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Storytelling lies at the heart of any brand’s messaging but in a multi-platform world of content overload, creating the right narrative for the right audience is a huge challenge.

Many brands, particularly those with a long heritage, need to find ways to speak to their more traditional audience and also a Gen Z audience on Instagram and TikTok.

These challenges, solutions, and examples of best practice were discussed at a recent ±±¾©Èü³µpk10 Live roundtable, hosted by BBC Studios Digital Brands, the online offering from the BBC’s commercial arm that also comprises a content studio and a global streaming and channels business.

The search for truth

“Storytelling is incredibly important to us and we know that truth is really important,” said Jasmine Dawson, SVP of digital at BBC Studios.

But what do we actually mean by truth? It’s more nuanced than simply the facts. Brands need to find an emotional reality that connects with an audience. 

“The biggest barrier can be the real truth,” explained Linn Frost, co-global chief executive of The Social Element agency. “It’s often the messy, gritty real story that a brand may not want to tell.

“Anyone who worked on the Dove ±±¾©Èü³µpk10 for Real Beauty had to go into schools and meet teenage girls that were having challenges and issues, and hear their stories. That’s as real as it gets. It’s a gift when you have true freedom to tell a story that will relate on a human level. Sadly, you have to spend a lot of time dancing around the truth.” 

No story is grittier or more real than death and bereavement, which is the challenge for Jo Juber, head of marketing at Poppy’s funeral directors. “This is scary stuff that most people don’t want to talk about and Poppy’s is a progressive brand that wants to show people new possibilities around funerals. So, you have these tensions that you’re trying to work through which is why case studies of people that Poppy’s have supported are so vital.” 

Know your audience

Everyone agreed that understanding and knowing your audience is fundamental to unlocking creative storytelling but it’s easier said than done. Kelly Hilton is head of media at Britvic. “Some of our bigger brands, like Robinsons, J2O and Tango, might each have two or three different audiences,” she said.

Citing the heritage brand of the 60-year-old Doctor Who, Dawson added: “You have to be thoughtful about who you're speaking to. The human connection for one audience might put off another.”

For Amy Goodman, VP of creative content development at TeamPeople, the key is “establishing that main story or that big organising idea” in order for a brand to “remain authentic throughout an entire ecosystem” because “authentic looks different to me, to my eight-year-old or my mum”.

Satvir Mundi, director of customer marketing and loyalty strategy at Boots, summarised the challenge as “the why and the who”. Brands need a purpose but they should also be brave. “We’re scared of alienating audiences and we’re scared of mass personalisation,” he added.

Adapting to different platforms

“It’s not just the why and who but also the where,” said Dawson. “Cutting through that chaos of social media is something we have found difficult. Revenue is a huge KPI for us but ultimately relevance, that human connection, is also really important. The relevance KPI is so difficult.” 

Jessica Lenehan, MD of client leadership at EssenceMediacom, empathised. “The challenge that we have in telling our clients’ stories is the constant push for effectiveness,” she said. “We have these inspirational, funny and emotional stories but then partners and platforms telling us you can drive brand lift in three seconds!”

“We want to be able to lean into the creator economy,” said Dawson. “ They’re the new storytellers, right?” Dawson’s team has its own embedded talent agency called TalentWorks which is focused on the emerging creator. “They know how to tell these stories intuitively,” added Dawson, explaining that the lead creative on Doctor Who was originally a Doctor Who content creator and influencer before being recruited by BBC Studios. 

The ingredient of trust

So, what are the key elements of great storytelling? Alex Petrogiannis, marketing and e-commerce director at Britvic, is responsible for Plenish, a range of plant-based drinks. “Our founding principle is how do we build trust,” he said. “We know that TV is the most trusted medium when it comes to purchasing.”

Petrogiannis explained that Plenish had brought a nutrition influencer on board. “Emily English (1.5m Instagram followers) was already a fan of the brand but now we have formalised that relationship because we know that our message coming from her is going to resonate more and sound more authentic.”

Lenehan added: “Research shows that younger generations are trusting advertising more than the older generation with social media influencers seen almost like a peer or a friend.”

Frost countered that enthusiasm with a rally cry: “Social media has to be made better. It’s so important that social media platforms become as trusted as, say, the BBC. You have to make sure you can trust creators to tell the story authentically. The solution is global legislation and we need to rethink our approach. We’ve been given a gift but we need to work out how to use it.”