new conditioning factors. Nowadays, experiences and direct contact with the brand are more crucial than ever for reaching our audience.