Top 5 Examples of Storytelling in Marketing & Advertising
Oxytocin is a neurochemical. Colloquially known as the “love hormone”, you’ve experienced its effects in the early stages of a relationship. But on a deeper level, oxytocin explains something else - why we love stories.
Savvy businesses are always on the vanguard of what people want, particularly as science illuminates it. Heck, Steve Jobs often talked about knowing what people wanted… even if they themselves did not know.
The following five ads are exceptional examples of how storytelling as temporary transportation, becomes permanent memory. When we’re emotionally moved, we remember what moves us because emotion is stronger than thought. And if the source happens to be a business, we want to buy from them.
Let’s analyze some terrific advertisements, and dissect what you can use for your own.
Airbnb - A New Paris
The protagonist’s very first words are largely what we think when discussing, imagining, or planning for that Paris trip. We instantly feel like she’s in our shoes and vice versa. This isn’t just a story about a woman, it’s a story of a storied city. Paris has its face-value allure of course - the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and so on. But what the character here speaks of is what truly gets travelers’ engines revving: back alleys, long nights, and hidden gems. Personally, the claymation-esque aesthetic was not our favorite creative decision ever made. But the dual stories told are incredibly effective in making people want their own Paris story.
Apple - 1984
Okay, we get it, this looks dated. But if you can summon the strength to transport yourself, this ad was enormous in its day.
It tells one story while referencing another, George Orwell’s iconic 1984. In one 60-second ad, we see a microcosm of the most timeless story we know - a hero (in this case, a sledgehammer-wielding woman) who saves the day. Apple’s job is to convince you that they are this hero, not just in your life - but all of humanity’s (i.e., the people seated).
The ad may be overly dramatic, perhaps condescending. But it utilizes the simple story formula of a hero completing a mission, to illustrate that Apple isn’t a luxury in your story - it’s a necessity (and let’s be honest, it sure turned out that way).
Kerrygold - Middle of the Night
By far the sweetest ad, Kerrygold’s approach relies on the most universal manifestation of love we all know - family. Make no mistake, the dairy brand leans hard into it, almost to the point of cheesiness (pardon the pun). But see, we’ve all been in that exact cheesy scenario - preparing a huge meal, maybe waking up at odd hours to start it, and all for the arrival of someone or some group we cherish. That’s the meaning, the power of good food. See, ostensibly, this is just about the son who gets home late from his first day on the job. But look how much footage is shot of the family prep - and how it’s shot. The laughing, the joyful tasting, the peering out of the window to check on the son’s arrival. It’s a masterclass in transporting us, and reminding us.
March For Our Lives - Generation Lockdown
**Warning - graphic descriptions of violence**
“She’s actually an expert on this”. Utterly harrowing.
It’s impossible to not be gripped by this. For her role as an active shooter training lead for a small company, Kayleigh isn’t just brought in as shock value. She’s here because she has stories - and wisdom - to share, based on what she has learned in her own classrooms.
The audible gasps of the employees when the young Kayleigh enters. Her vivid descriptions in the vocal pitch of youth. The haunting montage of images accompanying them. These combine with the documentary-style filming to simultaneously immerse the viewer in that very room… while punching their minds in the face with the horror of what’s transpiring more frequently in our workplaces, schools, and beyond.
Chevy - Happy Grad
I understand the previous spot couldn’t be our closer, so we opted for an ad that’s among the most popular Super Bowl ads in history.
Car commercials these days are generally all the same. Sleek shots of the car doing that thing cars do, known as moving. Some overhead/helicopter photography, an overplayed song in the background, maybe even an A-lister driving it while talking to you in a southern accent like you’re their golfing buddy.
This is not that. Here we’re met with a hysterical tale of awkwardness worthy of a scene in Curb Your Enthusiasm. In this miniature short comedy film, the creative minds at Chevy understood that getting remembered meant standing out. So they swung for the fences: The grad’s reaction approaches heart-attack level. The tiny mini-fridge with nothing but a bow. The number of characters nearing the number of seconds in the ad. So much is accomplished in only 30 seconds (note this is the only one of such length in the whole list), but most importantly - a new Chevy is a stellar gift, for you or from you, and cause for a raucous celebration.
Through humor and drama, commentary and satire, the power of stories is limitless in its ability to call us humans to action. It’s why we at Iliad Media Group use it in every project, many of which find enormous success as a result.
If you want to be our next one, let’s get down to work.
