A Story to Sell
View the full 2023 EXP Magazine here
Tim Burke, SVP Executive Creative Director
As an Ogilvy specialty agency focused on performance, driving consumer action is kind of our thing. Over the years, we’ve seen what has worked and what has not. Yes, we’ve had some fails. And while there is no formula—nor should there ever be—for creative development, our wins and losses collectively have built a roadmap for success. It’s something we call Storyselling. Storyselling unites the principles of telling a great story with (you guessed it) selling. Here’s a rundown on how this creative approach to performance advertising works:
ENGAGEMENT.
Any good story should engage its audience early on. Drawing them in and enticing their heads and hearts to want to hear more. Think of your favorite movie. What happens in the first scene? How did it reel you in? With Storyselling, our aim is exactly this. Of course, on a smaller scale. And instead of entertaining the audience, we engage them through self identification. We want viewers quickly to identify with the opening and say to themselves, “Hey, this ad is for me.” We aren’t concerned with influencing everyone in the universe. We’d rather connect with those who will relate to and benefit from your product or service. That’s our opening hook. It’s how we attract the right audience to sell your story.
CONTENT.
With brand advertising, the content is typically the story itself. And the objective of that content is getting consumers to feel something. Storyselling, on the other hand, is more focused on making the product the storyline – serving up impactful benefits, features and reasons to believe. Emotion will play a role, as it should, but being informative is critical. As we’ve learned from the aforementioned wins and fails, in order to inspire someone to act, a certain level of understanding has to take place. Storyselling’s content holds the audience’s interest by appealing to their wants and needs. It looks to break down any known barriers to purchase—every brand has them. And it strives to highlight the product’s differentiating qualities. Distinction is a wonderful thing. It’s ultimately all about delivering the right information, the right way, to move consumers from thinking to acting. Informative, valuable content presented to an interested audience goes a long way
STRUCTURE.
Just because we're working with information rather than entertainment, doesn’t mean structure isn’t important. How you walk your audience through the message, how you deliver the brand proposition, how you support the proposition with benefits and tangible facts in a logical fashion, it all matters. The kitchen sink approach, which we’ve all seen, can overwhelm a consumer. Scattered or vague messaging can create confusion. The right flow and structure will make sure the message resonates with you audience instead of flying by them, or worse, steering them away. Every great story needs a great structure.
The wonderful thing about advertising is there’s no one way to grow a brand. Storyselling is designed for brands looking for impact in the present tense. It’s about generating response today while also building brand equity for the future. It’s an approach that can be the leading tactic for a brand or one that complements other strategies in the marketing plan. Afterall, every brand should have many stories to tell… or sell.