Two recent events – comparatively unrelated – have made me think seriously about the way modern brands marketing is done.

Firstly, Facebook introducing their timeline. To begin with, this struck me as an innocuous gimmick designed to breathe a slither of innovation into what has become something of a staid format. As time has gone on, I have realised how important this move could be.

The thing is, people understand and relate to stories. They hold the attention and they capture the imagination. Triumph, defeat, surprise and redemption are sewn into their every fabric. As a result, even the most boring person’s activity set into a timeline becomes memorable – did they pass that driving test? How did that too-good-to-be-true holiday in Crete work out?

What’s more, people not only relate to stories, but also have an emotional response to them – we think about similar events and emotions in our own lives and that creates a further level of interest with the storyteller. It could just prove to be a masterstroke for Facebook.

The second event that caught my attention was the announcement that Revlon has created a new ad strategy created around (you guessed it) storytelling. The strategy is a radical departure from what has gone before and early indications are that it has been an overwhelming success.

Revlon’s Chief Marketing Officer, Julia Goldin, says, “We wanted to create a world that’s inspirational and accessible. It’s not just ‘here’s a model’; consumers can watch a story as it explains the product and places it into the life of a modern woman…(We) are looking at the whole of the person; what I feel like and how I project myself. This has become the heart of what we want to deliver.”

The two events are far from being isolated examples; everywhere, people are waking up to the immersive power of creating narrative, keeping people watching by giving them a real reason to do so. This is the future of brand communications – it’s time to find something worth saying to make the magic happen for you.