Moving stories in the place of trivial advertising messages

Emotional stories, made to measure and fulfilling individual communication requirements, are the trademark of Stories AG, a Zurich-based production company. Founded in 2010, the team of ten creatives has specialised in storytelling and works with around 200 creative freelancers to find the right crew for each film.

Humans are storytellers. Even the earliest prehistoric cave paintings are witness to that, as are all of the fairy tales and legends that have been told at the fireplace down through the ages. It is not without reason that books, films and television series are so popular today: they allow people to explore other worlds and experience stories first hand. This is where Stories AG’s work starts. The company combines the expertise of marketing experts, directors, copywriters and producers to find the right story for each brand. A simple, thoughtful and precisely written story can carry a campaign over years, no matter if it is a short film clip or an animated spot. Stories AG supports clients from the first rough idea through to post-production.

But what are the ingredients for a good story?“Conflict, a hero people can identify with and a good structure,”says Tobias Fueter, director and co-founder of Stories AG.“Stories need conflict, challenges and twists. Conflicts are great for us storytellers, they are the force that drives our films.”Of course, the audience also needs to be able to identify with a protagonist to make a story work.“This has a lot to do with psychology, with projection and desired images,” says Fueter. The hero does not have to be an exact copy of the target audience, though, people can just as easily identify with a robot or a cartoon character.

Conflict and a hero are important ingredients, but to allow the audience to actually follow the story, it also needs a good structure.“A story does not have to be realistic, but it needs to be believable.” In advertising, storytelling provides great opportunities to develop a brand. Everyone knows at least one spot they will never forget. Not without reason, many people are glued to their television when they see the Christmas spots of large department stores and brands for the first time each year.

“The message has to fit the brand to be believable. This is why all our projects are made to measure and unique – according to budget, length, topic and chosen director,” says Yves Bollag, executive producer and co-founder. Stories has won various prizes: among them, the prestigious Cannes Lions in the film category – in 2016 in bronze and in 2019 in silver and bronze.