Storytelling is the art of sharing ideas through a story. For businesses, stories are a powerful way to get your message across in a creative, engaging, and memorable way.
We all remember a commercial a lot, either because it impacted us when we saw it, because it connected with our emotions, or because we identified with the situation or the characters and we were captivated. well those are good storytelling examples.
But what makes a good ad? The production, the script, the special effects, the actors, or just a good story? What these types of ads have in common is that they use storytelling to convey their messages.
Storytelling is the art of telling stories. When it comes to applying it to brands, in a memorable way through different formats, it has a very important impact. The clearest cases are found in advertisements.
So to understand how it works and how it is possible to apply this technique, let’s see some storytelling examples in which we will analyze how this marketing strategy is applied to connect with the audience, following different structures, but maintaining three basic principles: characters, conflict and resolution or outcome.
It should be clarified that storytelling techniques can be applied to different areas (as you can see in this article) both to publications on social networks, an about us page, welcome emails, videos, as well as to podcasts and other content that you generate for your brand. .
Let’s start this story!
Types of storytelling: examples of the most used
There are different types and techniques of storytelling, but this time we will only review the main ones. storytelling examples What are they:
- fictional storytelling
- historical storytelling
- Product storytelling
- brand storytelling
- Consumer storytelling
- personal storytelling
It should be clarified that these types of storytelling are not the only ones, nor is it essential that your brand has to completely adapt to any of them.
The beauty of storytelling is that your creativity is the only limit. So you can play between elements to find the style that fits your brand.
Now let’s see some examples of these types of storytelling.
1. Fictional storytelling
Fiction has been in all the histories of humanity, from Greek mythology, through traditional legends, or more recent cases such as The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars or Harry Potter.
This type of narrative tells a story with facts that are not real and that is based on fictitious situations, created from the imagination or events that may seem to be real, all with the aim of helping to convey a message.
Example: Victoria beer – Mictlan
We have constantly seen how different mythologies are taken up to create commercials, but the case of Cerveza Victoria is based on pre-Hispanic tradition.
This advertisement uses a poem by Nezahualcóyotl, narrated in Nahuatl, while the epic journey to Mictlán, place of the dead, is visualized. Through these elements, Victoria not only tells a fictional story, but also connects with her brand values.
🧠learnings: The tradition of pre-Hispanic peoples is a source of inspiration that has not yet been explored for storytelling.
Example: LEGO – Boy’s and Girl’s Day
Fiction is not only imagining fantastic or epic stories, it is also imagining events that would have happened in the past, as we can see in this LEGO example.
In this advertisement it is reported that the company delivered a letter to some parents, in the 1970s, with a message about equality between boys and girls. And through this small action, she managed to get more girls interested in professions such as being an astronaut.
🧠learnings: There are different ways of doing fiction storytelling and everyday events can serve as inspiration.
2. Historical storytelling
Historical facts will always be interesting, but if they are well told they will be even more so. By being based on a real event, it seeks to recall key moments of an event to inspire and educate based on past experience, in addition to generating feelings of nostalgia and emotion.
When picking up a story it is possible to take creative liberties, with the goal of making the story more entertaining. In addition, they do not necessarily have to be important historical events, since everyday events can be narrated in an enveloping way.
Example: Johnnie Walker – The Man Who Walked Around the World
This is one of the most relevant examples of storytelling in the world of advertising. Regardless of whether its duration is greater than 6 minutes, it continues to be captivating and interesting in every second.
This ad simply tells the story of the company from its beginnings, using small set elements that serve to give more power to the narrative. And that is enough to generate a memorable story.
🧠Learning: A good story can be as long as necessary, as long as it is interesting and well told.
Example: Corona – The Finest Beer
It seems that it takes a long time to tell the story of a company; however, this does not have to be the case in all cases. You can synthesize the story, make it shorter, while still being interesting, like this example from Corona.
The ad tells the story of the company, from its origins to the present day, but in a synthesized way, focusing on key moments, while captivating the audience.
🧠Learning: the history of a company or organization can also be told in a summarized way, while remaining interesting.
3. Product storytelling
In this type of narrative, the aim is to put the product as the protagonist in question and, based on its characteristics or benefits, tell an enveloping story.
However, the challenge is very great, since the product or service must be represented in a way that can transmit emotions and that the audience finds attractive.
Example: Ford – New Ford Maverick
Car companies are experts in this type of storytelling. They have perfected the technique of using cars as the central characters in their ads.
In this example of storytelling we can appreciate, without implicitly mentioning any characteristic of the car, the benefits and solutions to the problems that the car in question can offer.
🧠learnings: Sometimes words are not needed to communicate the benefits of a product or service.
Example: Bimbo – Your universe, your sandwich
Making a sandwich is one of the most normal things in the world. It seems that there is no point in making a storytelling from it. But after seeing this example, Bimbo proves that preparing this food is worth telling.
By focusing on the product in a cinematic way, it transforms the routine process of sandwich making into a spectacular adventure. Preparing each ingredient and arranging them in a sandwich becomes something incredible.
🧠learnings: there are different ways to turn “common” products into protagonists of a story.
4. Stroytelling of daily consumption situation
This type of story aims to approximate a real consumption experience of a product or service in question and show the impact it can have on people’s daily lives.
Through this narrative, the aim is for the audience to identify with the daily situation faced by the protagonists of the story.
Example: Tiendanube – The entrepreneurial leap
Through this announcement, at Tiendanube we seek to communicate how easy it is to start selling online.
By using a real situation (creation of a sales website) we seek to generate empathy with entrepreneurs who are about to start an online business, a metaphor for the jump.
🧠learnings: Sometimes it only takes one message to tell a good story.
Example: Iphone – Run Baby Run
Such everyday situations can be recounted in a memorable way using storytelling techniques. A specific case is the Iphone commercials, in which instead of focusing on the technical characteristics of the products, they focus on real situations that their users face.
In this advertisement, a little girl appears playing with her mother’s cell phone to demonstrate the characteristics of the product without mentioning them directly. Since an entertaining way to do it is through situations of daily life.
🧠Learning: Everyday life can be an endless source of storytelling inspiration.
5. Brand storytelling
This type of narrative wants to convey messages based on the values ​​and philosophy of a brand. And it seeks for the viewer to associate these values ​​with the personality of the protagonists.
In these cases, the products fulfill a function beyond what they were created for, they are tools to achieve something greater, such as a change in society. In addition, they use metaphors to represent abstract concepts.
Example: Nike – Unstoppable Joints
Through this story, Nike reflects the personality and values ​​of its brand: breaking barriers, going beyond and doing incredible things.
To achieve this effect, it is based on feminist causes through recognized Mexican athletes who have faced various adversities in their professional careers.
🧠learnings: It can be beneficial to lean on social movements that fit the personality of your brand.
Example: Gillette – We Believe: The Best Men Can Be
An advertisement that marked a debate in the United States and in other countries, because it touches on strong themes, such as the macho stereotypes that the same company may have promoted in other advertisements.
In this example, Gillette questions its past values ​​and seeks to move away from macho stereotypes to opt for new types of masculinity.
🧠Learning: through storytelling it is possible to rethink the values ​​of a company and propose new ones.
6. Personal storytelling
This is one of the most used and emotional narratives due to the impact they generate. Since it seeks to turn the day-to-day experience into the center of the story.
By portraying the work or common actions, it seeks to generate an immediate connection with the audience due to the closeness and universality of the messages it tries to communicate.
Example: Fud – Your mom lies
This ad is very moving for those who see it, because it touches on a very sensitive experience, the love of a mother. This is practically a universal feeling with which you can generate empathy immediately.
Based on this motif, the ad generates a connection with the audience, because it connects with people’s experiences and memories.
🧠learnings: an everyday experience like a mother’s love can generate a very great and immediate emotional connection.
Example: Sabritas – Our people
Another way to approach this example of storytelling is by…
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