What is storytelling in marketing
Also known as: brand storytelling, narrative marketing
Storytelling is the technique of communicating through stories: instead of listing features, a brand shows a character with a problem, the path they take and the transformation at the end. Plot, characters and point of view are the core elements of any narrative. In marketing, a well told story helps people see themselves in the situation and remember the message later.
A solar energy company's website showed a table of panels, power ratings and warranties. The content was accurate and nobody read to the end.
It started opening the page with the story of a neighborhood bakery: the electricity bill eating the oven's profits, doubts about the investment, installation over a weekend and the first bill afterwards, with the real amount. The table is still there, further down. Now people who reach it already know why they should read it.
The elements of a good story
| In marketing | |
|---|---|
| Character | Someone the audience identifies with, ideally the customer, not the company |
| Conflict | The problem, pain or desire that drives the story |
| Journey | What was tried, what went wrong, the decision |
| Transformation | What it looks like afterwards, ideally with a concrete result |
| Point of view | Who tells it and from where, which sets the tone |
The hero's journey
One of the best known structures is the hero's journey, popularized by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, from 1949: someone leaves the ordinary world, faces trials and returns transformed. Films, books and campaigns have repeated this pattern for decades.
In marketing, a useful adaptation is casting the customer as the hero and the brand as the guide, the one who offers the map and the tool. When a company makes itself the hero of its own story, the customer becomes the audience, and the audience does not buy.
Where to use it
- On the about page, telling why the company exists, not just when it was founded.
- In case studies, with the customer's before, during and after.
- In video ads, which have a few seconds to create identification.
- In sales presentations, starting from the customer's problem.
- In email sequences, where each message moves the story forward.
Stories with data
Numbers gain strength inside a story. Saying a customer cut their electricity bill by 30% is information; telling who that customer was, what they did with the savings and what almost stopped them from deciding is what makes the number memorable. The reverse also holds: a story becomes credible when it ends with a concrete figure.
Cautions
- Tell true stories, with permission from the people in them.
- Do not invent testimonials or results: misleading advertising is prohibited by consumer protection laws.
- Keep the story short enough for the channel.
- Make the next step clear at the end; a good story without a call to action is just entertainment.
Frequently asked questions
What is storytelling?
The technique of communicating through stories, with a character, conflict, journey and transformation, instead of just listing features.
Why use storytelling in marketing?
Because a story helps the audience see themselves in the situation, understand the value of the offer and remember the message later.
What is the hero's journey?
The narrative structure popularized by Joseph Campbell in 1949, in which someone leaves the ordinary world, faces trials and returns transformed.
Who should be the hero in a brand story?
Ideally the customer. The brand works better as the guide, the one who helps the hero solve the problem.
Does storytelling work in B2B?
Yes. Case studies, implementation stories and a customer's before and after are storytelling applied to business sales.
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Rodrigo Fávaro
Founder of ROO3, a marketing and technology agency in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil. Builds AI products running in production (Tobia, gerar.app, Pense Mercado) and maintains the AI Benchmark, a public ranking of AI models.
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