Can we all agree that we scroll social media to feel something? Whether it’s to laugh, learn, or find a sense of belonging, we want to have our emotions engaged.

Gone are the days where simply posting a pretty picture of a product and a price tag will capture the attention of your audience. Things have changed, users expect more, and now the most successful brands have shifted gears from sellers to creators. Not just social media creators, but creators of story-rich worlds that people want to be a part of.

The big question is: how do you shape a story-rich world when you’re a brand trying to market a product?

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‍The method

1. Outline the core ingredients. Audiences, and how they relate to your brand, are key. Without understanding them and walking a mile in their shoes, it’s hard to shape an empathetic insight and a single-minded truth that is the foundation of your world. Think of it as your creative platform – the thing that all content and channels ladder up to.
   
   
2. Mix in a strategy. Each social media platform – and the expectations audiences have of them - are different. How you create your mix is your world’s ecosystem. Social media strategists or specialist agencies can help shape and define how your brand shows up for your audience. This will help unlock creative, story-led possibilities across multiple platforms and audiences.
   
   
3. Bake in scroll-stopping content. Content helps shape your story-led world, but it needs to be multifaceted and exploratory, with creative thought at the heart of it. It might include episodic storytelling, recurring characters and personas grounding content, as well as blending and creating cultural moments where services and products take more of a back seat.
   
   

Proof is in the pudding‍

Let’s take a look at some of these scroll-stopping campaigns that have captured the attention of many…
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‍Episodic storytelling of ‘I’m Dying Inside’ by Modibodi

Brand goal
Modibodi took a creative and strategic approach by humanising its period pants for Gen Z audiences, with an underlying message of sustainability. The brand’s aspiration was to target this younger audience to normalise reusable period products, enabling them to keep up the behaviour later in life.

The audience
‍TikTok is one of the most prevalent channels for Gen Z. Almost half (47%) of the platform’s user base is Gen Z, while 77% of the demographic use it to discover new products (higher than any other platform). Focusing on this platform for this campaign made absolute sense.

The content
The premise of the social-first episodic series is ‘life’s a lot and then you get your period’. I’m Dying Inside captures four housemates as they fumble through the awkward realities of young adult life… all while on their period. Each episode reveals relatable, messy, modern truths of having a period. No topic is off limits. The pants themselves play a secondary role to support the mishaps and realities, reassuring the viewer that leaks don’t have to be part of the drama.

Watch the series here.

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Ryanair’s unapologetic persona

Brand goal
Ryanair could have easily copied the same approach as its competitors - polished brand visuals and customer services. But it wanted to be bold and go against the grain by applying relatability and humour to drive viral content, over and over again. The airline doesn’t shy away from acknowledging its budget-friendly reputation; instead, it leverages it to create content that is entertaining and incredibly shareable.

The audience
The approach is highly effective in capturing the attention of Gen Z and younger millennials, who favour authentic, lighthearted content over traditional advertising. With 94% of its passengers falling within the 18–44 age range it makes sense to give its primary audience on social media exactly what it likes.

The content
From meme-based marketing that jumps on trending audios and formats, to quick-witted responses to customer messages on social media, Ryanair gets it right a lot of the time. It always comes back to the brand’s single-minded truth about being unconventional, bold, and unapologetic about what it offers customers with humour and fun.

Check out its TikTok channel here.
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Creating a cultural phenomenon with Michael Cera

Brand goal
‍Skincare brand CeraVe wanted to expand its influencer tactics on social media to create a viral conspiracy that would become a cultural media sensation. It kicked it off with its partner and brand influencer Haley Kalil, before it took an unexpected turn…

The audience
The brand had built a positive reputation on TikTok since 2020, but it wanted to harness Gen Z and get them to participate in a ‘conspiracy’ conversation.

‍The content
‍CeraVe landed on forming a partnership with actor Michael Cera and supporting influencers. In the lead up to Super Bowl 2024, the brand spread rumours that Michael Cera was the brains behind CeraVe. As a result, social media users organically shared the content between friends and audiences and generated their own UGC content to drive conversation.

This laddered up to a fantastic payoff as a 30-second Super Bowl ad featuring Michael Cera. The campaign targeted those who had been emotionally invested in the rumours, and those who didn’t have the background information but still find the Super Bowl ad humorous and exciting. Through hype, mystery and conspiracy CeraVe focused its attention on Michael Cera, with the product only playing a supporting role in all of it. 

Take a closer look at the campaign here.
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Cherry on the cake‍

When brands act more like storytellers than salespeople, they tap into something far more powerful… emotional relevance. 

Truly understanding your audience and showing up with a clear, creative point of view can spark conversation, inspire loyalty, and earn the kind of engagement money can’t buy. Social media isn’t just a series of platforms, it’s a story-led world that any brand can look to shape.

‍If you’re interested in finding out more or working with us to develop a strategy for your brand, send us an email to hello@battenhall.com.