Dove and P&G: two brands that really rock video storytelling

Apparently, I am not the only one who is smitten. The video view stats on the brands' YouTube channels reveal that millions across the world are into them too. Their huge popularity represents a gold mine of unlimited branding opportunities.

Just take a look at these stats:

• The Dove Real Beauty Sketches video has a whopping 67,199,252 views.
  
• Similarly, P&G's Thank You Mom campaign for the 2016 Rio Olympics has garnered 22,184,641 views within six months of being uploaded!

What is obvious here is that the reach is absolutely phenomenal! What is less obvious is that this reach was achieved using a fraction of the cost of other paid campaigns.

But what is the secret sauce that guarantees the success of these videos?

They are stories, not adverts

This is pure genius. The videos sell without appearing to be selling! What makes this a great strategy is the fact that people don't like ads. The rise of ad blockers is ample testimony to this. Storytelling resolves the classic paradox of marketing, i.e. people are averse to sales pitches, yet brands are expected to win their hearts and minds. These two brands manage to do this by celebrating women through touching stories.

© James Osborne via Pixabay

Stories are native by nature, are non-intrusive and override ad blockers. Also, humans actually thrive on them. Philip Pullman once said: “After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”

Ultimately, stories shape perceptions and are a powerful influence on customer behaviour. Do you want to be persuasive in your marketing? Then add video storytelling to your tools box.

They tap into the emotions of their audiences

The Dove and P&G stories are emotionally compelling. They effectively leverage emotional branding, which is a term used within marketing communication and refers to the practice of building brands that appeal directly to a consumer's emotional state, needs and aspirations.

This is critical as emotions are the major influence on purchase decisions. Logic comes in afterwards and is only used to justify the purchase!
Indeed, both Dove and P&G have created waves of conversations through their powerful video marketing strategies. They tell stories instead of selling and they thrive on emotional branding. The same results can be replicated by any brand, anywhere in the world.

I help brands achieve their marketing potential through video storytelling. Let's talk.