With data now a standard consideration before, during and after campaigns, I’m starting to wonder if we’ve chased campaign precision, perfect placement and pivot tables at the expense of original creativity. We’ve optimised and fine-tuned our campaigns into perfectly targeted, totally forgettable experiences. No memorable hook, no lingering thought, no well-crafted story to deliver a message.
Marketing was never meant to be an exclusive numbers game. Yes, I love a good cost-per-thousand rate as much as the next strategist, but the ads that changed my life didn’t come from dashboards - they came from stories. Think Coca-Cola, Cadbury and VW. When the creative lands, it really hits. It provides talkability, longevity, cultural relevance and brand love.
In this time of data crunching, we have a creative opportunity in storytelling.
A ground-breaking study by Meta, Kantar and CreativeX analysed nearly 57,000 pieces of creative content across five countries and identified four key storytelling elements that were driving campaign performance: human connection, brand integration, visual dynamism, and a distinctive atmosphere. Ads with human faces, for example, were 81% more effective than those without, yet only 31% of the creatives analysed used this powerful attribute.
If we know human connection is driven by storytelling, and it works, why aren’t we doing more of it?
Part of the answer lies in our obsession with data. For the last decade, marketing has been dominated by measurements and metrics. The shift to digital has accelerated this, and with declining budgets we’re working harder to show return on investment. The numbers help us track and tweak, but they don’t help us shift audience perception or enable connection through creativity. We’ve mistaken efficiency for impact.
Storytelling is built to last. Consider this: people are 22 times more likely to remember a story-based fact than a standalone stat. Stories not only stick, they convert. According to stats shared in an article published in October 2024, brands that embrace storytelling see up to a 30% increase in conversion rates, and 20% more customer loyalty.
Those are numbers worth chasing.
Let’s not ignore the cultural shift. In an consumption environment dominated with content, the scroll is ruthless. Consumers want more than information, they want immersion. That’s where storytelling comes in. Done right, a good brand story isn’t just watched or read; it’s felt. It lives in your mind, plays back in your memory, and becomes something you associate with emotion, humour and identity.
In South Africa, where culture is so layered, where humour and history intertwine, and oral tradition still holds weight, storytelling isn’t just a tactic; it’s a superpower.
But we can’t rely on nostalgia or heritage alone. We’ve got to evolve our craft. That means embracing new formats like short-form video and interactive content. A report I recently came across notes that interactive storytelling whether through quizzes, AR, or polls is helping brands shift from passive consumption to active engagement. When audiences participate in your story, they own a piece of it. That’s how loyalty is built.
It also means we need to embrace the concept of “human-led data”. Let’s not throw out the analytics but let’s put them in service of the story, not the other way around. AI can tell us what colours work, when people drop off, or which format performs best but it can’t write the next payoff line for a chicken brand based on social media undertones.
Creativity remains a real competitive advantage.
I don’t believe I’m alone in this thinking. From Super Bowl ads that feel like mini-movies to South African brands leaning into authentic, funny and emotionally layered campaigns there’s a spark returning to the industry. We’re seeing more real people in ads, more culturally resonant humour, and more stories that feel like they belong to us.
Even radio, often overlooked in the digital rush, is reminding us of the power of voice. As Nick Grubb pointed out in his 2025 World Radio Day presentation, radio thrives on real human relationships - community, trust and conversation. That’s storytelling in its purest form. And it is why radio is still capturing younger audiences in a digital age.
Stories have scalability. They get shared and go viral when done well and at the right time. Great brand stories turn passive viewers into brand supporters. In a media environment where attention is the new currency, stories are the best investment you can make.
So, what should a revitalised process look like?
Let’s stop seeing creativity as a line item and start seeing it as our greatest potential for growth. We get braver. We make space for ideas that don’t just perform - they move audiences, advertisers and budgets. We merge AI with imagination. We measure not just what’s easy, but what matters.
The future of marketing is storified - and it’s wide open.
