From Storytelling to ROI: A Measured Creative Approach to Marketing

My love and understanding of storytelling came before my background in Broadcast Media. I always loved talking to random people; both on and off the camera. It is my differentiator, as a person so when I started working in marketing, I knew it would still be my differentiator. I wear an imaginary “storytelling charm” like a treasured heirloom necklace.

“Storytelling is gold; it can and should always be measured. If done correctly, monetary goals are within your reach too.”

Telling a compelling narrative is the leading indicator but your sweet spot and lagging indicator is where influencing consumer perceptions and behaviors convert to tangibles.

At the audience level, resonance can be evaluated through engagement metrics such as video completion rates, time spent on content, social sharing, branded search activity and new followers due to a specific piece of content. These metrics indicate whether audiences are consuming and valuing the story. For ENet’s Bartica launch, I introduced “Aunty Sattie” , a market vendor and included myself working shoulder to shoulder with her. ENet gained over 100 new new Tik Tok followers, 47,000 views, over 70 shares and saves. Additionally, the video had a retention rate of 41% - Pretty decent, considering how quickly viewers tend to scroll.

Research by Escalas (2004) demonstrates that narratives increase self-brand connections, which strengthen attitudes toward the brand. Similarly, Escalas and Bettman (2005) show that storytelling activates emotional processing, which enhances memory and persuasion. That is why ENet gained 115 new followers on Tik Tok.

Story to Dollar$$$

Storytelling must be linked to monetary goals through its impact on conversion, retention, and customer lifetime value. Effective storytelling can reduce customer acquisition costs by creating emotional differentiation that lessens reliance on discounts or incentives (keep thinking about that 115).  Keller (2013) believes that over time, it creates loyalty and advocacy, translating into higher repeat purchase rates and stronger customer lifetime value.

Storytelling can also build pricing power. As Holt (2004) argues in How Brands Become Icons, narratives elevate brands beyond functional benefits into cultural symbols, enabling them to command price premiums.

Storytelling and ROI can be visualized as a funnel: stories first generate engagement and emotional connection, which lead to shifts in brand preference, which then drive purchase behavior and pricing tolerance. Marketing Expert, Anthony Miyazaki emphasises that  marketing communications must first attract attention and shape perceptions before it can lead to behavioral outcomes.

In conclusion, “storytelling should be treated as an equity-building investment.” Marketers and creatives should evaluate its role in reducing acquisition costs, increasing customer value, and enabling premium pricing. By combining audience-level measures of narrative resonance with business-level indicators such as retention, customer lifetime value, and margin improvement, you can show how your stories generate cultural relevance and monetary value. “That is the epitome of a Measured Creative.”