What is the impact of storytelling in the digital age?
By María Fernanda Rodríguez Cruz
The famous quote by the great writer Maya Angelou (1970), “People will forget what you did, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”, masterfully encapsulates the essence and purpose of storytelling, a marketing and communication technique employed by recognized companies like Airbnb or Nike to captivate consumers in the digital environment. This art of telling stories stands as an innovative and profoundly meaningful tool by placing the emotional engagement as the central axis of work.
Since ancient times, oral and narratives have sought to fulfill transcendent roles such as educating, entertaining, and imparting wisdom. However, this tradition persists in daily encounters among friends and family, demonstrating the timeless and versatile nature of storytelling as an effective means of communication. In this way, stories not only convey messages but also engage customers as active participants, thus shaping human and consumer decision-making processes.
In a world characterized by hyperconnectivity, modern technologies, and the Internet, humans face an information and advertising overload, leading brands to confront an unprecedented challenge: attracting more customers and maintaining a trusted relationship with them. In this context, storytelling emerges as a breath of fresh air, compelling brands to compete by offering valuable content with an emotional catalyst to create powerful and impactful stories, aimed at differentiating and highlighting them among competitors.
Moreover, in the face of the challenge of establishing genuine connections with customers in the current market, it is imperative to leverage the emergence of new technologies and digital platforms to implement innovative methods and tools that facilitate a brand’s engagement with its customers. Therefore, storytelling proves to be an exceptionally effective technique due to its emphasis on the emotional aspect, allowing customers to perceive companies as an extension of themselves, humanizing the commercial aspect and demonstrating that behind every corporate entity are people striving to convey emotions to individual behind the screens.
The success of storytelling lies in its ability to be a narrative tool an emotional trigger that goes beyond simple commercial transactions by humanizing communication between a company and its customers, demonstrating that every consumer matters by fostering empathy, interest, motivation, increasing engagement, and facilitating a deep emotional connection as consumers relate to or are moved by the narrative, thereby differentiating brands for their competition by showcasing their authenticity and core values.
A clear example of the impact of storytelling on potential customers is evidenced through the comments of a group of people who, after watching Starbucks’ storytelling called “Every table has a story”, highlighted that this technique truly makes you feel like you need the product and makes you part of the brand because stories have the fascinating power to captivate, inspire, and excite, creating a deeper bond that facilitates individual identification with the company and, therefore, motivates purchase intention.
Therefore, although companies primarily focus on driving sales and achieving financial or commercial objectives, they should never underestimate the strategic power of emotional techniques such as storytelling, as the intimacy and connection generated with consumers are significant advantages that are only achieved by using emotions as the main ally, thus ensuring a privileged position in the market and, above all, in the hearts of consumers.
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María Fernanda Rodríguez Cruz: sixth semester student of the degree in Strategic Marketing at the Faculty of Economics and Business and member of the Vértice Excellence Program at the Anáhuac Mexico University South Campus
