When an Ad tells a compelling story and touches the hearts of people, they go out of the way to share that story with others. Ads normally get ignored but compelling stories usually get amplified.
Here are three ads (in no particular order) that tell compelling stories
1. Telekinetic Woman in a Coffee Shop!
This is an ad for a horror movie called Carrie. This short ad begins by showing how they prepare for a prank in a coffee shop. The detailed preparation builds up the anticipation about the prank that is going to be performed. The viewers won't be disappointed. A situation is created in the coffee shop where a girl gets very angry and demonstrates her telekinetic powers in a gripping fashion. The story ends with the final message that this was a promo for an upcoming movie.
2. Street Retouch Live!
Erik Johannsen and his creative team setup hidden cameras at a bus stop. They take photos of unsuspecting people waiting for buses, photoshop them and project them on the advertising stands right next to the bus stop. The surprises and smiles on the faces of waiting passengers make the movie worth watching and sharing.
3. Reunion
This is a touching ad (can easily be called a short film) produced by creative people in Google India. It's a story of two close friends separated during the partition that created Pakistan and India. The protagonist is the granddaughter of one of the friends. She performs a number of searches on Google and connects to his Grandpa's friend and finally helps them re-unite.
It requires a level of creativity to come up with good ad ideas but it takes some kind of creative genius to come up with compelling stories like those featured above.
What compelling story can you create for your business?