Brand Storytelling— Crafting Compelling Narratives that Resonate with your Audience

Having worked in the golden age of the advertising industry for 16 years from assistant art director to creative director and managing partner, I was immersed in the world of brand success through storytelling. After I became an educator, I naturally told stories in my lectures without noticing. Until recently, when a graduate who had completed her course more than a decade ago said: “Actually, I’m surprised that I still vividly remember your lectures.” This made me wonder why a story is memorable and how it creates emotional connections.

To illustrate the importance of taking creative risks, I told my classes a story from my experience working as an art director at The Ball Partnership in the early 1990s, a renowned award-winning creative agency at the time. Holding a print ad in my hand, I told the students that this was an advertisement I had created for Commercial Radio. The ad’s objective was to persuade marketers to place advertisements on the Commercial Radio channel. The creative idea involved attaching a real Q-tip to the page, accompanied by the headline, “A Small Tip To Improve Your Media Plan.” The body copy further explained why the reader should consider Commercial Radio in their media plan. The chosen medium was Media Magazine, now known as Campaign, a must-read publication for all advertisers and practitioners at that time.

In advertising agencies, we have internal reviews before presenting creative ideas to clients. To ensure this idea would be accepted by Media Magazine, we consulted the media director to figure out its feasibility.

When Harry, the media director, saw the layout, his immediate response was: “Sh*t.” However, he successfully negotiated with Media Magazine’s sales department, securing approval within the day. The creative culture of The Ball Partnership, from the creative and account servicing to the media departments, enabled a risky idea to pass through. The idea was sold, it ran, and the responses were great.