Digital storytelling: The role of content marketing for brand image

This is branded content.

In 2010, researchers at Princeton University in the US studied how two people communicate by recording brain activity. Using special microphones (normal ones emit signals that interfere with magnetic resonance scans), they were able to peer into parts of the brain that light up every time people converse with each other.

This 'neural coupling,' as researchers call it, happens whenever talking to someone. But what's more fascinating is how this phenomenon is enhanced when telling a story instead of hard facts and figures. Researchers observed that more areas of the brain became lit up when listening to a story as if they were in that story themselves.

The study is far from being the first of its kind, but it speaks volumes about humans' penchant for storytelling. It explains how the audience reacted with vigour when Captain America wields Mjolnir in combat for the first time in Avengers: Endgame. That scene was a long time coming, so people were understandably beyond elated.

It also highlights a radical shift in marketing doctrine. While relaying facts and figures is still an important tenet, consumers can digest them more easily if told from a character's point of view, complete with conflict and resolution. If you aren't storytelling, you aren't selling.

While the human brain on a good story can be enough of a reason, from a marketing perspective, it doesn't have to be the only one. The reality for marketers is that people get inundated with ads to the point of loathing their existence. Pop-ups and ad breaks are notorious for fomenting such a sentiment, disrupting users while reading or watching the content.

It's easy to argue that ads are necessary, but your customers are your moneymakers. No matter how well-made an ad is, it won't generate revenue if the target audience doesn't want to see it. Such cases aren't isolated, as many studies have confirmed people's dislike for ads.

Some businesses see this as a reason to shift to more organic means of marketing, like creating valuable content. Sadly, this is a catch-22: without paid ads, organic marketing can only get a brand so far. An internet overloaded with content makes standing out more challenging.

To summarise, you must get your brand out there, but your content must come off as something other than blatant advertising. That's where digital storytelling comes in. The empathy that most people feel for a character makes a marketing effort less forced and more relevant to consumers. It fosters trust because people realise the brand understands their plight.

Creating a story is by no means a walk in the park, as most writers attest. But you'd be surprised at how simple the content for most viral storytelling campaigns is. Some, like McDonald's 'Can I get uhhh,' are a few words long, while others, like Amtrak's 'trains' tweet, are a single word. No one's sure how the latter gained over 220,000 retweets, but it inspired other brands to follow suit.

Short and sweet may just be the trick, as the average consumer attention span has dropped since the dawn of the 21st century. From 12 seconds, according to a study by Microsoft in 2000, it got smaller to eight seconds in 2015. This figure has yet to be updated, but a joint study by Yahoo and OMD Worldwide revealed that Gen Z consumers lose interest in ads after 1.3 seconds.

Given these numbers, today's ads only have 10 seconds to get people's attention, far less for Gen Z folks. Digital storytelling is designed to do the job in one fell swoop. How it'll do it requires a combination of planning, data, and a bit of luck.

The best practices for crafting an attention-grabbing story for content are more or less the same as in traditional marketing. Research your target audience and focus on suitable but low-competition keywords. You can hear these tips and more from digital marketing firms like Pursuit Digital, owned by Aaron Gray.

On the topic of storytelling, a principle most writers swear by is to 'show, not tell.' Renowned writers and playwrights, including Anton Chekhov who was credited with coming up with the term, stress the importance of using actions and feelings instead of exposition to convey scenes. Instead of writing that 'the moon is bright,' Chekhov urges writing about its glint on the glass.

'Show, not tell' is great advice for story writing. But it falls short for copywriting.

The problem is that writing a story or novel is way different from creating an ad copy. Unlike a story, you don't have the luxury of telling readers what you want to tell them. The ad copy must convey what they want to know and do so quickly. The opposite, 'tell, not show,' is just as bad because it results in a copy that no one might even notice.

So, what do you do? Show AND tell (or tell AND show works just as fine).

Marketing experts explain that there's a time and place to do either. Show how the brand differs from the market as much as possible, then follow up by telling them what such statements imply. Leaving it up to the customer to interpret them is a no-no in marketing. The last thing you want to deal with is a slew of complaints for not meeting their expectations.

Case in point: the reason McDonald's 'Can I get uhhh' campaign worked so well was that it was relevant. Surely, there has been a point in your life when you can't decide what to order, whether at a McDonald's or any other restaurant. With the tell crystal clear, the brand showed its essence with a series of commercials and stunts.

Some brands take it one step further by adding an extra step, as with Apple by 'showing, telling, and showing again.' Its copy on the iPhone 14 describes it as 'Wonderfull' (as in being full of wonderful features), follows up with the features compared to their previous phones, and media that showcases the potential experience when using it.

Up to this point, the discussion has been mostly about storytelling in the marketing environment. However, make no mistake: the medium in which the brand delivers its story is just as important. A captivating story and appealing visuals make for a recipe for marketing success.

One justification for this can be found in science. A study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered that the brain can process images up to 600 times faster than words, with the fastest being 13 milliseconds. This is a far cry from the 60,000 times that many marketing experts cite (which can't be attributed to any study).

Researchers attribute this ability to what they call 'feedforward processing.' The brain identifies concepts and visuals quickly with a single pass, whereas other types of content have to undergo extra steps. This big disparity in processing time helps keep information fresh in people's minds.

Another valid reason is attributable to consumer trends. According to this year's State of Content Marketing Report by HubSpot, the top three most used social media apps among Gen Z members are YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Social media ads are the most common way they get news on new products and services.

Businesses have taken notice, resulting in many planning to increase their budget for producing short-form videos this year. These videos usually last up to a minute, though the optimal length is 30 to 60 seconds. They also don't cost as much to produce, giving them an average return on investment of 10%, more than other forms of digital marketing, according to HubSpot's report.

Harnessing digital media for storytelling doesn't just include creating digital content. With more people accessing the internet beyond the humble desktop PC, the content must be optimised for viewing on multiple devices. Users won't have as much time perusing the content on their device screen as doing so on paper, one reason being digital eye strain.

This is another justification for showing and telling. As with Chekhov's example, showing tends to generate longer phrases as it draws out the scene. Telling keeps the ad copy short by getting to the meat of the matter, while the visuals keep readers' attention fixed.

No human can resist a good story, even if what qualifies as 'good' to them varies. Their brain is hardwired to do so, putting them in the main character's shoes and leading them on a journey. It gets them emotionally invested as the story progresses.

This applies to creating ad copies as much as to writing prose but with some differences. While setting the scene can help grab attention, the window to keep readers' attention is highly limited. Storytelling in marketing entails striking a balance between showing and telling.

With the continued rise of demand for digital media, storytelling must take form beyond written words. Videos, infographics, interactive slides - all these can enhance digital storytelling efforts and keep readers hooked. Overall, it's a skill every business owner and marketer must master to stay steps ahead of the competition.