Using Storytelling to Generate Your Marketing Messages & Keep Your Audience Interested
By Kimberly Grant
I like a good story, like a lot of people. I like stories that immerse me in their settings with characters who are flawed and intriguing. I also like stories that have great visual and sound appeal. Those TV shows and movies with great soundtracks and just the right amount of sound effects to make you feel like you’re there. This concept of immersing the senses is used all of the time in marketing.
In today’s world of marketing, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to persuading a consumer to enter into a mutually beneficial exchange. There’s a lot of noise in the universe that forces marketing messages to jump through multiple hoops to get their message heard. In the meantime, marketers have found a way to indulge the senses as a way to reach consumers. There are eight types of elements (or senses) that are used by marketers to gain attention:
While there are only five human senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, hear), marketers have found a way to engage these senses and then some to communicate their marketing messages. Often times, they use multiple senses (or elements) in their marketing messages.
The most commonly used forms of elemental marketing tend to be audio and visual in nature. They would be commercials or ads that are seen on television or Youtube and heard on the radio. These elements are used to capture the attention of the audience, deliver the marketing message, and persuade the audience to interpret, then act on the marketing message. My favorite type of marketing elements is visual related, because I am a visual person.
For me, the best marketing messages use static or dynamic visual imagery with clear cinematography that doesn’t inundate the viewer with too much or too little color. These marketing messages would also include crisp sound so that the voices of the actors can be heard and understood; as well as have static text that doesn’t move and is easy to read. A great example of a good marketing message using the above elements would be the latest in Progressive Insurance commercials.
These commercials speak to a target demographic of older millennials who are starting to enter their 30s and finding that they are starting to act and feel more mature. These commercials use the best of visual imagery (dynamic and static), music (that light piano playing in the background), Dr. Rick enunciates clearly as he teaches the Millennials how to not become their parents, good use of silence (so the audience has time to relate to the content), and a simple concept that speaks to an entire generation.
While I am not actively searching for car or homeowner’s insurance, I am intrigued by the brand of Progressive. These commercials make Progressive look like the smart choice for a young adult who finds themselves facing maturity and added responsibility. Its positioning is effective, as well, as it attempts to grow with its consumer; telling them that Progressive Insurance is available to assist with all of their maturing needs. Lastly, and most importantly, these commercials are humorous and memorable; like any good story.
To see the visual brilliance that is Progressive Insurance commercials, click here.
