Have Brands Stopped Telling Stories?

By Lauren Regan.

In the golden age of advertising, storytelling was everything. From the rugged Marlboro Man to the tales of Jack Daniel pouring bourbon on his cornflakes, brands played with the power of a compelling narrative to stand out from the crowd and connect with their audiences.

But are new brands sidelining stories in favour of short-term gains?

A good story doesn't just shift a product; it builds a relationship. It lingers in the mind of your community and creates a cultural cachet that gets people talking. In short, stories give customers something to believe in. But is the era of lasting brand narratives quietly fading in today's noisy digital landscape?

Open any social media platform, and you'll be bombarded with ad and # sponsored content for everything under the sun. It's a compelling argument that storytelling is sidelined in favour of short-form content, sales-driven messaging, and hyper-targeted advertising.

Digital platforms reward brevity and clicks with content being chopped into bite-sized, algorithm-friendly pieces. TikTok trends, influencer collaborations, SEO snippets - they all push brands toward immediacy over intimacy. While these tactics deliver visibility and conversions, they don't always leave room for depth, emotion, or context – they don't help people get to know you or build trust.

Every other video on my TikTok feed is for a particular lip stain. Every day, I see gorgeous girls heading to Coachella with puckered lips ready to take on the wind, sand, and wine coolers. They leave looking as picture-perfect as they arrived. Now, I love a clever product as much as the next person, so when the next time I found myself in Boots and saw an aisle display of that very same product, I stocked up. The problem is, it's not the same brand as I'd seen online; it's a knock-off. The brand that has spent thousands, maybe even millions, on influencer collabs, sponsored advertising and organic content told me so little about themselves and their story that I didn't notice when I bought a competitor, and worse still, I didn't care.

Our brains are hardwired for stories. Neuroscience shows that narratives engage more areas of the brain than facts alone. Had that lip-stain company told me anything about themselves, I would have had a much better chance of setting them apart from the rest. Maybe they are a family business; perhaps they care about sustainability because the founders are animal lovers, or maybe they had the idea for their revolution at a pivotal moment and built the business against the odds. I have no idea. Building up a narrative of the people behind the brand, the lore of the product, and the business's values evokes empathy, improves memory retention, and creates a sense of shared experience with your customers. Brands that tell stories don't just sell a product; they invite you to share in a worldview and be part of their community.

Take Jack Daniel's. The Tennessee whiskey brand could talk about its flavour profile or price point. Instead, it talks about Lynchburg (the famously dry town where it is distilled), about charcoal mellowing, about Mr. Jasper Newton Daniel himself (though you probably know him better as Jack) and all that makes their ads feel more like folklore than marketing. And it works. Jack Daniel's is one of the top-selling American whiskeys in the world, and it has a brand loyalty that spans demographics, interests, and geography.

Then there's Patagonia. Every item of clothing comes with a deeper message about environmental stewardship, adventure, and activism. The company's founder, Yvon Chouinard, has become part of the brand narrative. He is a reluctant businessman who gave away his company to fight climate change. That's not a campaign, that's a story with longevity that people can connect with.

When storytelling is stripped away, brands risk becoming interchangeable and a bit teeny bit boring. Without a good narrative, a product is just a product, and a logo is just a label. In an oversaturated market, differentiation matters more than ever, and storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for carving out a unique identity.

Moreover, the absence of storytelling makes it harder to build emotional connections. Emotional branding drives loyalty. It's why Nike doesn't just sell trainers; it sells perseverance. Why Apple doesn't just sell tech; it sells creative freedom and "1000 songs in your pocket". Lose the story, and you lose the point. 

There are signs of a storytelling revival driven not by marketers but by consumers. Gen Z craves authenticity and transparency. They want to know the origin of products, the ethics of the supply chain, and the values behind the brand, and they want it in a format that feels real.

Whatever your budget, you have platforms in your arsenal that you can utilise – think YouTube, podcasts, social media channels and email campaigns. Longer-form content is making a comeback in these spaces, allowing brands to tell richer, more nuanced stories. Think of how Duolingo built a personality on TikTok that ties back to its mission to make language learning fun. Or how brands like Airbnb use customer stories to highlight real travel experiences that embody their values.

Even traditional storytelling formats are being reimagined. Brand documentaries, audio series, and serialised social content are finding a new audience, and it's not about returning to the old ways but evolving storytelling for modern channels.

The future of brand storytelling isn't about viral hits or cinematic TV ads. It's about embedding narrative into every layer of a business, from the founder's origin story to the tone of customer service. It means giving people something to connect with, believe in, and share.

As AI-generated content and digital saturation rise, human stories will become a brand's most defensible asset. Storytelling isn't a nice-to-have. It's a strategic imperative.

So, have brands stopped telling stories? Some have. But the smart ones know better. Because in a world full of noise, it's still the story that cuts through.

Lauren Regan is the founder and creative director of MOLE, a brand storytelling and PR consultancy.

Crafting a meaningful brand story is within reach for every organisation. MOLE works with businesses in the UK and Canada to find their voice, tell their stories, and shape their future. To speak to Lauren about your organisations ambitions, reach out on [email protected]