For quite a long time building brand awareness through ads had to do with aimlessly bombarding audiences with products. That’s how TV advertising works. Also billboards, flyers, posters, superbowl and practically every high cost high visibility product.
But not all big ads are successful. Some are even annoying. If there’s one thing that many big ads lack today, it’s a good story. Storytelling and advertising is a magical mix that brings brands marketing results practically every time. Why? Because people are addicted to stories- most especially stories that they can relate with.
[pullquote align=”normal”]If there’s one thing that many big ads lack today, it’s a good story. [/pullquote]
The past few weeks, all we’ve been talking about is great storytelling on social media, through video and any marketing effort that your business might take. We believe in stories and their power to bring value to audiences while also driving business results for brands.
So now, let’s look into four great examples of ads that tell a great story and why they’re so awesome. Let’s start the list.
Ebay | “Ebay Australia Turns 15”
The first video we want to give props to is Ebay’s fifteenth anniversary motion graphic video. This video is great because it hits three birds with one great stone of a story. It tells the story of the origin of Ebay in Australia, why Ebay does what they do (which is bring democratisation to retail) and it draws a great picture of the magnitude the brand has reached.
Why it’s great: What’s wonderful about this video is the fact that it seamlessly ties up why they do what they do to their success. Ebay’s goal is to bring the power of retail to the end producers and eliminate the hassles and high cost of middlemen. That’s made clear through this video.
Nike | “Equality”
Nike has got to be one of the biggest global forces in advertising, and their “Equality” campaign strengthens that. As per their website, the goal of the campaign is to “encourage people to take the fairness and respect they see in sport and translate them off the field”… while also selling some sneakers in the process of course.
Why it’s great: Discrimination is a social issue that hits so close to home for many. The video portrays that through various abstract imagery that isn’t too deep that people get it. The message is clear: “Equality has no boundaries.”
Charity: Water | “When I Grow Up”
Charity:Water is a non-profit with such great storytelling power. This video is just one of the many great examples that they have. What this video does is tell us that access to clean water does more than we think for kids in developing countries. Clean water brings better health, more time in school, and more opportunities.
Why it’s great: It ties together the stories of so many kids through their dreams and ambitions and makes the solution almost so simple that we feel it’s extremely doable- give people clean water.
Apple Swift | “New Beginnings”
Whether it’s a woman trying to end domestic violence, a doctor in the outskirts training nurses to deliver children, a man trying to improve electricity in Beirut, they all have one thing in common. They were empowered by Apple Swift- the tech giant’s simple coding system.
Why it’s great: Taking a handful of different stories together- much like Charity Water’s approach- the video ad shows how the product helped these people make the world a better place. It provides a compelling case as to how the company is helping people innovate, which has been Apple’s goal from the beginning.
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