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Consumers are drawn to stories - narratives that resonate with their values and invite them to be part of something bigger than just a transaction. In fact, 92% of consumers say they want brands to make ads feel like a story, not just a sales pitch.
Storytelling is the art of shaping the perception of who the brand is, its purpose, vision, and the impact it aims to make, in a way that gives customers a reason to care about the brand on a deeper level.
Digital signage allows you to take the best of display technology and tell a story that stays with your audience long after they leave your store.
But how do you use digital signage to tell a story that sticks? In this guide, we’ll explore actionable strategies for using digital signage to craft powerful, brand-building narratives.
Strategy 1: Start with the Heart of Your Brand Story
What's Your Brand's Story? Tell It Boldly
Your brand story begins with your “why”—the driving force behind your business. What inspired your company’s creation? What do you want to achieve? Then use digital signs to communicate this truth.
Nike is an excellent example of a brand that boldly tells its story through digital signage. Their “Just Do It” mantra is a statement about perseverance, grit, and achieving your goals. Nike uses digital storytelling to showcase the real-life struggles and triumphs of athletes, which reinforces their core message: success isn’t just for the naturally talented, it’s for anyone willing to put in the work.
Think about what your company is motivated by. What do customers value most: innovation, sustainability, or customer service? Whatever it is, make it the center of the digital signage narrative. For example, if your brand deals with environmental conservation, ensure that the messages displayed on the digital displays are about your company’s friendly environment policies or how the products you deal in affect the environment.
Use Visuals That Speak to Emotion
Visual storytelling is powerful because it bypasses logic and speaks directly to the heart. Studies have shown that 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual, and we’re hardwired to remember stories that evoke emotion. The right visuals can make your digital signage not just eye-catching, but memorable.
Coca-Cola is a brand that excels in creating emotional resonance with its visuals. Their digital signage campaigns feature warm, joyful interactions—friends sharing a Coke, families gathering at a barbecue—which reinforce their brand association with happiness and togetherness. These visuals don’t just advertise a product, they communicate a feeling.
When designing your own signage, think about the emotions you want your audience to experience. If your brand is focused on adventure, display vibrant images of exploration and discovery. If you promote well-being, use calming visuals that evoke peace and balance. Colors, imagery, and even the pace of transitions all contribute to the emotional story your brand tells.
Strategy 2: Keep Your Story Fresh with Dynamic Content
Bring Your Brand to Life with Motion
Motion graphics and animation can be the difference between your audience walking past your signage or stopping to engage.
By motion graphics, we mean that you use moving animated visual elements—such as text, shapes, and images—to communicate a message or enhance the visual experience. These can include everything from subtle transitions to fully animated sequences that guide viewers through your brand narrative.
Animation, on the other hand, can take motion graphics further by adding layers of storytelling, personality, and emotion to your digital signage. For example, if you’re a fitness brand, you can showcase animated demonstrations of workouts in action. If you’re in the automotive industry, show your cars speeding through different terrains to highlight their capabilities. Motions turn your product into a living, breathing part of your customer’s world.
Strategy 3: Make Your Story Personal and Interactive
Let Your Audience Be Part of the Story
Today’s consumers want to actively participate in shaping their brand experiences. Interactive digital signage offers the perfect opportunity to make your audience part of the story you’re telling.
Adidas has taken this concept to heart by allowing customers to customize their products through interactive digital signage. In select stores, customers can design their sneakers by choosing colors, materials, and patterns. By the end of the shopping experience, customers walk away feeling like they’ve made something truly their own.
You can take a similar approach with your brand. It could be something as simple as allowing customers to vote on upcoming product designs, or as sophisticated as a fully immersive experience that lets them explore your brand’s story in their own way.
Tailor Your Story to Fit the Location
No two audiences are the same, and neither should your digital signage be. One of the greatest advantages of digital displays is that they can display localized content that makes your messaging more relevant to the people in each specific location.
Take, for instance, a national coffee chain. While the main message of the brand might remain consistent across locations, digital signage can be tailored to display content that resonates with local customers.
In one city, the screens could feature local events, weather updates, or community news. In another location, it might promote local attractions or collaborations with nearby businesses.
To implement this in your store:
- Share customer testimonials that reflect the local community’s experiences.
- Display the brand’s involvement in local charitable events or initiatives.
- Tell the story of how the location connects to the brand’s larger mission
Strategy 4: Connect Your Digital Story to Other Platforms
Encourage Sharing Beyond the Screen
Studies show that 68% of consumers take action, such as following a brand or making a purchase, after engaging with its social media content. But why is this so effective? When customers see authentic, relatable content—like photos, reviews, or live posts from other people—it builds trust and creates a sense of community around your brand.
People are more likely to engage with content that feels personal and inclusive, rather than traditional advertisements that may come off as impersonal or overly promotional.
You can make user-generated content (UGC) part of your brand’s story by creating opportunities for customers to share positive experiences related to your brand. That looks like displaying customer photos on your in-store social walls, running social media challenges, or showcasing live comments on your displays. As a result, customers will continue engaging with your brand long after they’ve left the physical location.
Make Mobile Part of the Experience
You can integrate mobile with digital signage to make the storytelling journey continuous. For instance, beacon technology can be used by a retail store to communicate with a customer’s phone, and offer them discounted offers based on their position in the store.
You don’t need complex technology to make implement this strategy in your business. Something as simple as a QR code on your signage can lead customers to exclusive online content, promotions, or even augmented reality experiences that further immerse them in your brand narrative. It is important to keep the information flow from the digital signs to the customer’s handheld devices continuous and logical.
Conclusion
Digital signage storytelling is one of the most effective branding tools that can help you establish a strong brand. Concentrating on the values, employing dynamic and engaging content, and offering a smooth experience across platforms makes it possible to develop a fascinating story that will be interesting for the audience.
Remember that the most important principle of storytelling is being genuine. Be consistent in your brand image and personality, and employ these strategies to express that personality in fresh and engaging ways. Even so, do not be afraid to try out new things and tweak the techniques to enhance their impact. The digital environment is ever-changing, and so should the methods of telling your brand story.
