A modern-day human’s attention—
Okay, I guess I lost you already to a notification that dropped down or a listicle on Instagram that you got reminded of. All right. You’re back. More often than not, that would have been the end of this article. A modern-day human’s attention span is alarmingly close to that of a goldfish. Fortunately, for a goldfish it isn’t life-interfering. But unfortunately, for human beings, having a fleeting moment to build trust is weakening industries, making it incredibly difficult for businesses to change the lives of their customers, not to mention the ever-growing array of choices that they have to compete with.
As a result, we’re seeing a rise in gimmicks, misinformation, a lack of empathy, and the futile but ever-reliant option of firing away numbers and technical jargon. So, if you’ve had the following question trouble you in the quiet hours of the day, please know that you’re not alone.
“Is business marketing irrevocably disturbed?”
The answer to that is, of course not. The answer to that isn’t any new incredible finding on the human psyche either. The answer to that is as old as time itself; it's primal, and it's stood the tests of time. It's storytelling. From the early cave paintings to the Greek tragedies, storytelling has been a primal mode of communication that naturally arrests a person’s attention. Why? Because, first, it acknowledges the viewer as a fellow human. An expensive digital signboard may or may not stop you in your tracks, but chances are, a greeting from a fellow human being is going to. And stories just endure because they tap into universal human experiences that anyone, from any time or place, can relate to.
So, in this article, we’re going to dive into a medium of storytelling that has always managed to capture and hold our attention, even across the most challenging of times: Literature. And how we, as businesses, can learn from and use it to connect with each other, make decisions, and live better lives.
Understanding conflict and resolution or the heart of every (business) story
In every great story, there’s conflict. It’s a universal truth. You could take a minute and try to sift through personal incidents that engrossed you. You will not find one without conflict. It’s the tug of war between positive and negative forces that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, eager to see what happens next. Whether it’s Mahabharata’s Kurukshetra War or Enthiran’s battle between good and evil, conflict breathes life into the story you’re telling. It provides stakes, creates tension, and demands resolution.
Conflict and resolution make for universal experiences. It’s a given, really. Every customer, every client, and every stakeholder faces challenges. Businesses that understand this dynamic and frame their journey around resolving conflicts, be it internal or external, and create narratives that resonate with their audience. You’re a working professional navigating the chaos of an Indian city. What could be your daily conflict? Balancing time, convenience, and health. How do you feel when brands like Dunzo or BigBasket enter your life and solve it? Exactly. Their marketing highlights your conflict and presents to you their solution. You’re no longer running errands post 10 P.M., stuck in traffic, missing out on dinner. You're tucked warmly in bed, after a healthy, nutritious meal and time well spent with ones near and dear.
For businesses, the conflict could be a customer’s challenge, a gap in the market, or even an environmental crisis. Ather Energy, as we know, is an Indian electric scooter brand. But even though I've just mentioned their name, you realise what impact they're having on our nation. Costs of fuel and the environmental harm caused by traditional petrol vehicles was at an all-time high, let alone the lingering skepticism surrounding electric vehicles (EVs) in a developing country like India. Ather Energy stepped in with a multi-faceted solution. They introduced high-performance electric scooters with cutting-edge design and features tailored to Indian urban commuters. And they built a supporting ecosystem, including charging networks called Ather Grids in key urban areas. Through transparent communication about operational costs, battery technology, and environmental impact, they addressed consumer doubts directly.
Their storytelling was rooted in the conflict-resolution model. They emphasised the financial savings, reduction in carbon footprint, and modern tech-forward experience. By tackling both practical concerns and emotional barriers, Ather Energy positioned itself as a problem-solver in a country transitioning to a greener future.This illustrates how identifying and solving a specific conflict can help a brand craft a narrative that not only resonates and automatically drives meaningful action.
Emotional resonance or making the customer care
Literature teaches us that facts alone don’t stick, emotions do. Let's draw further from Mahabharata because we've all grown up hearing, reading, and watching it. How pivotal was Draupadi’s disrobing in the epic? Don't the details return back to us in a flurry, vividly, from all those years ago? How come? It's because of the indignation it stirred in all of us that transcends time. Similarly, we cheer for R.K. Narayan’s Swami not merely because of the incidents in his life, but because they remind us of our own childhood struggles: trying to escape homework, dealing with strict teachers, or simply wanting to fit in with friends.
But how do you translate this to the everyday world of brands and consumers? Make it personal. The most effective stories are the simplest ones, containing everyday emotions and challenges. Asian Paints don’t just show walls being painted. They show families turning a house into a home. We see a couple lovingly choosing colours for their new living room or a son repainting his parents’ old house to surprise them, the focus is on simple human moments, not the product itself. The emotions of joy, pride, and nostalgia are what linger, long after the ad ends.
Everyday life is filled with countless opportunities for brands to connect on a human level. What seems mundane can become emotionally charged when presented thoughtfully, and it’s the small, thoughtful gestures are what win people over. Paper Boat have done this beautifully by evoking nostalgia. Their packaging and campaigns sell… memories, of aam panna during summer vacations or the joy of climbing mango trees as a child. Even before you’ve had the drink, you’re transported back to a simpler, happier time.
Businesses, the lesson is clear: connect with your audience on an emotional level. Think of your own life: what makes a memory stand out? It’s rarely the facts. It’s mostly the feelings. Whether it’s joy, hope, terror, anxiety, nostalgia, empathy, etc., these emotions create a bond between the storyteller and the listener.
The backbone of every great story
You’re reading a novel and there are no chapters in it. You’re watching a film with random scenes stitched together. Or you’re attending a meeting with no agenda. Without the presence of a structure, even the most intriguing ideas lose their impact. Structure is the invisible scaffolding that guides a narrative, ensuring it flows sensibly and engages the audience from start to finish.
Our discussion on epics won’t feel remotely complete without the inclusion of Ramayana. It stands right up there alongside Mahabharata as one of the most enduring stories in Indian culture. Its structure is definite and divides the narrative into seven chapters, each focusing on a significant stage of Rama’s journey: his exile, the abduction of Sita, the battle against Ravana, and the eventual triumph. But what takes it a step further is that the story moves in a way that mirrors life itself: order, struggle, and resolution. And it’s no wonder how enthralled we all are when listening to it.
The same principle can be applied to business storytelling. When you walk into an IKEA store, you don’t find a disorienting mess comprising visual ideas, small grab-able furniture inserted into large deliverable furniture. Instead, its layout starts with the showroom and inspires you with ideas for your home. Then you get to move into the marketplace, where you can pick smaller items, and eventually into the warehouse, where you can choose bigger furniture. This structured journey makes customers live, in real time, the story of transforming their houses into homes.
An even more effective example can be experienced through Zerodha, India’s largest stockbroking platform. The beginning identifies the problem: the intimidating world of stock trading. This phase draws in hesitant investors, acknowledging their struggles and establishing trust. The middle is the solution, where Zerodha provides tutorials, blogs, and tools that simplify trading and empower users to learn at their own pace. The end is the transformation: investors who once felt overwhelmed now confidently navigate their financial decisions. Zerodha’s structure mirrors a powerful story arc where the protagonist, the user, overcomes challenges and emerges stronger.
Whether you’re crafting a pitch, designing a product, or running a marketing campaign, think like a storyteller. A great story has a clear beginning, middle, and end, each building on the other to guide the audience toward a resolution that feels inevitable, personal, and transformative.
Dialogue or talking with your audience
You've just entered a room, any room, and it’s crowded and chaotic. You’re not able to make heads or tails out of a sea of cacophony. Then, someone makes eye contact and speaks directly to you. Their voice cuts through the noise and invites you amidst it. And just like that, the room feels less overwhelming, more personal, and like you’re a part of something meaningful. That’s the power of dialogue. Unlike a broadcasted message or a monologue, dialogue thrives on exchange.
When you’re merely advertising, you’re talking at the audience. When you’re sharing a story, you’re talking with the audience. The difference is: whether your product or service gets welcomed into their lives. We use dialogue to transform a scenario into a shared experience. In Baahubali, when Sivagami declares, “Amarendra Baahubali will become king,” it’s a moment that naturally includes the audience in the story. We, too, rejoice in anticipation. Similarly, Rajinikanth’s iconic “En vazhi, thani vazhi” resonates beyond the film because we see a reflection of our own aspirations.
When we consume any piece of media, what truly sticks is not just the content but the invitation for us to be a part of it. You don’t have to break the fourth wall to achieve this. As always, a little empathy before forming the words will take you a long way. When you’re writing a piece of dialogue, imagine how it’d treat its potential audience: would they be passive observers lectured on? If so, you it’s not a good dialogue. In a world of bland, corporate-speak speaking to themselves, be that person in the room to say hello to someone else.
In business storytelling, when a brand listens to its audience and mirrors their emotions and concerns, it humanises the brand. Swiggy uses playful, conversational tone on social media to humanise its brand. Posts like, “Why cook when you can swipe?” make Swiggy feel like a friend who understands the pressures of everyday life, creating a strong, relatable connection with its audience.
Ultimately, it can be said that dialogue is about listening, responding, and connecting. Regardless of how many words you choose to use, brands that create dialogue build lasting connections. After all, the best conversations—and the best stories—are the ones where everyone feels included.
Universal themes or finding common ground
A thousand years ago was incredibly different. Heck, a state away from home is mesmerisingly different. But then, how do we connect to a character we will never see, experience events we may or may not, from a story written halfway across the world? The answer is that much simple but profoundly rich. Great stories tap into universal themes like love, loss, courage, redemption, and hope and dissolve the boundaries of culture, geography, and even time. These are truths about the human condition, and they make us a part of something endlessly great.
No matter where you're from or what’s currently happening in life, you’ve probably been captivated by Pixar’s Toy Story, Finding Nemo, or Inside Out. That’s because beneath their playful animation lies universal themes of friendship, parenthood, self-discovery, and the art of letting go. It’s these themes through the characters and the stories that resonate so powerfully with audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Businesses can do the same by identifying themes that speak to the core of their audience's lives. Nike’s famous tagline, “Just Do It.” On the surface, it could sound like “just” doing something. As if it were merely about athleticism. But it somehow lingers and lives on through you, through life, and becomes a symbolic cry for perseverance, overcoming personal challenges, and relentlessly chasing dreams. But at the end of the day, Nike is “just” selling shoes.
From the above examples, it’s clear that businesses need to identify a universal theme that aligns with their respective missions, values, or the problem they are determined to solve. If your product simplifies a complex process, the theme could be empowerment or liberation. If your service brings people closer, focus on connection or love. Once you've identified this theme, integrate it into your brand's messaging at every level: advertising, customer interactions, and product design. This doesn’t mean that we ought to state the theme directly. Rather, let it subtly underpin the story you’re telling. Once you start you pulling this off, you can witness your messaging go past its immediate purpose and become a part of your audience's living experience.
Purpose or the why behind every story
If universal themes make a story timeless, purpose is what makes it meaningful. If a universal theme expands horizontally, purpose expands the story vertically, adding depth to our storytelling. It’s the why behind the what, and every great story inevitably has a reason it’s told. It’s what moves the protagonist to action and gives the audience a reason to care. Catchy taglines or mindboggling animations don’t make a brand’s communication infused with purpose. On the contrary, three simple words designed on Canva tied to a higher cause will give them that depth.
It’s interesting to note that the very purpose-related questions we tend to in our personal lives are the very questions that can help your business, too! Have you stopped and thought about, “Why does my business exist? What change am I trying to create?” People connect with businesses that stand for something beyond just profits. They want to know what drives a brand, what change it seeks to create, and why it exists in the first place.
By now, we trust you’re getting accustomed to storytelling. So, what do you think Dove’s purpose is? It surely can’t be to sell soap or beauty products, can it? If we were to put a finger on something, it would be championing real beauty and self-esteem. By centring their campaigns on universal themes of authenticity and self-acceptance, they’ve essentially created a movement that tugs deeply at their audience. One more: Tesla. Electric cars. Their purpose could be to create a sustainable future powered by clean energy.
To find your purpose as a business, start by asking: what’s the deeper reason behind what you do? Go beyond the product or service and reflect on the impact you wish to make. Once you identify this purpose, let it become the bedrock of your brand and its storytelling. Anyone can conjure a random narrative, but it’s better to uncover the heart of what matters to you and achieve it through your brand. By doing so, you will build a community that collectively advocates a single vision. In a world overflowing with choices, purpose is often the defining reason people choose one brand over another.
The end or the beginning
We seem to be standing at a crossroads, where the familiar paths of product offerings and price wars no longer guarantee survival. Today’s consumers rightfully have set a bar: the need to feel human. They seek relationships, meaning, and a reflection of their values in the way they live their lives and the brands they choose to engage with. So, the challenge before us is not merely to adapt but to rise, to redefine how we connect with people in a world bursting with so much noise, yet there is very little authenticity.
This path demands courage to set aside polished facades, step into the unknown, and show up as human. It requires acknowledging the real struggles people face and committing to becoming part of their solutions. To achieve this, businesses must be more than clever marketers or relentless innovators; they must become storytellers, dreamers, and partners in their audience’s journey. It means stepping into their world, understanding their challenges, and holding space for the messiness of human life. It means being bold enough to admit when we don’t have all the answers, yet determined enough to help ourselves and others.
It’s uncomfortable to strip away the mirage of safety that corporate and technical jargon and profit-driven metrics provide us with. It’s daunting to let go of short-term gains to pursue long-term trust. But those who take this path discover something remarkable: when you invest in people, they invest in you. For those who accept this challenge, may you inspire, uplift, and endure, and most importantly, may the richest of rewards be yours because they will be. The path is clear. The choice is yours. The time is now.
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