The Science of Storytelling: Why does it work?

We already know storytelling is an effective marketing tactic with many businesses globally adopting it as an intrinsic part of their communications strategy.

But, in order to use storytelling effectively it’s not just about weaving it into your marketing, it must be incorporated into every aspect of your brand.
By building your brand, and subsequently your communications, around a single clear narrative customers can begin to feel more engaged by the messages you are trying to convey.

How does it work?

The science of storytelling is more than just about creating interesting and unique stories when communicating to your audience. It’s more than piquing people’s curiosity.

Stories, in all their forms, inspire us and engage our imaginations planting seeds in our brains, which over time influence who we are, including the decisions we make and the views we hold.

In his essay ‘What Listening to a Story Does to Our Brains’ entrepreneur and professional storyteller Leo Widrich said when a person hears a story: "not only are the language processing parts in our brain activated, but any other area in our brain that we would use when experiencing the events of the story are, too."

What this means is we’re more likely to have an emotional response if what we are being told is wrapped up in a “story”. We begin to resonate with and even relate to what is happening, we might even begin to empathise.

Author Lisa Chron in her book ‘Wired For Story’ said: “Stories allow us to simulate intense experience without having to actually live through them. Stories allow us to experience the world before we actually have to experience it.”

By engaging in storytelling, brands are providing customers the ability to live vicariously through the story. If they feel the right emotional pull, they'll understand why a brand is right for them. Even if this whole process is mostly subconscious.

When customer loyalty becomes rooted in identity

In his book ‘The Science of Storytelling’ Will Storr points out: “Stories mould who we are, from our character to our cultural identity.”

In today’s marketplace customers are using more than a product’s features and benefits to make their decisions. They want to “connect” with a brand and know that it shares their values.

As a result of this customers can be fiercely loyal to the brands that match their own values, ethics and moral compass. Sometimes it doesn’t even have to go that far, being likeable can be enough to elicit consumer loyalty.