Why spectacle isn’t enough: 5 principles for ethical storytelling that actually connects

When I attended a visually captivating theatre performance, with spectacular effects, engaging acting, immersive aesthetics, but couldn’t grasp the core of its communicative intent, I felt deeply frustrated. All those stimuli, those intense sensations, seemed to tickle the back of my brain, but never quite reached deep inside. It was as if something was trying to get through, but remained stuck on the surface.

And I felt alone, inadequate. 

But it wasn’t just a matter of social comparison. It was something deeper: a cognitive mechanism. 

Our brains, all brains, hate nonsense. They reject it.

It might sound strange, because it often seems like people around us revel in chaos and fragmentation. But the truth is, when we perceive something as meaningless, when disorder feels useless and unintentional, we fear it and instinctively turn away.

Principle 1 – Balance emotion and reason

Cognitive science and psychology indicate that human decision-making integrates emotion and reason rather than separating them. In other words, consumers are simultaneously “thinkers and feelers”, and persuasive messages must engage both faculties. This principle recognises this balance and treats persuasion as a form of education rather than manipulation

When we hear a compelling story, our brains release a powerful trio of chemicals: cortisol, dopamine, and oxytocin. Cortisol helps us remember important messages, dopamine keeps us interested and looking forward, and oxytocin builds trust and emotional connection, it’s even called the “moral molecule” by some researchers. This mix of brain chemicals shows why a story that moves us emotionally can also teach us something meaningful. 

Psychologically, theories like Kahneman’s System 1 and 2 remind us that emotion and logic aren’t opposites, they actually work together. Emotions can make our thinking clearer, not just cloud it.

Take Google’s “Search Stories” campaign.

One of them tells a love story entirely through search queries: from “study abroad in Paris” to “how to impress a French girl” to “churches in Paris.” No voiceover. No actors. Just a human life unfolding through a search bar.

It’s emotional. But it also quietly teaches you about the product: how Google search integrates with your life. That’s the magic: wonder and clarity, inspiration and explanation.

Principle 2 – Respect choice, not compulsion

Now, contrast that with how most digital ads work. They're built on nudges, little manipulations that push you toward an action you didn’t plan to take. Urgency timers. Scarcity pop-ups. “Only 2 left in stock!”

These tactics can work in the short term. But they leave something behind: mistrust.

Psychological studies show that when people feel manipulated, they push back. It’s called reactance. Our mind reacts like a sassy teenager screaming “Don’t tell me what to do!” And slamming the door.

That’s why ethical marketing and communications must nurture conscious choice over compulsive reaction.

Patagonia is a masterclass in this. On Black Friday in 2011, they ran a full-page ad that said, “Don’t Buy This Jacket”

They weren’t trying to shame anyone. They were inviting us to reflect. To mindfully choose. To ask: Do I really need this?

They explained the environmental cost of making even one item. They treated us like intelligent people capable of understanding complexity.

The result? A huge surge in both trust and sales.

Honesty builds loyalty. Empowering people builds respect. And when you respect your audience’s intelligence, they respect you back.

Principle 3: Invite curiosity, guide cognitive tension

“All men by nature desire to know.”, With these words begins Aristotle’s Metaphysics, a series of texts that offer a synthesis of his philosophical thinking. Our brains are curious by design. We’re wired to notice what we don’t understand, and to try to close the gap.

George Loewenstein, a behavioural economist, calls it the “information gap”. Basically, when your brain senses that there’s a gap between what you know and what you want to know, it creates tension. But it’s a good form of tension, a tension that makes you want fill and close that gap.

We often talk about and promote hooking, and it’s certainly important. But sometimes, it’s less about a hook and more about baiting. As communicators, it’s crucial to understand the difference:

Clickbait raises a question and never answers it. It creates a gap and then betrays the trust.Hooking with a consistent storytelling raises a real question, and guides us toward resolution.

Principle 4 – Go beyond aesthetics to understanding

Let’s talk about substance.

We’re surrounded by beautiful content: gorgeous cinematography, sleek design, polished filters. And yet… most of it leaves us with nothing to hold onto.

This principle is based on the idea that marketing should help people truly understand something, whether it’s a product, a cause, or a brand’s values, instead of just leaving them with a quick impression or a vague emotional reaction.

Psychologists call this the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) of persuasion. According to ELM, there are two main ways people can be persuaded:

1. The peripheral route, where they’re influenced by surface-level things, like pretty visuals or famous people, without thinking too much.

2. The central route, where they really think about the message.

   
   

A good-looking ad with little real content might convince someone for a moment through the peripheral route, but its effect usually doesn’t last long and isn’t very deep. But the central route is more likely to create lasting changes in how people think and feel, and helps them remember the message.

Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” is one of the most powerful examples.

Women described themselves to a forensic artist, then strangers described them. The two sketches were dramatically different, and the strangers’ versions were always more kind.

This wasn’t just an emotional twist.

It revealed something real about self-perception. It taught. It gave insight. And because of that, it stuck.

Principle 5 – Offer meaning, not just attention

And that brings us to the final point.

We all know that: from a brain science perspective, new and surprising things can trigger dopamine, which grabs our attention.

In a world addicted to numbers (impressions, likes, views) we’ve come to worship attention as if it’s the ultimate goal.

But here’s the truth: not all attention is created equal. You can get millions of views and still be forgotten tomorrow.

What really matters is meaning.

From a sociological point of view, giving people meaning adds what we might call cultural capital to a brand. When content has real substance, people are more likely to share it proudly, talk about it with others, and make it part of their communities or social circles.

In contrast, attention-grabbing stunts often disappear quickly after the initial buzz, and can even leave people feeling a bit cynical.

More and more top brands are realising that in today’s crowded media landscape, quality of attention matters more than quantity. It’s better to have a smaller group of people who are truly engaged and connect with your brand’s purpose than millions who just scroll past your ad without really taking it in.

World-Burning or World-Building?

Let’s go back to those uncomfortable moments I had at the theatre.

Marie-Laure Ryan and David Herman, in the field of cognitive narratology, talk about this phenomenon: effective storytelling triggers a process of “world-building” in our minds. We construct mental worlds, relationships, motivations. If that construction doesn’t take place, because the narrative signals are too ambiguous, fragmented, or artificial, then aesthetics, no matter how refined, simply aren’t enough. It’s like having a baroque frame, with no painting inside.

And yet, everything today seems to be moving in the opposite direction. The attention economy works. It’s always worked. But now, especially in the digital landscape, it seems based entirely on fast, constant stimuli, disconnected from any deeper meaning. A kind of attention that sparks and burns out without building anything at all.

When everything is loud, nothing is heard.

When everything is urgent, nothing is important.

And when everything is tailored to your impulses, very little reaches your intellect, or your heart.