B&TB&TB&T
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Search
Trending topics:
  • Cairns Crocodiles
  • Nine
  • Seven
  • Federal Election
  • AFL
  • Pinterest
  • AI
  • News Corp
  • Cairns Hatchlings
  • NRL
  • Married At First Sight
  • Channel 10
  • oOh!Media
  • Anthony Albanese
  • Thinkerbell
  • WPP
  • Are Media
  • TV Ratings
  • Radio Ratings
  • Sports Marketing

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
Reading: Three Ways For Brands To Build Time Into Their Storytelling
Share
B&TB&T
Subscribe
Search
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
B&T > Opinion > Three Ways For Brands To Build Time Into Their Storytelling
Opinion

Three Ways For Brands To Build Time Into Their Storytelling

Staff Writers
Published on: 8th June 2021 at 3:51 PM
Staff Writers
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

In this guest post, opr CEO Richard Brett (main photo) offers his expert tips to ensure your brand always has a happy story to tell…

We’ve all experienced an unsettling sense that life slowed down and accelerated at the same time during the past year. Most of us spent more time at home but were more active than ever on digital and social channels – connecting, shopping, learning and escaping.

Many aspects of our personal and professional life have changed in some way. Our priorities are different. Brands need to rethink marketing and communications content in response to this shift in thinking and behaviour.

In our latest thought leadership report – The Future of Content – we look at eight trends shaping brand storytelling. These include putting more focus on audiences search, the growing popularity of lo-fi, and how TikTok is ripping up the user-generated rulebook.

The rise of long-form

But in this column I’m going to concentrate on three time-related trends. The first of these is the ongoing rise of long-form content. This predates the pandemic but has been amplified by the experiences of the past year as audiences with more time looked to immerse themselves in detail.

The average length of a blog post has risen from a little over 800 words in 2014 to more than 1200 words. Backlinko analysis of more than 11.8 million posts last year found that the average length of an article on the first page of search results was almost 1500 words. The average number one post? Almost 2500 words.

Leaning into this trend, marketers should spend time identifying a small number of niche topics where their brand has an opportunity to go deep and be the most authoritative voice. Build rich and immersive stories with audio, video and high-quality imagery. Audiences who share your passion will love you for it.

Nostalgia bias

The next of these three trends is nostalgia. This is an emotional shortcut marketers have used for many years to establish a bond with audiences, but this has also been accentuated during the pandemic as people craved comfort and escapism.

Our favourite recent example was Burberry’s recreation of ‘Singing in the Rain’ with a hip hop beat set against an East London backdrop. We also loved the Qantas safety video that offered a century of in-flight fashion as well as a potted history of safety innovations.

Brands should look for ways to use this powerful weapon against the anxiety, boredom and loneliness that has impacted us all to some degree during the past year. Classic sounds, looks and flavours bring back positive memories and make us feel good.

Weirdly satisfying

The final trend I want to mention is what we’re calling weirdly satisfying content. This is time-related because it’s an opportunity for audiences to checkout and escape for a few minutes, or much longer for those who really get into it.

We love Lucas Zanotto’s kinetic animations, which feature the same characters flipping and twisting repetitively through the same motions. Brands like McDonald’s and ING have explored this territory, with surreal representations of breakfast muffins and banking.

Our concept of time has changed during the past year. Marketers should look for ways to build this into brand storytelling with long-form, nostalgic and weirdly satisfying content that gives audiences an opportunity to escape from it all.

 

Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts
Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.

No related posts.

TAGGED: opr, richard brett
Share
Staff Writers
By Staff Writers
Follow:
Staff Writers represent B&T's team of award-winning reporters. Here, you'll find articles crafted with industry experience spanning over 50 years. Our team of specialists brings together a wealth of knowledge and a commitment to delivering insightful, topical, and breaking news. With a deep understanding of advertising and media, our Staff Writers are dedicated to providing industry-leading analysis and reporting, both shaping the conversation and setting the benchmark for excellence.

Latest News

Ogilvy Network ANZ Unites Social & Influence Expertise Under Social@Ogilvy Banner
20/05/2025
Customer Vs Employee Value Propositions: The Disconnect & How To Fix It
20/05/2025
‘It’s In A Different Category’ – 36 Months Backs YouTube Exemption From Age Restrictions & Outlines What’s Next
20/05/2025
Dan Sparkes Joins Up With Fellow Ex-Bullfrog At Hellions
20/05/2025
//

B&T is Australia’s leading news publication magazine for the advertising, marketing, media and PR industries.

 

B&T is owned by parent company The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.

About B&T

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise

Top Categories

  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • TV Ratings

Sign Up for Our Newsletter



B&TB&T
Follow US
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Register Lost your password?