“People will engage with what you have written when they can see themselves in the story you are telling.”

That’s the secret.

Powerful ads engage the audience.

And they create that engagement through story.

But not just any kind of story.

Only those stories that resonate with the audience.

Which means the audience has to identify with the:

That’s what causes resonance.

That’s what causes people to bond with you and feel as if they know you.

In contrast, most “normal” ads not only fail to engage, they don’t even raise to the level of awareness.

Forget all the studies showing how you’re exposed to 5,000 or 8,000 branded messages per day.

I’m not interested in measuring your eyeballs’ inundation with product and clothing logos, packaging designs, store signs, and all that jazz.

Let’s just talk actual audio or visual ads, carried over either traditional or digital media.

Within the last week, you’ve undoubtedly been exposed to dozens of ads in the form of:

  • YouTube Pre-rolls,
  • Social media ads,
  • TV ads either on broadcast, cable, or streaming,
  • and Radio ads.

And that doesn’t even count the billboards you’ve driven past or any print ads you might have looked at.

So even at an absurdly conservative estimate, you’ve been exposed to over two dozen actual, no-kidding ads.

How many do you remember?

How many of them made any kind of impression?

And that’s the point.

Powerful ads are the few that stand out in your mind because they made an impression.

If it’s been a while since you’ve come across one of those, that’s a clue as to how rare — and how much of an unfair advantage — they are.

So let me ask you:

  • Are your ads telling stories?
  • Are they stories that establish your character and make the audience want to root for you?
  • Do people repeat those stories — or at least your brandable chunks or earworms — back to you?

If the answer to any of those questions is “no,” you might want to hire an expert to help you reboot your advertising.

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