Stories are "the Communal Currency of Humanity"

Tahir Shah, in his book Arabian Nights, once called stories “the communal currency of humanity.” This is true for brands, who can use this “currency” to acquire consumers’ time, trust, and attention for a fair price.

Science agrees. Of the 100,500 digital words consumed by the average U.S. citizen each day, a message presented as a story is up to 22 times more memorable than the Jack Webb "just the facts, ma'am" approach. That’s because of how the brain ingests information when it’s in the form of a story. When reading straight data, only the parts of the brain responsible for decoding language kick on to decode its meaning. A good story, on the other hand, engages parts of the brain that would normally activate when actually experiencing details of the narrative. The brain, studies show, appears to process skillful storytelling and real experiences in much the same way.

But stories are authentic human experiences, not some industry magic trick. They allow their listeners to participate in the narrative. Compelling brand storytelling that “lights up the brain” will evoke emotion in your audience. In turn, you can recalibrate their opinions and beliefs about your brand, and influence consumer behavior.