How Storytelling is Helping Brands Sell More Products

Detailed stories connect with consumers

It’s no secret that storytelling is a key tool for brands and marketers that want to connect with consumers—and boost sales. ”There’s plenty of popular demand for good stories, if binge-watching, binge-listening, and binge-reading statistics are an indicator,” explained Ilya Vedrashko, svp and director of research at Hill Holliday’s consumer research arm, Origin. ”Stories move not only people, but they also move product.”

But just how much? To find out, Origin created a series of experiments in which consumers were shown items paired with either standard descriptions or more detailed stories—from user reviews to creator bios, and even fiction. The results were clear. ”Every time the product that had a story pulled in more money than the same product without one,” said Vedrashko. ”That’s a lift on no additional investment.”

Källa: Adweek

How Storytelling Helped Richard Branson Become a Billionaire

Virgin’s founder on on taking risks, finding stories, and reading Where the Wild Things Are… to a young couple in bed.

When most people hear the name Sir Richard Branson, they think of the high-flying, big-smiling mogul who’s left his irreverent imprint on the worlds of music, air travel, and a host of other completely unrelated industries—while defying everything you learn in business school in the process.

But few know, or at least recall, that the billionaire Virgin Group founder got his start as a professional storyteller. Yes, in the swinging ’60s, an ambitious teenage Branson dropped out of high school to pursue his magazine venture, Student, an effort to give youth culture a voice and an outlet to protest the Vietnam War at a time when Snapchat and Periscope weren’t readily available. Read more

Källa: How Storytelling Helped Richard Branson Become a Billionaire