digital marketing story

Storytelling is one of the founding concepts of marketing. Rather than just throwing products or prices at consumers, telling an impactful story is one of the best possible ways to truly make an impact. Not every brand is good at this practice, but it’s an integral skill and an element of any successful marketing campaign.

Let’s use the example of a recent Budweiser ad starring NBA player Dwayne Wade. Sure, the commercial is meant to advertise Budweiser, with a play on their time-tested slogan “This Bud’s for you”. However, this commercial told a story, going down in the books as yet another success story for the beer juggernaut.

The ad tells the story of the impact Wade has had on different people throughout his career. From his mother, whom he supported when he made it big in the NBA, to a girl who memorialized her brother whose life was taken in the Parkland school shooting, Wade was presented with mementos as a gesture of thanks.

The impact was felt far and wide as the video quickly went viral, reaching millions within hours. This form of storytelling could easily have been perceived as gratuitous or self-serving. But when done correctly, it has the opposite effect as it stirs an emotional response in the viewer.  Telling a story in marketing serves many purposes. First, it gives consumers the opportunity to consume content that isn’t just all about sales. Second, the story helps align consumers with the core values of the brand.

In Budweiser’s instance, they wanted to drive home the far-reaching impact that public figures can have, and how much others look up to them. This story makes far more sense than simply an ad showing a variety of beer which isn’t nearly as interesting nor as captivating.

So, then, how does a brand conceptualize a story that will make a lasting impact on consumers? Bearing in mind that the concept must be done in taste and with tact, it’s beneficial to do some digging into concepts that will resonate and that also align with the brand’s core values.

Developing a story can be simple, though. Fast-food chain Chick-Fil-A recently used a campaign that featured small, simple stories from customers who had a positive experience with an employee who went above and beyond their job description. This marketing campaign resulted in a simple yet impactful series of short stories that showed how much employees cared about making their customers’ experiences meaningful.

So it may not take too much guesswork to land on a story that will be a springboard for an impactful marketing campaign. If nothing else, finding a way to tell the story of why a business exists is often a successful choice. Perhaps the company’s founder saw a pain point in the market based on personal experiences. Telling this story brings the founder and, as a result, the company onto a more relatable field from the consumer’s perspective.

Finding a way to tell a story is a skill that most marketing professionals are constantly working to improve. After all, marketing isn’t just about making sales and telling people to purchase a product or service. Of course, that is one of the main goals, but the path to achieve this goal is often different. Get creative, think outside the box, and use past examples as precedent for great, impactful storytelling.

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5W Public Relations

Ronn Torossian

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Ronn Torossian is the Founder & Chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently owned PR firms in the United States. Since founding 5WPR in 2003, he has led the company's growth and vision, with the agency earning accolades including being named a Top 50 Global PR Agency by PRovoke Media, a top three NYC PR agency by O'Dwyers, one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces and being awarded multiple American Business Awards, including a Stevie Award for PR Agency of the Year. With over 25 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America's most prolific and well-respected public relations executives. Throughout his career he has advised leading and high-growth businesses, organizations, leaders and boards across corporate, technology and consumer industries. Torossian is known as one of the country's foremost experts on crisis communications. He has lectured on crisis PR at Harvard Business School, appears regularly in the media and has authored two editions of his book, "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations," which is an industry best-seller. Torossian's strategic, resourceful approach has been recognized with numerous awards including being named the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, the American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year, twice over, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist, a Top Crisis Communications Professional by Business Insider, Metropolitan Magazine's Most Influential New Yorker, and a recipient of Crain's New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Outside of 5W, Torossian serves as a business advisor to and investor in multiple early stage businesses across the media, B2B and B2C landscape. Torossian is the proud father of two daughters. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a board member of multiple not for profit organizations.