Eyeglass retailer Warby Parker credited its founding to a simple problem: glasses are too expensive.

One of the founders lost his glasses on a backpacking trip while in grad school, and he couldn’t afford a replacement pair. He struggled without glasses because a single company that dominated the industry inflated prices to customers, leaving them with no other options. The other founders of Warby Parker had similar experiences.

So they created an alternative to not only meet market demand, but to make an even greater impact for the 15% of the world’s population who lack access to glasses. They give back by donating a pair of glasses for each one sold. At the time of publishing, the company has distributed more than seven million glasses to people in need.

Hearing only the outline of this story can be immersive. Now imagine what it might be like to learn about the founder’s time in grad school, when he had to struggle without glasses. Or the emotion you’d experience while hearing first-hand from people who received free glasses from the company.

Storytelling in marketing works because stories resonate naturally.

Why Storytelling Works

Stories provide experiences with meaning. By offering context and structure to lessons and morals, stories are essentially how we make sense of life.

That’s exactly how children are introduced to the world. Stories offer insight into life, encompassing emotions and wisdom along with basic literacy and language. It’s hard to separate stories from day-to-day conversations and tasks, as well as major life goals and values.

Try to learn about a loved one’s day without gaining insight into that person’s subjective experience. It’s impossible. You need details and context — you need, however simple it may be, a story. The same is true for learning a new skill, reflecting on the good and bad parts of your life, and virtually anything. You need a narrative that provides structure to the overarching message.

Stories are so fundamental to life that people are hard-wired to look for the story in experiences. Even imagined experiences are interpreted in the brain as stories. As neuroeconomist Paul Zak found in his research, our brains produce cortisol (stress hormone) during tense moments of a story, oxytocin (connection and empathy hormone) during fun and engaging parts of a story, and dopamine (motivation hormone) during a story’s happy ending.

“When you want to motivate, persuade, or be remembered, start with a story of human struggle and eventual triumph,” he wrote in Harvard Business Review. “It will capture people’s hearts – by first attracting their brains.”

Why Storytelling in Marketing Works

It’s difficult to understand anything in life or in business without having some context or narrative.

That’s why TED talks always incorporate a story into the message. And that's also why the popular show “Shark Tank” normally starts with a story to introduce what problem the product solves, and then entrepreneurs are often asked about “their story” (background) for investors to get to know them. The appeal of stories in life is just as relevant to the appeal of stories in a business setting. It’s only natural for storytelling in marketing to do some of the same things as it does in life — practically anything that’s emotional, educational, entertaining, and, ultimately, enduring is the result of the story.

There’s a time and a place for direct marketing techniques, of course. But rely on them too much and the result can be off-putting to customers. People crave authentic marketing and brands that have substance. Not companies that become a conveyor belt of “great deals” that communicate a focus only on revenue.

Instead, integrate what can immerse your audience in a natural way. Use storytelling in marketing to provide a humorous or inspirational take that draws them closer to the brand. Even simple elements of a story will be helpful. By offering a quick look into how a product or service can make someone’s life simpler, you’ll witness the power of a basic plot.

Using Stories in Marketing Successfully

You’ve already seen how a simple story can introduce what a company stands for and why it started. After reading a couple of short paragraphs at the beginning of this article, you can probably relate to how Warby Parker’s founders struggle with affording glasses and the ensuing frustrating at a single company dominating the market. The company’s page on how their glasses are made implements storytelling elements to showcase product quality.

On the other end of the spectrum of stories, large companies have produced major commercial campaigns. The popular Coca-Cola polar bears debuted on TV in the early 1990s, showcasing the now-iconic bears spending time together while enjoying Coke across fun and heart-warming stories.

Another heart-warming example of a story came when ColourPop Cosmetics teamed up with Make-A-Wish to make a dream come true for 17-year-old Delilah Juarez, who was battling osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. She was surprised with the opportunity to develop a makeup line for cancer patients who faced changes in their appearance. Make-A-Wish documented her experience and ColourPop’s announced the makeup collection on Instagram.

It’s clear that storytelling in marketing can be effective. The easy part of this conversation is recognizing that stories are so pervasive and prominent in everyday life that they demand inclusion in marketing efforts.

Everything gets trickier when it comes to the skill and strategy required for effective storytelling in marketing. You need to know how to maximize opportunities for stories across blog and social media posts, video content, podcasts, and more, and an online MBA program can help you lead the way. It’s perhaps the most coveted and recognizable degree in business, and it also offers hands-on, practical experience for achieving your goals.

Lindenwood University’s program offers 10 specializations to tailor your degree to your career goals, including marketing, leadership, and management specializations. The degree is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). No GMAT/GRE is required for entry.