This has become the buzzword de jour. Every copywriter worth their salt adds this skill to their CV, but it's something a lot of brands don't understand.
The truth is, it's a term that isn't widely understood client-side. Some marketing departments get it, but that's about as far as it gets. So why bother with it?
Because telling a story is the difference between remembered or being invisible. How many adverts can you recall and why do you remember them?
Did you snort tea through your nose at the Smash aliens, being Tango'd or Belly's Gonna Get You? Did Ladysmith Black Mambazo make you cry over Heinz ketchup? Do the words 'you have an ology, you're a scientist' and 'have this cheerful sole, madam' still chime your head? Really showing my age, aren't I?
The reason you remember these adverts is because they told a story that triggered an emotion in your amygdala. And this is what made you love that brand.
Ever since Tesco ditched Prunella Scales, I can't recall a single Tesco advert. I couldn't even tell you, with any conviction whether they still make them. BT lost the sass queen Maureen Lipman and replaced it with ads showing their routers, big whoop.
And what makes people invest in that short two to three-minute clip? It's the story. You were enthralled by the prank show format of Tango, eagerly anticipating what was going to happen next and laughed at what is now a hate crime.
A good story has a beginning, a middle and a conclusion. And this is should run through every bit of copy we write and all content we produce.
The difference is how you do it.
The beginning
When putting together a storyboard, first think:
- What's your product or service - what problem does it solve, what's its benefit or if you took it away, what problem would it cause?
- The brand position - a premium, romantic brand like Kenco or a disruptive brand like Paddy Power.
- Profile your customers - who are they and what do they value?
- Get emotional - is it about the family, having a good time or aspirational?
Once you've figured these out, you've got the start of your story. Let's take a brand like Spotify.
What: carry your entire music collection around with you, even the stuff you perhaps wouldn't buy. And discover new and the latest tracks from global artists.
- Brand: cool, digital startup, cutting edge, innovative and youthful.
- Who: inclusive, there's a free service with ads and a premium service that unlocks extra features and is ad-free. Spans all demographics, but highest take-up is with 20 to 45s.
- Emotional: listen to break-up music when you're sad. Get a party going with friends. Belt out a karaoke classic in the car. Block out the world on your commute.
Hey presto, a story is already starting to take shape. I can see it. I might illustrate it through interpretive dance.
The middle
Use that framework to write a story about a man listening to The Street's Dry Your Eyes Mate while clutching a photo of a lost love.
We've all been through heartache. Take that emotion - method acting, of sorts - to put that into your story. Illustrate the pain, the clearing out of things, the anger, the awkwardness of shared friends, having to tell everyone you know, changing plans, the wishing things were different, hoping for redemption, hoping they come back, missing calling them or them being around. Already, there is so much scope for a story.
When developing your story, remember you need the build up. Drop hints about what might happen in order to create intrigue or lead the viewer/reader in the wrong direction, if you want the outcome to be a surprise.
Make your characters human, likable and relatable. The Tango advert showed a group of ordinary lads on an ordinary street when some extraordinary happened. The Oxo family featured a very mumsy Lynda Bellingham cooking with love for her chaotic family who live in an ordinary home.
I'm a big fan of McDonald's adverts, whether they show a group of girls giggling, a man helping his pregnant wife with her cravings, a boy who warms to his mum's new boyfriend over a gherkin. Also, the Lynx adverts depict every adolescent's fantasy, spray yourself with Africa and women will flock to you.
The end
This is where you serve up the pow-pow. The part of the story that ties everything up and crescendos into something that will leave you feeling some sort of emotion. It be laughing, crying, life affirming or just give you food for thought.
Back our Spotify advert, it could end with Ed Sheeran following the heart-wrenching warbles of Adele and our protagonist is quite happy the relationship is over so he doesn't have to listen to the plagiarising, boring twat anymore.
How to tell the story
Firstly, don't create content that isn't needed. It needs to meet the criteria and meet business objectives:
- SEO article on the website to fill a search term gap should be general info about your product/service
- Support content to aid decision making
- Content marketing to build digital equity and make your products/service more relevant
- Cashing in on a trend
Then you need to think about how best to the tell that story. What's the most suitable media:
- ATL - TV or radio ad
- OOH - direct marketing, billboards, flyers
- Infogifs or infographics
- Video
- Article
- Webpage
- Copywriter
- Designer
- Agency
Firstly, don't create content that isn't needed. It needs to meet the criteria and meet business objectives:
- SEO article on the website to fill a search term gap should be general info about your product/service
- Support content to aid decision making
- Content marketing to build digital equity and make your products/service more relevant
- Cashing in on a trend
Then you need to think about how best to the tell that story. What's the most suitable media:
- ATL - TV or radio ad
- OOH - direct marketing, billboards, flyers
- Infogifs or infographics
- Video
- Article
- Webpage
- Copywriter
- Designer
- Agency
