Visual storytelling in marketing and brand management

Visual storytelling is expressing stories through visuals using various media. Visual storytelling is one of the first mediums of communication, since human kind expressed himself by drawing pictures in caves long before the invention of writing. When delivered storified, information is comprehended and remembered better by human kind, who has a story-focused structure of mind. Stories have the power to affect people, hence brands use visual storytelling for remaining in consumer's mind and inclining their affections. In this era, remaining in one's mind is vital for brand management since the variety and competition have raised among brands more than ever before due to the advancement in technology. The principal reason of this situation is the removal of the spatio-temporal boundaries today with the usage of the smart phones and internet. Thus, the communication between brand and consumer has evolved into a faster and multi-directional structure. Consumers are exposed to intence visual advertisements such as outdoor advertising and smart phone ads. As a consequence, brands need to communicate with consumers in different layers in order to forge ahead and preferred. With the improvements in technology, the expectations of the consumers from brands have changed. Today's consumers prefer the brands that are connecting themselves emotionally, identifying with their individuality or representing the lifestyle they want to posess. In this context, brands need to build their character in a way that the consumers identify themselves with the brand. The character of a brand exists through the visual storytelling. One of the methods used by the brands for revaluating is the usage of visual storytelling. Brands use visual storytelling in various ways and for various purposes. It is significant for brands to manage the execution precisely and effectively. This thesis is a research on uses of visual storytelling in marketing and brand management. It is explained how the messages that are engraved in one's conscious and subconscious are directed through visual storytelling for the brand-consumer communication. It is pointed out how the varieties of visual storytelling constitute a whole through the archetypes that show the core of the brand character. It is also pointed out how brands use the visual storytelling in communication with the consumer on different communication channels. Within the study and research made in the scope of this thesis, a visual storytelling is applied for a non-governmental organization. As a consequence, this application study shows the usages of visual storytelling and plots the application within the scope of this particular brand.