As marketers, we know the power of storytelling. By weaving a story or narrative into a marketing campaign, we can attract, engage, and influence an audience.
But crafting a good story can be a challenge. It’s not just about creating clever copy or designing great imagery; it requires you to really understand your target audience to tug at their heartstrings and address key customer pain points.
That’s where human-centered storytelling comes in. By placing a person at the heart of a campaign or message, marketers can make connections and change perceptions to generate high-quality leads and turn prospects into loyal customers.
In this blog, we will explore:
- What is human-centered storytelling?
- What are the steps of human-centered storytelling?
- Why use human-centered storytelling?
- What makes a narrative or story human‑centered?
- How can you structure a compelling brand story?
- 4 examples of brands using storytelling
- A checklist for human-centered storytelling
What is human-centered storytelling?
Storytelling has been used for decades by marketers to weave narratives that build emotional connections with an audience and show a brand’s values, mission and the people behind their services and products.
Human-centered storytelling goes one step further to put people at the heart of a story, and follows their emotional journey as they confront a challenge.
It grounds the story in an authentic and relatable context that shows the human stakes, motivations, and lived experiences that drive people’s decisions. The role of a company or brand is to play a supporting role to guide a person to overcome obstacles or achieve something important to them.
A great example of this type of storytelling is the collaboration between actor Jeremy Renner and Brooks Running in the ‘Let’s Run There’ campaign. In the campaign, Renner shares his recovery journey after his near-fatal snowplow accident, highlighting how Brooks shoes helped him learn to walk and run again.