Adgully, in collaboration with Comms Adda, recently hosted a webinar titled "Building a Powerful Brand Narrative – The Science of Storytelling and Its Role in Creating a Strong Brand Identity that Resonates with Target Audiences." The session was moderated by Bhaskar Majumdar, Head of Marketing Communications, CSR & Digital at Egis South Asia, and featured insights from Arun Arora, Director Strategy, Communications & CSR at Chetak Group & Foundation, Bhumika Gupta Oberoi, Team Lead Marketing at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Priya Patankar, Head of Communications at PhonePe, and Rahul Gossain, Chief Strategy and Brand Officer at JSA.Evolution of Brand BuildingBhaskar Majumdar initiated the discussion by posing a question to Arun Arora: "In the last 30 years, how have you seen brand building as a subject change? When I started almost 23-24 years back, brand building used to be more of an advertising space, now it’s PR also, social media also. How do you think brand building has evolved over the years and become an integral part of the communication function?"Arun Arora responded by tracing the origins of storytelling back to ancient India, highlighting its long-standing role in communication. He noted, "If we get into our ancient history of India, storytelling started long ago. It was one of the best ways of communicating across generations, going as far as the time of Ramayana when Luv and Kush went around town narrating the tale of Ram and Sita. This was the way of educating people. There were a lot of literatures that we had, taught through oral recitations by saints, healers, gurus, and teachers. Thus, using story building as a tool to effectively communicate any niche for the story or character has survived. Even now, storytelling can take any form – oral, written, visual, digital, or street play. Ramayana is still played across India, year after year around Dusshera time. Storytelling is in our blood, and that’s how we have evolved."He continued, "This is not true only for India; almost 3000 years ago, the Egyptians started this concept. Even before that, cavemen used cave paintings to communicate. Storytelling is imbibed in human beings and keeps evolving, moving from cave paintings to ChatGPT, the AI tool that generates stories, sometimes more than what is required."The Role of Emotion in StorytellingArun Arora further elaborated on the structure of storytelling: "We all know how we define news in the newspaper using the inverted pyramid concept. Similarly, when we talk about a story, it begins with an interesting, insightful incident, followed by a turning point, a crisis, then the climax, and resolves with a happy ending, which is common in Hindi films. These are the basic tenets of storytelling. Eventually, we are touching the emotional chord of the listeners or the audiences. Once we touch the emotional chord, the brand establishes itself in the psyche of the audience. Converting a definition into a story form gives far greater acceptance. Even when teaching children, we start with storybooks and picture books because their acceptance and comprehension are greater."Purpose-Driven Brand NarrativesBhaskar Majumdar then asked Bhumika Gupta about her thoughts on the emotional aspect of storytelling. Bhumika Gupta responded by sharing a story: "There is a story of a janitor who said he put a man on the moon when President Kennedy visited NASA. The janitor put emotion into the story, defining his purpose. There are two things in the perspective of the story – purpose and emotion. If there is no purpose, you won't connect with the consumers' emotions, and the story won't attract the audience’s attention. The janitor could have just said he was cleaning, but he spoke about his role in a world-important event. That is the role emotions play in a story, making some ads or stories better than others."Strategic Narrative in Diverse MarketsBhaskar Majumdar shared his personal experience with storytelling and then directed a question to Priya Patankar about creating a brand narrative for different target audiences. Priya responded by discussing PhonePe’s approach: "We started strong in tier 2 and tier 3 markets. For us, the problem statement started right from our inception, ensuring the message was appealing. One of the first things was being multilingual from day one, as language is a key part of engagement. Money causes anxiety, so if troubleshooting is in English, vernacular users are lost. Our app, help center, and smart speakers are multilingual. Storytelling is engaging with the consumer at a level where they feel involved. Tailoring communication to the user’s language, style, age, and stage in life makes a lot of difference. AI might take over more DAU communication, but we humanize it as much as possible."She added, "Younger people are digital-savvy and fearless, while older generations need more visual aid. Tailoring our strategy over time to be as targeted as possible, we ensure regional campaigns are specific, like Pongal and New Year. Our CRM and PR strategies are tailored to different regions and occasions."Communication Strategy in Professional ServicesBhaskar Majumdar asked Rahul Gossain about brand building in his services. Rahul responded by explaining the need for an integrated framework: "A brand must have a clear purpose that appeals to various stakeholders, whether internal or external. Effective communication facilitates behavior and cultural change, aligning everyone with the brand’s aspirational values. This applies across professional services, corporates, B2B, B2C, or D2C contexts. The role of communication is to transcend defined aspirations and bind everyone together."The webinar underscored the timeless relevance of storytelling in brand building. With insights from seasoned professionals, it highlighted how purpose-driven and emotionally resonant narratives can create strong brand identities. The discussion provided valuable perspectives on adapting storytelling techniques to different markets and sectors, reaffirming storytelling as a powerful tool in modern brand communication.