Storytelling has become somewhat of a buzzword in the marketing and advertising industries as of late. More and more often you’ll see ads nowadays that tell a Story more than simply advertise a product. In some cases, there’s tremendous power in these ads, especially when it comes to building their brand.

However, the question is, “Does storytelling really work? How? And Why?”

Branding through Storytelling

In his book Building a StoryBrand Donald Miller iterates that “Story is atomic. It is perpetual energy and can power a city. Story is the one thing that can hold a human being’s attention for hours.”

He tells the story of how Steve Jobs was let go by Apple back in 1983. They had just launched their computer Lisa, and released a nine-page ad in the New York Times that spilled all the technical features that the computer was capable of. In other words, it was essentially nine pages of technical terms that virtually no one would understand. No surprise, Lisa bombed, and Steve was let go.

Then, several years later, after Steve returned to the company after running Pixar, a change was noticed in the way that Apple marketed their brand. Gone was that nine-page press release detailed technical specs and features of the Apple computer. Instead, what we got were cool, hip, and entertaining ads that spoke to us at a deeper level.

Look where Apple is today.

But what is storytelling in marketing and branding, really? How does it work? And how, exactly, do businesses benefits from it?

1. Resonance: Marketing, Branding, and The Hero’s Journey

I was first introduced to the concept and idea of Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth, or the Hero’s Journey, back in college. Back then, it was simply a lens through which to study and review books, movies, and television. Imagine my surprise, then, when I discovered Donald Miller use this very concept and apply it to the world of marketing and advertising.

The Hero’s Journey is a concept that describes the basic pattern found in many stories, myths, and legends. It follows the journey of a hero who is called to leave their ordinary world to embark on an adventure that leads them to face a significant challenge. The hero is aided by mentors and allies, but also faces obstacles and enemies that they must overcome to succeed.

By following the Monomyth pattern, writers and storytellers can create a compelling story that resonates with audiences. The journey of the hero can be an inspiration to people facing their own challenges in life, encouraging them to face their fears and emerge victorious. The Hero’s Journey is a timeless concept that continues to influence and inspire writers and audiences alike.

In other words, telling stories to build your eCommerce brand is a great way to resonate with your ideal customer or client. It’s a timeless method to create a deeper connection between you and your customers, one that will have them coming back for more.

In his book, The Golden Theme, Brian McDonald (who served as a story consultant and instructor at Pixar, Disney, and Industrial Light and Magic) says that “Letting people know they are not alone in their suffering is one of the primary responsibilities of a storyteller.”

Understanding who your customer is, where they’re coming from, and what their biggest struggle is is imperative to successful branding and marketing.

When you’re able to write the copy for a Facebook or Google ad that has your customers thinking, “That’s me!” that creates a connection that’s deeper than any technical specification can muster.

Stories that focus on the customer as the hero resonate louder and connect deeper.

Once you’re able to establish that connection with your customers, your branding will have gone to a whole new level (as companies like Apple, Nike, and Coca Cola would suggest).

2. Clarity of Messaging: The Mistake Most Companies Make with their Storytelling

In Building A StoryBrand, Donald Miller talks about how story is a sense-making device. Because it was full of technical jargon, Steve Jobs’ nine-page ad was nothing more than a plethora of information that was both difficult to understand and comprehend.

However, after he had returned from running Pixar, the first campaign that he ran with Apple contained only two words that were strewn on billboards across America. Those two words were: Think Different.

We spend almost every waking moment of our day process tons of information from the world around us. Asking customers to spend more of their brain’s processing power to try to understand a complicated and spec-heavy ad will only turn their attention away from you.

Essentially, it’s all noise.

As Donald Miller puts it: “[s]tory is the greatest weapon we have to combat noise, because it organizes information in such a way that people are compelled to listen.” Storytelling is able to accomplish this because “[i]t identifies a necessary ambition, defines challenges that are battling to keep us from achieving that ambition, and provides a plan to help us conquer those challenges.”

The one big mistake that most businesses make in their storytelling is they paint themselves as the hero in the story. This is is wrong.

This is essentially what pre-Pixar Steve Jobs did with his nine-page ad. He painted Lisa as the hero of the story, listing down all the wonderful things it can do.

Remember, the job of the storyteller is to let the audience know that they are not alone. And the best way to do put that across in your messaging is by being customer-centric.

Your business is not the hero in the story.

The customer is.

Your customer is Luke Skywalker, dreaming of escaping Tatooine and becoming a pilot, and struggling with trusting in the Force. Your customer is Remi, whose dream is to become a chef in France. He is Coco, trying to convince his family to allow him to pursue his dream of becoming a musician. She is Mulan hoping for people to see her and accept her for who she is.

What does that make you, the business?

You’re the guide. The mentor. The one that will lead them towards the Holy Grail, the Golden Fleece, the fires of Mordor.

As a business, your role is to be Luke’s Obi-Wan, Frodo’s Gandalf, Katniss Everdeen’s Haymitch, Coco’s great-great grandfather, Hector. You’re there to help your customer solve their problem and achieve success.

Making this mindset shift will bring more clarity into your messaging and allow you to reap the biggest benefit of storytelling For eCommerce brand building.

3. Increased Revenue: Plus True Brand Loyalty & Recognition

Recently, Netflix release a documentary series entitled Pepsi Where’s My Jet?. The series covers the story behind the Leonard v. PepsiCo case that sparked a huge controversy in 1990’s due to what some might consider as a case in false advertising.

The story is that in the 1990s, PepsiCo aired a series of commercials to promote their Pepsi products and point system. One commercial featured an AV-8 Harrier II jet as a prize for seven million Pepsi points.

A business student discovered that he could buy the points for $0.10 each, totaling $700,000 for seven million points. He then convinced investors to help him buy the remaining points and claimed the jet by sending his points and a check to PepsiCo. However, PepsiCo denied his request, stating that the commercial was a joke and the jet was not a prize available through the point system.

Before this controversy happened, Pepsi was a major player in the cola wars and had built their brand around ads that were centered around telling their customers’ story in pretty much the same way that Apple ran their campaigns.

It was the storytelling in these ads that built Pepsi and Apple’s loyal followers.

Who can forget, after all, all the Mac VS PC ads that ran back then? They were simple, straightforward, and spoke to Apple’s customer base through the culture that they were trying to build. These ads didn’t talk about technical specifications between a Mac and PC. Rather, they focused on who Mac users were, what they did, and how the Mac solved all their computer-related problems and challenges.

One of the best examples of storytelling in branding that I’ve seen recently are the ads for Grammarly. Each ad tells a very specific story of people trying to write something, whether it’s a college essay, a company email, or a wedding toast, and how Grammarly can help them solve their problem.

The ads position their customers as the hero, and Grammarly merely the guide and mentor that will do their spelling and grammar checks. And it works!

In Building a StoryBrand, Donald Miller talks about how they’ve helped many of their clients “double, triple, and even quadruple their revenue after they got one thing straight–their message.” Your brand messaging relies on the story that you’re telling your customers.

It’s no secret that storytelling techniques have been widely used in branding and eCommerce to create engaging and memorable experiences for consumers. By crafting a narrative that resonates with their audience, brands can create a sense of relatability and authenticity that can build trust and loyalty. Storytelling can also help brands differentiate themselves in a crowded market, highlighting their unique values and mission.

Moving forward, then, think about what story it is you’re telling your customers. Are you placing them as the heroes in that story? Or are you focusing too much on yourself?

Start crafting your branding and messaging from the point of view of the customer, and start building story content around that narrative. Before long, you’ll start to notice a change in the way that your customers interact with you and your brand, and you’ll be able to truly increase your brand awareness online.

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