Heroes and conflicts - drama, baby! How to create captivating storytelling for companies
It all starts with the conflict
The beauty of stories and storytelling is that we can empathize with characters or people in a certain situation and compare our experiences. Whether it's an extreme situation in an advertising video or a user report from our own industry environment: we learn from these “representatives” and we love conflicts and heroines that bring this to light. Because we are close to it, we recognize connections and context. That's why we remember stories better. They evoke images in our minds, provide entertainment and therefore get our attention. At the same time, we don't have to concentrate, learn in a playful way and can experience the situation safely from a distance. We tend to absorb information subconsciously.
The same applies to brand storytelling: there is much more going on on the dark side
Prerequisite for arousing our interest: A conflict, a problem, something that is bothering us privately or professionally. We want to see how others overcome this challenge or fail and emerge stronger from the situation in new ways. Our own needs and the actual reason why we are telling a certain story are essential. They and the lessons we can learn from them are the starting point of a good story.
We identify with the main character - the protagonist, i.e. the heroine or hero - and follow him or her into the challenge. The following applies to companies: Do not present yourself as a hero. It is more profitable to leave this role to an employee or customer who is facing a challenge. As a company or brand, the role of friend, companion or mentor is ideal. Empowering someone to achieve something and resolve a conflict brings sympathy and a positive connection. It is therefore worth empowering your employees and giving them more responsibility in entrepreneurial terms, if desired.
These confrontations with everyday, professional or private challenges are what draw our attention, create tension and interest us in their resolution. We ask ourselves: “How will it end?”. It would be boring if we were presented with the solution straight away. However, this is often exactly what companies offer straight away - without immersing us in our life and work worlds, drawing us into the action or tapping into our experiences, adventures or emotions.
People around the world feel the same way
If we follow Paul Ekman, there are six basic emotions that people around the world feel and express in the same way: Joy, surprise, anger, fear, disgust and sorrow. In other words, these emotions are understood and “read” in the same way worldwide without language. This means that stories function interculturally on an emotional level and we can communicate with each other practically without borders.
This is due to innate behavioral patterns and key stimuli, such as the protective instinct or flight and turning behavior. Our mirror neurons also enable us to mirror the feelings of the other person and we call up emotions from our experiences, such as those triggered by a child with a sugar cone or the separation from our first great love. Music from certain happy or unhappy phases of life are also triggers - like sounds in movies - to further inflame our emotions.
If the conflict is the reason why we are interested in a story, it is the wishes, desires and unfulfilled hopes that touch us and captivate us until the conflict is resolved.