Earlier than changing into a marketer, I used to be a journalist who cherished the chance to inform tales about my neighborhood and share views that might in any other case go unnoticed.
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Once I left the journalism enterprise, I believed my storytelling days had been over; nevertheless, visible storytelling is vital within the advertising and marketing world.
Visible storytelling permits manufacturers to attach with audiences on an emotional and private stage by sharing tales accompanied by beautiful imagery.
So, hold studying to discover ways to incorporate visible storytelling into your advertising and marketing marketing campaign. I‘ve included a few of my favourite examples to assist encourage you. Let’s go!
Desk of Contents
What’s visible storytelling?
Visible storytelling includes utilizing visible components to reinforce or inform a narrative. These components could be video, pictures, graphics—any media that generates visible curiosity. Certainly one of my favourite examples of visible storytelling comes from Airbnb.
The corporate, which makes a speciality of quick—and long-term homestays, posted a video on its YouTube channel telling the story of a displaced household that obtained a recent begin by securing momentary housing by way of Airbnb.
The YouTube video interweaves interviews with the household with b-roll footage of their every day lives, former residence, and the pure catastrophe that modified their lives endlessly.
The story tugs at my coronary heart, and the wealthy imagery and considerate edits improve it. All whereas advertising and marketing Airbnb as extra than simply an alternative choice to inns; it’s an choice for individuals who want momentary shelter.
Why is visible storytelling necessary?
Visible storytelling can construct an genuine, emotional connection between your model and its viewers, resulting in loyal shoppers who’re invested in your story, merchandise, and companies. Let’s return to my Airbnb instance.
Customers may even see this heartwarming story of how Airbnb helped a household in want and should determine to e-book their subsequent trip stick with Airbnb not simply due to its companies however as a result of they need to hold the enterprise thriving to allow them to assist different households.
Visible storytelling can even construct model recognition that may final for years to return. My favourite instance of lifelong model recognition is Daybreak Dish Cleaning soap’s “The Huge Image” docuseries—which I will discover extra in-depth later.
Parts of Visible Storytelling
So what components do it is advisable flawlessly execute visible storytelling in your marketing campaign? Nicely, let’s begin with the apparent —the visuals and story.
Visuals
Whether or not you are telling a narrative by way of graphics, pictures, or video, compelling imagery is crucial to bringing your story to life. A few of my favourite examples of attractive visuals come from the Sydney Opera Home.
The world-famous opera home briefly closed its doorways in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, and for the primary time in years, the venue was empty of holiday makers and performers.
Throughout this time, the opera home underwent repairs and updates, and an area photographer, Daniel Boud, was invited inside.
Boud took attractive pictures of an unusually empty Sydney Opera Home, a web site most individuals might by no means see once more.
The pictures conveyed a way of nostalgia for the various performances which have taken place on the decades-old opera home.
Additionally they advised a narrative of unease and melancholy, reflecting the wave of uncertainty that swept the world of stay efficiency at the beginning of the pandemic as many venues closed their doorways (some for good).
Images of development staff updating the opera home additionally mirrored a glimmer of hope for the longer term as they spruced up the venue for future performances regardless of not figuring out once they’d ever occur.
Story
After all, you should consider the story you are making an attempt to inform earlier than you possibly can even get your visuals collectively.
The Sydney Opera Home needed Boud to inform the story of how some of the vigorous and loud locations on the planet stood silent and empty however nonetheless confirmed hope for the way forward for its livelihood and that of the efficiency artwork trade.
What story do you need to convey to your viewers? Maybe you need to share how your model got here to be or how your group has made a distinction in the area people.
Maybe your model has skilled some unhealthy press, and also you need to present the way you‘ve turned issues round and massively improved your services or products, like Domino’s Pizza.
Years in the past, the corporate acquired backlash for the standard of its pizza and was the butt of many jokes.
Within the video under, Domino’s makes use of interviews, a b-roll, real shopper reactions, and a peek behind the kitchen to point out that the corporate is utilizing a brand new recipe and that customers can now take pleasure in their newly improved scrumptious pizza.
Feelings
Your visible story should make your viewers really feel one thing that generates an emotional connection. As I mentioned earlier, the pictures of an empty Sydney Opera Home made viewers uneasy.
How might such a powerhouse develop into so desolate? How might issues change so abruptly?
The pictures additionally conveyed isolation from artists, the performing arts neighborhood, and the world.
These emotions fostered an emotional reference to viewers as a result of they had been the identical emotions that folks felt worldwide because the pandemic pressured many to remain indoors and keep away from gatherings with family members.
Take into consideration a problem your viewers is experiencing and discover a technique to inform a narrative that illustrates their emotions and reveals that, above all, you perceive them.
Authenticity
No matter story you‘re making an attempt to inform wants to return from a real place. What’s an actual downside that your viewers typically experiences? How are you going to visually present that your model presents an actual answer?
What’s the actual story of how your model got here to be? Can actual clients supply testimonials of how your services or products helped them?
The Sydney Opera Home actually did shut down briefly in the course of the pandemic, and the pictures taken throughout its time of silence had been actual and never staged. So, for lack of higher phrases, hold it actual relating to visible storytelling.
Objective
Lastly, what would you like your viewers to do after discovering your story? On the finish of its articles that includes Boud’s images, the Sydney Opera Home included a hyperlink calling for viewers to donate.
The pictures had been taken to point out viewers that the opera home’s doorways had been closed however would reopen with an entire new look; within the meantime, donate to maintain the efficiency arts iconic beacon alive!
Domino‘s Pizza needed its audience to know that it acquired their suggestions and made optimistic modifications to its recipe, so that they’re prepared for a second probability to impress.
What is the goal of your story?
Use Visible Storytelling for Advertising
The examples under provides you with perception into how you should use visible storytelling in your advertising and marketing technique, off the highest of my head, I do know you should use the idea in advertising and marketing to:
- Share your mission and imaginative and prescient together with your viewers
- Replicate on optimistic modifications coming to your model
- Present different makes use of to your product and companies
- Present the place your model stands on necessary points regarding your audience
To encourage you, I‘ve compiled a listing of my favourite examples of visible storytelling, each previous and new. Let’s dive in!
Visible Storytelling Examples
1. Daybreak Dish Cleaning soap – “The Huge Image”
I advised you I might revisit this instance! This marketing campaign is an oldie however a goodie as a result of it stays a core a part of Daybreak’s branding to this very day.
In 2013, the dish cleaning soap firm launched a nine-part documentary referred to as “The Huge Image,” which adopted rescuers and volunteers utilizing Daybreak to scrub and look after wildlife.
The primary episode famously confirmed rescuers utilizing Daybreak to scrub geese caught within the crossfire of oil spills.
Greater than a decade later, ducklings dubbed “the Daybreak Geese” are pictured on nearly all of Daybreak’s merchandise and are nonetheless featured in commercials.
What I like: The docuseries options interviews with actual rescuers interspersed with a b-roll of oil birds being cleaned utilizing the cleaning soap.
I additionally love how the documentary cleverly confirmed how the cleaning soap is hard sufficient to chop by way of oil however mild on the pores and skin.
2. Dove – The Code | Dove Self-Esteem Undertaking
In 2024, Dove launched a brief movie referred to as “The Code” as a part of the Dove Self-Esteem Undertaking. It reveals a younger lady of shade asking AI to generate photos of what stunning, assured girls appear like.
The younger lady is then proven AI-generated photos of white, blond-haired girls who match inside very slender, unrealistic magnificence requirements. She later sorts in the identical question however as an alternative provides “based on Dove Actual Magnificence Advert.”
From there, she is proven extra numerous, reasonable photos of assured and exquisite girls.
What I like: The movie drives residence Dove‘s level in only one minute, capturing the viewers’s consideration with out overstaying its welcome.
I additionally love that Dove included statistics about AI at the beginning and linked it to the advert‘s goal: to point out that Dove is not going to use AI to create or discord girls’s photos.
This movie was a artistic and heartwarming technique to set up belief and transparency between the corporate and its viewers.
3. Airbnb
I already coated why Airbnb‘s YouTube video about Ula and her household is a wonderful instance of visible storytelling, so I received’t rehash the identical particulars.
As a substitute, I encourage you to consider methods your model or group has proven up to your neighborhood or these in want.
Then, attain out to the folks or households who’ve benefited out of your companies and spotlight their testimonials in a visible medium like movie or images.
4. Gemini
Coinciding with the 2024 Olympics, Google launched an Olympic-themed advert showcasing the various makes use of of AI, Gemini. The advert includes a father telling the story of how his daughter is impressed by Olympic sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
As the daddy narrates the advert, viewers are proven fast clips of Gemini producing a coaching routine for his little one.
The advert ends with the narrator asking Gemini to assist his daughter write a letter to Sydney saying she‘s an inspiration and she or he plans on breaking her document when she’s older.
What I like: Google discovered a technique to join a present, trending subject (the Olympics) to its product whereas showcasing Gemini’s many makes use of.
5. Amazon – “Saving Sawyer”
Amazon’s “Saving Sawyer” advert reveals a canine who enjoys spending time together with his household as they lock down in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nonetheless, after the lockdown ends and the household returns to high school and work, the canine quickly turns into stressed, lonely, and harmful.
The advert reveals the household searching for a canine kennel on Amazon because the canine (and viewers) nervously seems to be on.
Fortuitously, it seems the kennel wasn’t for the canine however for a brand new pup that might be becoming a member of the household and conserving lonely canine firm.
What I like: Amazon does a wonderful job of connecting a relatable situation to its service. Throughout the pandemic, almost one in 5 households nationwide adopted a brand new canine.
These pets grew to become used to their households being residence with all of them day, and lots of People struggled to undertake their animals to being residence alone as folks started returning to high school and work.
Amazon included this truth into its visible storytelling and confirmed audiences that Amazon carries many merchandise that may be useful for pits, together with an digital deal with distributor and a kennel for bringing a brand new pet residence to maintain your authentic fur child firm.
I additionally admire how the advert performed on emotion by making the viewers fear in regards to the canine‘s destiny (I’m assuming his title is Sawyer?).
6. Purina Service Canine Salute
Purina’s transferring documentary follows three real-life veterans and their service canines.
All through the documentary, the veterans describe their time within the army and their wrestle to maneuver ahead into civilian life whereas managing their psychological well being.
The documentary reveals the distinction service canines make of their lives. Whereas telling the tales, viewers can see fast photographs of the canines consuming Purina pet food to have the vitality and vitamin to assist their homeowners.
What I like: The documentary options actual interviews with actual veterans, and photographs of Purina luggage is included into the movie in a pure method.
And, because the daughter of two veterans, I used to be in a position to emotionally connect with the video’s topics.
7. Gibson – “The Course of”
Gibson Inc. desires its shoppers to know the guitars they promote are expertly crafted and of the best high quality.
To drive these factors residence, the guitar firm began a digital collection referred to as “The Course of,” which takes viewers behind the scenes of crafting a Gibson guitar.
What I like: I benefit from the unique look into the artwork of crafting a guitar. It‘s a peek behind a curtain that even essentially the most gifted gamers aren’t at all times granted.
Take into consideration the method of making your product and contemplate methods you possibly can take viewers behind the scenes.
8. Nike – What Are You Working On?
Every episode of Nike’s net collection “What Are You Working On?” highlights an athlete as they share their distinctive journeys. The topics narrate the episodes, which present them taking part in their sport, coaching, and dealing to attain their targets.
What I like: Every athlete is seen lacing up their Nike sneakers and sporting Nike gear as they prepare, displaying the viewers that Nike performs a task of their journey as nicely and is designed with athletes in thoughts.
9. Subaru – Subaru Loves Studying
Lots of the examples I‘ve proven you contain large, costly productions, extremely stylized footage, and nearly movie-level modifying.
However don’t fear; Subaru‘s short-form video for Subaru Loves Studying proves that you simply don’t want all that for impactful visible storytelling.
The video options actual voice messages from educators thanking Subaru for adopting their school rooms and offering the requirements to their college students.
The uncooked voice messages are accompanied by pictures of the lecture rooms Subaru adopted and the provides they acquired.
What I like: Making a video like Subaru’s is easy and fast to make. You solely want audio, pictures, and primary modifying expertise (or an intuitive app to edit the video for you).
10. McDonald’s Anime Business
I‘m an enormous anime fan, so I actually loved this McDonald’s anime advert that aired in Japan a number of years in the past. The animated advert reveals a younger lady who will get a job at her native McDonald’s and is mentored by her supervisor.
As time goes on, the girl develops necessary expertise that assist her mentor the subsequent era of workers and transfer on to higher-paying alternatives sooner or later.
The advert encourages folks to use to their native McDonald’s to achieve expertise for different careers.
What I like: I really like that the advert makes use of attractive animation to painting McDonald’s as greater than a quick meals restaurant, however as a spot younger folks can go to develop and develop key expertise.
Take into consideration what your model brings to its neighborhood that goes past services and products.
As you possibly can see, visible storytelling can be utilized in some ways to get folks invested in your model. Simply begin with a imaginative and prescient, story, and goal.
Editor’s word: This submit was initially revealed in Could 2016 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.
