Advertisements are only as successful as the Story behind them. Today’s consumers have been fighting back against the saturation of advertising, forcing companies to create more inventive means of selling their products and services.

The “inventive way” proving most success goes back to the oldest tradition of humankind: Storytelling.

Why Use Storytelling In Marketing

Storytelling is how humans naturally understand and convey information. We tell stories every day.

We tell yur friends about the horrible traffic on the commute home; we tell our bosses the narrative of the recent project we’ve just completed; we tell our partners about the funny thing that happened with the kids at the park. Even when discussing the finances of your business, you’re telling a story about where that money came from, where it’s going, and how you plan on rewriting the future of that financial story.

Humans speak in stories.

So our content marketing should too.  

Moreover, stories grab someone’s attention. “Once upon a time…” or “did you hear…” are two of the simplest ways to instantly intrigue a listener. Stories are engaging and entertaining, which is the purpose of today’s advertisement. People only respond to ads if it has some sort of entertainment value.

Video marketing in particular has become the new form of cinema. A video can tell the story of your brand or the lifestyle behind your product. Videos become a visual storyteller that connects the business with the viewer in an intimate way. The storyboard becomes the most vital aspect of your video production.

If you want to get the most out of your marketing strategy, you need to utilize that entertainment and engagement. Make a story that will attract viewers, impress prospects, and convert customers.  

But how do you begin telling a story? Where should you start?

There are 5 key elements of storytelling. We’ll go through each and how you can utilize these in your brand video to inspire and empower your viewer.

Desire

The driving factor of any story is the main character’s Desire. This desire is the motivating force of the narrative. We often judge the character and the scene based on what that desire is. Often desire is implicit and not directly explained when storytelling.

For marketing videos, the key desire should be linked back in some way to your sales strategy. You want the viewer to desire your product. So you should show your main character desiring your product (implicitly or explicitly).  You can also have them desiring something different than your product, and you can demonstrate how that “misguided desire” negatively impacts them.

Problem

The problem is the need. The character is often focused on his or her desire as opposed to the need, which creates some sort of clash. The character has to acknowledge the problem head on, which is where the tension builds the most.

Take the Snickers’ hungry commercial. The problem is not that Marilyn wants a Snickers. The problem is that she’s cranky and doesn’t realize her desire for a satiating Snickers.

Opponent

There are three types of opponents in storytelling: external, relational, and internal. This can be a literal or perceived opponent.

In marketing videos, this is usually how you build your brand story. What is your brand up against? What’s your purpose for being in business? For example, ASPCA commercials use the opponent of animal cruelty to discuss why they’re in business—and why you should adopt.  

You can also use a narrative of rival opponents as a way to show how your product can rectify the situation. For example, in this video, the main character’s problem is his older brother. But ultimately, his brother stands up for him with the Coca Cola product.

Another use of this storytelling element is showing your customers their opponents or problems… that your product can solve. What is your customer up against daily that your product or service fixes? This is a more direct sell through your story. Take the Beard Bib by Beard King as an example. We see the problem that when men shave, their hair gets everywhere. This shows the “opponent” as the hair falling from the razor.    

Plan

The plan is how the character deals with the opponent. This is the basis of the story.

The “plan” can often be the basis of your product or service. Take the Beard Bib example again. We see the problem or opponent—and then we see the plan to solving it. The “plan” in this case is the Beard Bib.

The “plan” is how your product or service meets that pain point.

Equilibrium

The equilibrium is often also called “self-revelation.” This is when the character’s needs or desires are met, and they’ve developed some sort of new belief system or lifestyle. Life has changed in some way, usually for the better.

For marketing, this is where you show how your product or service can influence the viewer’s lifestyle. With the Beard Bib, the man and woman can have a more pleasant relationship because they’re not arguing over the hair in the sink.

Telling The Story

Let’s go through a couple of examples to see how these storytelling elements apply to video marketing.  

Farmers 2017 “Secret Santa”

For the main character, his opponent is the noisy neighbor. Our elderly man has a desire for peace and quiet, and the problem is that his neighbors are interfering with that desire.  

We then see that the character realizes the opponent may not be what he thinks it is. He thought his opponent was external with the neighbor, but really it’s an internal grouchiness or Scrooge-ness. Thus, his plan is how he begins to interact with the neighbors from afar.

We then see a self-revelation when the boy puts Santa’s cookies on the man’s doorstep. The equilibrium comes when we see the young boy and the old man connecting through the window.

This ad is beautiful in its artful storytelling—and subtle sales tactics. The man is buying Farmers home goods for his neighbors, using the product as a way to overcome his opponent and reach an ending equilibrium.

Johnnie Walker “The Man Who Walked Around The World”

In this six-minute short film, Robert Carlyle tells the true story of the Johnnie Walker brand. There are two layers of storytelling in this video: the storytelling of the brand and the storytelling of the telling of the brand.

The brand story itself follows the elements of a narrative. Johnnie’s desire is the “fire in his belly” that pushes him to build the smoothest malt in the world. The problem is his situation, left to run a grocer’s at 14 and standing up against other bigger competitors. His opponent is the competition of other ambitious entrepreneurs, which ultimately makes him more driven in turn.

The plan is the driving force of Johnnie’s story: how he builds a square bottle with a slanted label, how the Johnnie labels came to be, how the logo came to be, etc.

The equilibrium comes in the line: “Two hundred years later and Johnnie’s still walking, and he’s not showing any signs of stopping.” The brand is pushing forward as they always have. The “self-revelation” is the pride for their brand moving into the future.

Beyond the brand story, the video creation is itself a story. Johnnie Walker’s tagline is “Keep Walking,” based on the Johnnie Walker walking label. This film was created with zero edits; it is a pure shot-to-shot of Robert Carlyle walking and telling a story. This commitment to telling the story while continuously walking reflects the dedication of the brand that we hear in the story being told.

The Bottom Line

If you want a video that will connect with and engage your audience, you need to tell a story. Stories are the primary method of communication, bonding speaker and listener almost instantaneously.

When you start your marketing with an emphasis on adding value through storytelling, you will have proven metrics and results.

Don’t believe us?

See for yourself.

Contact us now to consult about your brand video’s storyboard and marketing campaign.

We know you’ll love the results and end up with a story that will shock and delight your consumer.

It’s your time to be a storyteller.

The post How To Use The 5 Elements Of Storytelling In Your Videos appeared first on True Film Production.