Power of storytelling

As in the past, this year’s Advertising Week saw a growing presence of digital media. Top executives from companies such as Yahoo, AOL and Facebook came to market their digital advertising offerings to large advertisers such as Mondelez and Pepsico. While more advertisers have been transferring their marketing budgets from traditional television to digital, it is interested to see that the most impactful advertising medium still involves video.

Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo, mentioned that “Display 2.0 is really video. The ability to tell a story, to hold a user’s attention for longer, to get a richer message across, we think that’s where some of the best advertising will happen in the future.” It’s intriguing to me that while the adverting platform is changing, the coveted ad medium is still video. While all mediums have some measure of influence, there seems to be something about visual media that impacts consumers in the most meaningful way.

I agree with Marissa when she says that storytelling is a powerful tool. Storytelling has the ability to evoke emotion and create a connection with a person. This is why I think the ability to tell powerful stories through advertising will be the best way to attract new consumers as well as retain existing consumers for any brand.  While the most optimal components of an advertising campaign will defer for every company, telling the brand’s story through video should not be a forgotten medium.

Source: AdAge, The Wall Street Journal