The power of story

The power of story

Thanks for joining us at World Employer Branding Day 2024!

Why do we believe in story?

We believe it’s the emotional power of story that produces video with real impact. Below we’ve shared some key links and wider resources to help you dig deeper.

Aveena

Stories of well-being for Amazon

Revisit Aveena’s multi-award-winning video for Amazon Ads, blending personal and professional photography, user-generated content, and brand-led motion typography. Its success lies in the use of story structure to deliver a meaningful emotional message.

The need to communicate

The importance of employee well-being and mental health as part of an employer brand is becoming more widely recognised, with various studies highlighting the benefits for both employees (less stress, fewer sick days, etc) and employers (increased productivity, higher retention rates, etc). However, many studies have shown that even if they offer well-being and mental health benefits, many employers are not doing enough to communicate about them effectively.

Novartis study

Research shows that employees are more likely to use mental health benefits when they hear colleagues do the same. A recent Harvard Business Review study with Novartis revealed that increased communication about employee well-being and mental health boosts service uptake.

The challenge of mental health

Perhaps the main challenge when communicating about employee mental health is finding a way for people to share their stories in a way that puts them at ease whilst also creating something that will stand out from the crowd without sensationalising or trivialising the content.

Supporting HSBC colleagues

Mental Health Week stories

The main challenge in communicating employee mental health is creating a comfortable space for sharing stories while ensuring the content is impactful. For HSBC, we captured honest audio interviews and brought them to life with animation, sharing the series both internally and externally.

 

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Bonnie Jean Washmund

Story Science

Emotionally charged stories, as shown in trials, boost oxytocin, attention, and generosity. Research from the National Library of Medicine highlights how storytelling profoundly impacts the brain, inspiring empathy and action long after the narrative ends.

How do I use many voices?

Death by talking head can be a communication killer. Too many voices and topics can weaken a video’s message. That’s why we recommend a conversation format based around a singular theme, allowing multiple people to share their experiences in a way that allows you to tap into the power of storytelling.

Powerful conversations

Sharing stories for Sainsbury’s

We used conversation as a powerful tool to help people open up and share their stories of well-being. The use of a singular theme – inclusion – allowed us to structure multiple stories into a single film that avoided the dreaded wall-to-wall talking heads.

Our insights

Read more of our thinking on employer brand and video, from the importance of authenticity to standing out in a crowded market.

Want to know more about the power of story telling?

Sign up for a free, personalised session with our Founder, Dean, to help you tell better stories on video.

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