We’ve been telling stories for as long as humanity has existed. Our entire culture is built on it. Oral tradition enabled us to pass on our knowledge from generation to generation even before writing. Digital storytelling builds on this tradition. With this powerful marketing tool, you use storytelling to position your product in the best possible way.
In the following article, you will learn what digital storytelling is all about. You will get to know the five primal stories for marketing and impressive examples. Dive into the history of storytelling – and inspire real emotions in your next marketing campaign…
What is digital storytelling? A brief definition
In relation to marketing, the term is used to describe dramaturgically prepared content that aims to develop a sales or image-promoting effect through emotions.
So it’s about a holistic marketing concept that puts emotion above mere information. Various models have emerged (the five primeval histories) that have proven particularly effective.
The addition of “digital” results from the fact that this marketing measure is primarily used through the use of multimedia resources (video, sound, text, image) in the area of content marketing and social media. In addition, digital storytelling is successfully used in many TV commercials.
Why does marketing need storytelling?
We are confronted with countless advertising messages every day. Whether on the street, on the bus, on the smartphone, on TV… Companies invest a lot of money in advertising, which is often ignored. The problem is often not even the product itself. It’s about how the product is talked about.
We humans don’t like ads. We don’t like numbers and facts either. The brain does not enjoy dealing with them – especially not when they pop up on the smartphone without being asked. But what we love are stories.
As humans, we like to define ourselves by our intellect and our ability to use logic. Nevertheless, most purchase decisions are strongly influenced by emotions. The heart is often louder than the mind. Therefore, it only makes sense to integrate advertising messages into exciting stories in order to get attention.
In order for this to succeed, you have to address people’s basic needs. Because even though we have thousands of opportunities in an open world, it’s fundamental things that we care about most. These are e.g Security, variety, recognition, belonging, purpose…
When digital storytelling is done well, it doesn’t just sell a product. It sells a change in the ACTUAL state to an ideal, new emotional state. Instead of training wheels, we buy security, instead of a MacBook, belonging to a certain type of person. These are real emotions that leave a lasting impression on people and turn them into loyal customers. And that’s the magic of storytelling.
The core statement: the foundation for digital storytelling
In order to be able to address such basic needs, you have to be clear about what makes your product or service special. Because nobody wants to read long lists of product information. That is tiring and advertising that is tiring goes unnoticed. The brain quickly switches to standby. Instead, you need to get your message across loud and clear. Ideally, a core statement can be summarized in a short sentence. This phrase captures exactly what the emotional benefit is.
All marketing measures are then based on this one sentence. It can be found on social media and in the content, it determines your digital storytelling. The art of storytelling is to achieve comprehensibility and clarity. You can do this by looking at your product and peeling off all the data and facts layer by layer until only the deepest truth remains.
A quick example of this: Imagine an NGO that is committed to combating climate change. Those responsible meet to plan a fundraising campaign. It is about the reforestation of a rainforest area. Of course, the NGO could now trump with data and facts, enumerate how much CO² is bound by the trees and what effects this can have on our climate. That’s right and important. But also terribly boring.
The alternative: The NGO penetrates to the core and realizes that in the end, it is about saving the world. At stake is nothing more and nothing less than the safety of all living beings on the planet. Wow, what a core, what an emotion, right? This core now serves as a hanger to pack all the relevant information – and to position the reforestation project in a meaningful way.
The right hero for your digital storytelling
Of course, you need the right hero for your digital storytelling. It has to be someone that your target audience can identify with. She has to recognize herself, share the excitement and be fully involved. And there is actually only one person who comes into question: your customers themselves.
You read that correctly: the company is not the central figure, nor is the product. It is always the person who ends up buying and using it. In this case, the following applies: Customers are not only kings, they even have heroic status.
Of course, there are a lot of buts at this point. But the product information is so important and the company history and the CEO like to show off too… That may be all well and good. But if you want to gain attention, none of that counts. Then it’s all about the customers and their emotions.
Building digital storytelling sensibly: the five primal stories for marketing
Storytelling has a long tradition and the tradition of research about it is just as long. An important work in this regard is “The seven basic plots: why we tell stories”, which bundles over 34 years of research by the author Christopher Booker. Booker has looked at countless stories from all eras and has identified seven primeval stories to which all the stories of the world can be reduced.
What is important is that the primeval stories are often combined with each other in great stories. You will see that further on. In marketing, on the other hand, it is often enough to follow a scheme. After all, you’re not shooting a fantasy epic, but “only” an advertising clip for the web. But now we come to the five relevant prehistories …
1. Defeat the monster
There is an internal or external threat that appears overpowering like a monster. But the hero gives everything and ultimately averts them. If you want to use this ancient history in marketing, you have to be able to answer one question: who is the monster and how is it defected?
Let’s go back to our NGO for an example. Who could possibly be the monster here? Of course, climate change! This great threat must be conquered. Would you like another example? A new running shoe is the perfect equipment to finally defeat the “inner bastard” monster.
2. From zero to hero
In this plot, the hero has arrived at absolute zero at the beginning. But deep within him lies an immeasurable potential. Ultimately, through twists and turns, he is forced to call it up – and so goes from a nobody to someone. The question for digital storytelling is: Why is the person at zero and how does he ultimately become a hero?
This plot is world-famous for its use in “Rocky” or “Cinderella”.
Such a form of digital storytelling is often used for job advertisements. For example, our NGO might lure new employees into switching from their current, unsatisfactory situation at work to an employer where they can finally fully develop their potential. Or in the case of the running shoe: The hero finally gets his butt off and makes it from the sad couch potato to the active, happy person.
3. The task
Everyone knows such stories: the hero has a mission and achieves it against all odds. Along the way, he learns a lot about himself, as he grows up and continues to develop. In this case, the question for your digital storytelling is: What exactly is the mission, and what changes are taking place during this time?
In the case of our NGO, the big mission is to make the world a better place – to save it. All those involved, whether donors or employees, develop into more conscious people overall. The running shoe, on the other hand, is the perfect tool for the lifelong mission of health and fitness – a completely changing lifestyle.
4. Journey into the unknown
The hero ends up in a strange world and has to find his way around. In the end, he returns from this strange place as a new person. The following questions are important for your digital storytelling: What does this strange world look like? What does the hero learn there and how does he change?
Famous examples are “Alice in Wonderland” and “Robinson Crusoe”. Many episodes of the cult series “Dr. Who” are based on this principle.
In the case of NGOs, various possibilities open up. The new world could be the new employer where you learn a lot and develop as a person. Alternatively, the alien world could also be our current state, in which climate policy issues often take a back seat and the future is uncertain.
Only through commitment does the hero bring clarity and not only change himself, but also the world around him. Looking at the running shoe example, the alien world can be anything that opens up outside while running. Because in outdoor sports, heroes gradually conquer a new world while changing physically and mentally.
5. The rebirth
At this point it should be said in advance: This prehistory is also difficult for marketing because it is very deep. In this plot, a character disappears or goes astray. But in the end, she returns radiant and better than ever. Important for this rebirth is a counterpoint that causes it. This often lies in a duality: old & young, good & bad, woman & man. The question for your digital storytelling is: Who will be reborn and how?
Probably the most famous example is in the best-selling book in the world: the Bible. For it is Jesus himself who rises from the dead on the third day. But rebirth can also be found in more recent stories.
In “Star Wars” it is the antithesis of Luke Skywalker (young, good) who finally lets Darth Vader (old, evil) return to his original identity as Anakin Skywalker in death. The reincarnation can also be found in the already mentioned “Lord of the Rings”: Gandalf the gray (good) fights against the Balrog (evil), disappears in the process – and finally returns as Gandalf the white.
For our examples, this plot is relatively difficult. Because it unfolds an immense effect that is so fundamental that it is difficult to associate it with products or services. In the case of a job ad, the new job could be something that takes a person out of a slump and makes them a new person. When doing sports, running shoes could help to get out of a depressive phase.
As you can see, it is very difficult overall to generate the necessary duality in marketing. Therefore, rebirth is best suited for mind games, but rarely for actual campaigns.
Digital storytelling: 8 tips for practical implementation
Do you want to put digital storytelling into practice? Then we would be happy to summarize all the important points for you:
- Find the core of your product.
- Determine which emotional benefit the product fulfills.
- Always put emotion ahead of information.
- Try out different primeval stories for your digital storytelling.
- Choose the appropriate prehistory.
- Think of digital storytelling as a holistic marketing approach.
- Choose different forms for your digital storytelling. (text, podcast, video…)
