Bringing brands to life through storytelling: Expert answers to your top questions

Discover how storytelling can transform your brand’s impact. In a recent CIM member webinar, Alan Barker shared strategies for creating emotional bonds and lasting loyalty. This blog answers the questions we didn't have time for during the exclusive event. 

During the webinar, Barker explained that effective storytelling goes beyond simply describing products or services, and instead focuses on crafting narratives with compelling characters, a clear narrative arc, and a meaningful "so what" element that directly relates to a brand's value proposition.

The CIM team caught up with Barker after the webinar to get answers to some of your burning questions so we could share expert insights into how storytelling techniques can help keep your brand at the forefront of customers’ minds.

Here are the top 10 most popular questions CIM members asked, and Barker’s answers:

1. Can AI be used to create compelling brand narratives? Where will the marketer stand in this process?

Can AI create compelling brand narratives? I’ve no idea. Can it be used to create them? Maybe.

A few months ago, I read a piece by one of my favourite copywriters, Eddie Shleyner. He asked one of the big AI writing engines ‘to describe meeting your firstborn child’. It produced the following 88 words: 

Meeting my firstborn child was a truly magical experience. It was a moment of joy and excitement that I will never forget. When I held my newborn for the first time, I felt a wave of love and warmth that I had not experienced before. I was filled with so much joy and pride that I was now a parent. My little one looked so peaceful and content in my arms. Seeing my baby for the very first time was an unforgettable moment that I will cherish forever.

Eddie then wrote his own 88 words: 

“He’s so quiet,” I said, looking up at the nurse.

​She smiled behind her mask. We all wore masks. Gowns, too. Gloves and hairnets, too.

​“Is that okay?” I said. “Is it okay he’s not crying?” I thought healthy newborns cried.

​“It’s okay,” said the nurse. “He’s quiet but alert,” she said. “Just look at him looking at you.” I looked. “He’s looking right at you.” He was. He was looking in my eyes. “He’s saying hello,” she smiled.

​“Hello,” I said. I felt like crying. “Hello, son.”

I assume that you find Eddie’s piece a more compelling narrative – partly because the AI piece has no narrative at all. (To be fair, Eddie didn’t ask for a narrative; he asked for a description.) Eddie puts it like this.

AI can be a remarkable productivity tool.

For example, I use AI as an instrument for sourcing and organizing ideas.

AI can help writers and copywriters establish the dots to help us start writing (which is often the hardest part).

But it cannot connect the dots like we can. It can’t be personal like us, human like us. It can’t feel the gravity of a profound moment, like a birth, much less the essence of another person. These are uniquely human experiences. And so, AI cannot write like us. It can’t tell stories like us. It can’t. Because the specifics, the details, the granularities we collect through our lived experiences belong to us.

It’s the specifics that bring a story alive. AI might be able to create a coherent narrative structure, but it can’t inject the specifics.

2. Does storytelling differ between products vs services?

Well, the content of the story will differ; but the method will, I think, always be broadly similar. Having said that, I do think we tend to talk about ‘storytelling’ rather vaguely.

A story has to have some specific features: a narrative structure, with an inciting incident, a crisis, and a resolution; a set of characters, doing things; and a meaning, or moral – which will probably be your value proposition.

And storytelling is not the only way to communicate value. It’s just one tool in our toolbox.

We can also think of narrative more broadly than just telling stories.

3. What kind of formats can a story be told in?

Stories can be told in all sorts of ways, including video, audio, static images, text and more! Each medium has its own language, of course. The most powerful element in video – or film – is probably editing: its ability to change points of view and present sequences of images, juxtaposing them to create suspense and surprise. Static images could be like a graphic novel or comic strip; and it could be a single image (take a look at some of those narrative paintings that the Victorians loved so much). And, of course, text works in its own way.

These different media depend, also, on different kinds of attention in the audience – an important element to consider when deciding how to tell your story.

4. Who is the hero of the story - the company, a product or a customer?

It could be all three. Probably only one of them in any one story! My least favourite, I think, is the company as hero. Why? Because I think it can make us, the audience, as representatives of the customer, feel disempowered. Who wants to see themselves as a victim? I’d prefer the company to be like a mentor or wise guide, helping the hero – a customer – solve their problem. Many ads, of course, feature a product as hero.

5. Are statistics a good tool to use in our stories to help people remember them?

A single statistic might be powerful. But – once again – I think we’re taking our eye off the storytelling ball. That single statistic is going to work as a slogan of some sort: ‘kills 99% of household germs’; ‘9 out of 10 dentists recommend...’; ‘Reduce your stress by 40% with...’; Save up to 50% by…’ But I’m not sure that these slogans would work well as the ‘so what’ element of a story.

A couple of months ago, research from the ASA and YouGov revealed the UK’s most memorable ad slogans. The top five were:

Every little helps

Just Do It

I’m Lovin’ It

Beanz Meanz Heinz’

Autoglass Repair, Autoglass Replace

Not a stat in sight. But, interestingly, each slogan could quickly suggest narrative possibilities.

We can also think of other ways of presenting statistics: presenting them as physical images, for example, or using similes (‘three times the size of Wales’; ‘the weight of 24 elephants’…). These might be useful as illustrations within a story.

6. If I have a broad portfolio of products or a complex value proposition, what can I do to simplify things so that I can utilise storytelling techniques?

Well – your value proposition must not be complex. You should be able to render it down to a fairly simple sentence – ‘simple’ of course being a relative term. The sentence should make immediate sense to your customer, whoever they are.

You can focus on a value proposition for each product, as well as a proposition for the business as a whole.

The simplicity, I think, is in the story’s structure. So long as you find and keep hold of the value proposition’s golden thread, running through the story like words through a stick of rock, you can dazzle us with specific technical detail. The dramatic life of the story must remain simple, as must the emotional kick that it generates.

Great science communication illustrates this point. Check out people like Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Professor Brian Cox: they’re brilliant at making complex ideas accessible, in part by using storytelling techniques, and in part by employing narrative to explain cause-and-effect sequences, or to create persuasive arguments – back to And, But, Therefore.

7. How can you apply storytelling techniques in a B2B organisation?

Well, in just the same way that you would in any other marketing context. And I think it can work, sometimes, even better in a B2B context. We tend to think of B2B as less immediately ‘human’ than B2C, but I think that’s a mistake. Your customers – the procurement managers, the decision-makers – might be making more reasoned buying decisions than other kinds of customer, but they’re still human. So, they’ll appreciate what stories are strong in – the specifics.

Create customer success stories, and case studies where you have provided the solution to a customer’s problem.

But use narrative also in thought leadership pieces. A great model that links narrative to persuasion is known as And, But, Therefore. Check out this article, which introduces the technique and cites Randy Olson, who has popularised it. It’s a model much in use in science communication, but it works well in any technical sector.

For some examples, check out the thought leadership pieces and case studies in your field. Ask how well they use narrative structures, how the shape of the story helps to keep it tight and interesting. This post offers you six examples from a range of sectors.

8. If everyone is using techniques like the narrative arc structure or SPQR, how do we ensure our brand preserves uniqueness?

By being specific.

Ok: the longer answer: by exploring all the variants of the narrative arc. Check out this article, which looks at Kurt Vonnegut’s thoughts on the shapes of stories.

Stories work because they follow patterns – similar structures – that we all recognise and respond to, mostly unconsciously. It’s the particular content of each story that makes it unique. Just as the uniqueness of your brand is what constitutes its value proposition. Be specific.

9. What are the best ways to measure the success or resonance of a brand story?

Engagement Metrics are useful, of course. Track likes, shares, comments, and overall interaction with your brand content.

But you can also monitor online sentiment towards your brand, using tools to analyse social media mentions and online reviews. How has storytelling, specifically, fostered a positive image for your brand? It can have intangible benefits – brand-building, intellectual influence through thought leadership, community engagement – that might not be immediately quantifiable.

If you want to understand how your customers perceive and respond emotionally to your brand, track your narrative’s influence by analysing social shares, mentions, and media coverage. Seek feedback through surveys, questionnaires, and focus groups. 

You can complement immediate conversion rates with indicators of longer-term loyalty. You could, for instance, measure the long-term revenue generated by a loyal customer. But you would also need to show how that loyalty has been influenced by storytelling, rather than any other marketing initiatives – and that might not be so easy.

10. What are some practical tips on how to get started using storytelling for your brand? How can we craft a cohesive narrative that’s tailored to our brand?

Start with your value proposition. That will provide the ‘so what?’ for your story. The value proposition is what tailors the story to the brand.

Decide who your main characters are. In particular, who is the hero? The wise guide? Maybe the villain?

The narrative arc gives you the sequence of events that will constitute your story. Focus on actions: on stuff happening. In particular, pay attention to the inciting incident – which sets the story going; the crisis – the moment of choice, the turning point in the story – and the resolution.

And make sure that the resolution of the story illustrates your value proposition.

Brands can create stories that are memorable, emotionally engaging, and capable of demonstrating transformation. The key takeaways from Barker’s webinar include the importance of choosing the right hero (whether the company, product, or customer), constructing a cause-and-effect narrative, and ensuring that the story's meaning aligns with the brand's core values and mission statement. Storytelling is not just a marketing technique, but a powerful tool for creating unique, authentic connections with customers.

If you still have questions on storytelling and the techniques you need to make a compelling story for your audience, sign up for CIM’s Copywriting Masterclass with Alan Barker. The interactive course will reveal all the secrets of the copywriter’s craft.

Secure your place on the course here