10 ways to improve your ads (with storytelling being a big part of it)

By Paul Zak. Excerpts:

"The most important thing you can do to sustain neurologic immersion is to go back to English 101 and always, always, build a narrative arc for your commercial. 

A montage of unconnected  scenes may seem like a good way to evoke emotional attachment, but our data show that with the montage approach, within 10 to 15 seconds, the brain "gets it" and there is little reason to spend the metabolic energy to continue to be immersed. Low immersion shows that the information is unimportant and will not be remembered.

On the flip side, more immersion means more sales - because the brain values and remembers the content. Your commercial has to grab and grow immersion to be successful. A dramatic arc that introduces characters who face a dilemma that they then resolve keeps the brain immersed and wanting more. The data shows that a complete story arc can be done in as little as 6 seconds, so you don't need Tolstoy to write your script - and we all know you usually have 15 to 30 seconds to get your message across. 

Regardless of the time you have, you do need to have product-story congruence.  That is, the commercial must weave the product into the dramatic arc in a natural way. Many commercials tell wonderful stories and then just drop a "buy now"at the end. This does not cut it. Tell a story and make your product part of the plot."

"The story and those who embody it need to express genuine emotions that are absorbed by viewers and get them to care about your product as much or more than the many other things they care about. Solid narrative and writing, good actors and voiceover artists, and thoughtful directors are all necessary to create a hit commercial."

"What does drive brand awareness and sales? High and sustained immersion.  For this, you need a story.  Including a family who expresses emotions in a story is the way to generate an emotional "wanting" for the same experience. "

"Build a story around a pet and you can sustain immersion." "The pet, product, and story need to be congruent so that the puppy or kitty or pony is tied to the product. This is how to turn "awws" into dollars." 

"stories rule and unrelated quick cuts drool. Client data show that nostalgic ads without a story do not sustain immersion and have little impact on sales. 

Nostalgic stories, yes. Nostalgia because you think it looks pretty, no."