Create ideas using: Storytelling

How do I tell a brand story without it feeling like a commercial?

Stop making your brand the hero. Make the customer the hero and your brand the tool they use. Real stories have tension, stakes, transformation. If your 'story' is just describing product features with a beginning, middle, and end, that's not storytelling--that's a list with a timeline. Give us characters we care about facing problems that matter.

What if my product doesn't have an interesting story?

Then you're looking at the wrong story. Every product solves a problem someone has. That person's journey--their struggle, their frustration, their breakthrough--that's your story. The product is just a supporting character. If you can't find a human story worth telling about your product's impact, you've got bigger problems than marketing.

Example: How it could look

Nike doesn't tell stories about shoes--they tell stories about athletes pushing past limits, facing self-doubt, achieving impossible goals. The shoes are barely in the frame. The story is human transformation, and Nike is the gear people wear during that journey. Story first, product second.

Or like this:

Why is Storytelling a great technique?

Stories create emotional engagement and memory formation in ways factual information simply can't match.

Triggers empathy and emotional investment

Makes abstract benefits concrete and relatable

Creates memorable narrative structure

Allows audience to see themselves in story

Humans are wired for stories--we remember them, share them, and use them to make sense of the world. When you tell a real story instead of pitching features, you're speaking the language our brains prefer. That's not manipulation, that's effective communication.

! When not to use the Storytelling Technique

When you're wrapping product features in narrative window dressing and calling it storytelling. If the 'story' is boring, tell it differently or don't tell it.

Related Creative Techniques

Creative Technique

Create Role

Give people a new role or identity that fulfills the brand idea. Roles encourage participation and storytelling. Steps: Define the behavior you want to support. Name and design the role (tools, rights, missions). Motivate and ritualize it. Variations: Temporary missions; peer selection; role hierarchy. Tips: Give clear tasks and visible impact. Examples: Community ambassadors; ecological 'rangers'.

Creative Technique

Honesty

A campaign that embraces complete transparency, admitting flaws, limitations or uncomfortable truths about the product, brand or category. Honesty builds trust and credibility, turning potential weaknesses into strengths through authentic communication.

Creative Technique

Fight for Cause

Create or activate a meaningful social theme aligned with the brand idea and give people a platform to get involved. Social themes mobilize emotions and behavior; attention paid to a cause positively reflects on brand sympathy. Steps: Define the brand idea or value you want to strengthen. Identify beliefs, barriers, desires associated with this idea. Come up with a theme that addresses them and supports the brand position. Design an engaging campaign with clear actions and social proof. Variations: (a) Movement; (b) social theme with individual expression; (c) Public discussion. Tips: Name the theme; don't be afraid of confrontation (within ethics); design it so media wants to cover it; make participation easy. Examples: ROM 'Romanians are smart' (McCann Bucharest); Dove 'Self-Esteem Project'.

Creative Technique

Amplify the Small

A campaign that takes a tiny detail, moment or feature and makes it the hero of the story. Shows how something seemingly insignificant actually matters greatly, creating appreciation for overlooked aspects of the brand experience.

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