Stories shape our understanding of the world. This simple statement may seem obvious, but in today’s busy digital world where everyone is fighting for attention, its importance has never been greater. That’s because, even with all the data, algorithms, and automated messages at our disposal, one simple truth remains, people are built to understand stories.
Stories have always held important meanings
From tales passed down through millennia, to today's blockbuster movies, stories have always been how humans understand, connect, and empathize with each other. Cultures passed down their knowledge through fireside tales, songs, and detailed stories. These, often complex, scenes filled with symbols, and depicting wins, struggles, traditions and beliefs, weren't just simple narratives - they were how people stored wisdom, learned to survive, and understood right from wrong.
Even now, our relationship with storytelling starts in childhood. Bedtime stories often hide lessons about kindness, hard work, honesty and bravery. They prepare young minds for the world's challenges by showing big ideas in a simple, easy-to-understand way.
Harnessing this natural ability to take in and learn from stories is a powerful tool for business today, because it lets you communicate in the very language your audience speaks – so they not only understand what you mean, but also have a personal, emotional response to it.
People form opinions about your brand long before they meet you
In this always-on, digital-first world, opinions form more quickly than ever before – and long before people talk to you directly. These opinions are still shaped by the words you write and the ideas you show. These, often unconscious, judgments directly contribute to whether people find you trustworthy, relevant and worthy of their attention.
Studies consistently show the importance of these early impressions in building trust. A study by Harvard Professor Gerald Zaltman, revealed that 95% of purchasing decisions happen without us even thinking about them. Consistency of these early impressions is a huge factor too. According to Forbes, if your brand looks and sounds the same everywhere, your sales can go up by as much as 23%, with Edelman finding that 67% of people will not continue buying from a brand unless they trust it.
The best stories work for different people, on many levels and in many ways
The decision on whether to buy from a business is a complex web, often involving many people with their own priorities, challenges and levels of influence. Like the best cinematic films, where storytelling appeals to different people on many levels, your brand needs to do the same to successfully capture everyone’s interest and attention.
This means your storytelling needs the depth and flexibility to engage not just the usual decision-makers, but also the larger group of people involved in the decision-making process. Gartner reports that the average group of people buying for a business has grown to 6-11 individuals, with some reports saying nearly 20 people are involved in complex purchases.
This complexity highlights the rise of "hidden buyers" – important people in finance, legal, purchasing, or operations who might never use your product or sign the final paperwork, but who still have a lot of power. These "hidden buyers" aren't just sitting back, research from Edelman shows that 63% spend over an hour a week looking at expert videos, articles and blogs, and hold nearly half of all decision-making power in business purchases.
In these situations, creating personalized stories that connect deeply and distinctly with everyone involved is key. A report by McKinsey found that 71% of people expected companies to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% got frustrated when it didn’t happen. By creating personalized stories, your brand not only gets attention, but builds agreement, trust, and ultimately, speeds up the path to a successful partnership.
Trust comes from empathy, relevance, and ultimately belief in your brand values
You may have the data, technology, and products to do the job, but when it comes to business buying decisions there is a deeper question – “Are you the kind of business I actually want to work with?”
This speaks to the heart of brand relationships, that trust, understanding, and shared belief are the foundations of long-term success. The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer shows that people are increasingly looking to brands to fill a "trust gap," seeking stability, optimism, and actions driven by purpose. Research from Forrester reveals that 84% of B2B buyers make decisions based on emotion, and six out of ten top executives admit to relying on their "gut feeling."
For less established or well-known brands this emotional and purposeful storytelling can help level the playing field by winning people's hearts and minds – helping your brand gain an advantage that isn't just about market size .
In the AI-Future, brand distinctiveness is your essential differentiator
And what about AI, we hear you ask? Firstly, AI is amazing, being able to quickly make content, look at huge amounts of data, and automate tasks incredibly efficiently. But in this rush for AI-driven productivity, many researchers have found a common problem, that the very efficiency AI offers can make brands look and sound the same – and so struggle to differentiate themselves. This "sea of sameness" is already causing issues, with Accenture’s Life Trends 2025 finding that nearly 60% of consumers doubted online authenticity.
However, the ever-growing power of AI for co-creation and automation is the future. And in this future, distinctive storytelling isn't just a good thing, it's one of the most valuable ways to stand out. But, before you ask AI to build upon your brand stories, ask if your brand foundation is ready for the AI age. Do people fully understand the distinctive value your business brings in a crowded marketplace? Is your brand memorable, relevant and differentiated? If real people can’t see your distinct value, then AI will struggle also.
That’s why, before you start the journey to AI automation, you need to give your brand the love it deserves, by honing your brand strategy and refining your messaging frameworks. A strong brand is your "anchor" in an AI-filled world, grounding your messages in authenticity and emotional intelligence – and allowing the scalability and increased personalization of AI automation to truly serve your brand's distinctive purpose.
Make your stories easy to enjoy, share, and reuse
In today's world where attention must be earned, stories need to be easily enjoyed, simply shared, and also allow people to see how they apply to them. That’s because audiences deeply relate to the challenges that were faced, and the process by which they were solved. It’s important to start by focusing on the "who" and “why”, before explaining the "how", allowing you to define "parts," "chapters," and "highlights" aimed at satisfying the concerns of your key audiences at a more emotive level.
Choosing the right format is key, and video is often the clear winner. In fact, Forbes data shows that video content is the best performing content marketing format, ahead of short-form articles and long-form blog posts. By taking a strategic approach to planning your content, you can make sure your message not only reaches, but connects and spreads across different channels and ways of thinking. This means you need a variety of video content types (short-form, long-form, animated, live-action), allowing your brand story to appear in different ways to fit various learning styles and how people prefer to consume information, greatly increasing reach and impact.
Good storytelling means greater ROI
As AI automation democratizes content creation for everyone, it will be distinctive, human-led storytelling, supported by a strong brand and messaging framework, that will truly set you apart. Research from the Chartered Institute of Marketing shows that 55% of consumers are more likely to remember a story than a list of facts, storytelling can increase a product’s perceived value by 30%, and brands that tell compelling stories can enjoy a 20% increase in customer loyalty.
We believe brand storytelling, especially through video, is one of the most powerful engines for growth at your fingertips – helping you cut through the noise and make a lasting impression with the people that matter.
Luxid is a brand strategic growth agency at the intersection of creativity, data and technology. Talk to an expert at Luxid about how our video storytelling expertise can increase your brand engagement – helping your better connect with the people that matter for business success.
