The hard line is that content is not effective without a story behind it.
We all love a good story, from fairytales to the latest blockbuster, they are easy to remember nuggets of information in an entertaining package. Another great aspect of a story is that we can empathise with them and retell them to others, which is a great way of making your content spreadable.
The story behind your brand or product is what interests people and hooks them in. The story gives it the charm that makes customers come back and be loyal to your brand.
Research has found that 92% of consumers prefer ads that tell a story, and dopamine is released when a story is heard which makes it more pleasurable and easier to remember.
A conflict is at the heart of the story, and this is where your company comes in to be the knight in shining armour to save your customers at need.
Apple
Apple is globally renowned for their innovation, which no doubt extends to their marketing.
Just watch the way that Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone back in 2007, rather than just unveiling another phone he talks through the current mobile phone market and their limitations before presenting the iPhone as a breakthrough piece of technology.
Apple markets itself as a revolutionary market leader in tech and their products are constantly evolving to keep up the suspense of what will be unveiled next. Ten years later and it’s still working with the buzz around the iPhone X release!
The description of the iPhone X demonstrates that they are still continuing with the same narrative with the claim that they are creating the future, this is just another chapter in their story.
Airbnb
Airbnb’s website has a ‘trip stories’ section of people who have used Airbnb accommodation on their travels.
Each person has their own page with short ‘Snapchat-style’ video clips, which gives it a personal feel and is a visually exciting way of showing off a holiday destination. Cleverly below the video clips, they have nearby properties and activities listed and shown on an interactive map.
They also have a pa
ge full of stories from the 'Airbnb community' which has interesting articles and videos about the Airbnb hosts, which enhances the human connection to the brand. Airbnb has taken away any kind of explicit sales, making it easy for potential customers to forget that they're being marketed to because they're so absorbed in the content.
