What TV Adverts Understand About Storytelling That Presenters Forget

When did a business presentation last make you sit up and pay attention?

Many presentations feel less like conversations and more like lectures; dense, data-heavy, and emotionally flat. Yet every day, in the background of our lives, we’re exposed to some of the most compelling storytelling on the planet.

Great TV adverts

In just thirty seconds, a TV advert can deliver one idea, one emotion, and a story you’ll carry for years.

Yet in business, where presenters have considerably more time and richer context, many still prefer bullet points over humanity, slides over storytelling, and information over impact. The result? Presentations that inform but rarely inspire.

Why?

It’s because presenters overlook something advertisers never forget.

Humans don’t recall facts; they remember feelings, and feelings arise from stories.

Humans Are Wired for Stories — It’s How We Make Sense of the World

Long before we had spreadsheets, dashboards or quarterly reviews, we had stories.

Cave paintings from 15,000 BC depict rituals, hunts, and meaningful moments, and Aesop’s fables teach morals that still influence us today.
The Bible, Shakespeare, Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr., and Gandhi are all storytellers first, leaders second.

Even Steve Jobs, one of the most admired presenters of our time, crafted every keynote around a narrative arc.

Storytelling isn’t just a technique; it’s a natural human instinct. So why do so many business presentations overlook it?

The Finest TV Advertisements Are Masterpieces of Storytelling

This morning, while getting ready for work, I noticed something: every memorable advert tells a story.

It’s not a product pitch or a feature list, but a story, and the best ones have stayed with me for decades.

That’s not new either of course, they’ve been doing it for years. In fact, some are so memorable I can still recall them decades later:

I still remember the original Heinz Baked Beans advert

A young boy imagining wild adventures, yet the thing that delighted him most wasn’t distant lands, it was beans. A little story about the power of comfort and the pull of childhood joy.

There was the Cadbury’s Milk Tray advert

A mysterious man risking everything for a single box of chocolates, not to list ingredients or pricing, but to tell a story of romance, devotion, and daring.

How about the PG Tips commercial

A quiet moment of connection over tea, because tea isn’t just a drink, it’s a ritual we return to.

Then there was the Shake n Vac TV Ad With Jenny Logan

A woman dancing through her living room, singing a jingle you can still hear decades later, a playful story of freshness, energy, and everyday life.

More recently there was belVita

A hectic morning brought to life through a catchy tune, all building to one simple, unforgettable promise: energy for the whole morning.

How about the simple yet powerful, Hedrin. No Drama commercial?

A stressful parenting moment transformed into something light and instantly recognisable, a small story that turns chaos into calm.

Do you like dogs?

A single line that hits harder than any product pitch ever could: “Hundreds of dogs are still waiting for their special someone.”

These adverts don’t just sell products; they sell feelings, and feelings drive sales.

So, why don’t business presenters do the same?

I believe it’s because they confuse information with communication.

A presentation isn’t just a transfer of information; it’s an experience that people need to feel, follow, and understand. Without a story, there is no emotion.

What TV Adverts Can Teach You About Business Presentations

Here are the storytelling principles advertisers have mastered, and presenters desperately need:

1. Begin with a single clear and simple message

Every great advert has a single idea:

• Beans meanz Heinz
• The lady loves Milk Tray
• It’s the tea you can really taste
• Energy for the whole morning
• Hedrin. No drama

Your presentation requires the same clarity. What is the one key message that everything else underpins?

2. Be Real, Human, and Imaginative

Advertisers don’t only display products; they also present people.

They show:

• A child’s curiosity
•  Romantic gestures
• A stressful morning
• A relatable problem
• Moment of joy

Business presenters often show charts, but charts alone don’t persuade people; stories do.

3. Mirror Human Behaviour

BelVita didn’t display nutritional stats; they depicted a morning we all recognise.

Dogs Trust didn’t just show kennels; they displayed longing, connection, and hope.

Reflect your audience’s world, and they’ll engage.

4. Make Them Feel Something First

Logic prompts thinking, and emotion drives action. Advertisers understand this, but presenters often overlook it.

If You Want to Become a Better Presenter, Study TV Adverts

Next time you’re watching television, don’t skip the adverts. Watch them like a strategist. Ask yourself:

– What’s the story?

– What’s the emotion?

– Why does it work?

– What’s the message?

– How could I use this in my next presentation?

A presentation without storytelling is a lecture, and nobody likes being lectured.

If you’d like to develop your storytelling skills:

– Book yourself onto a powerful public speaking course.

– Invest in some really good one to one public speaking coaching.

– Get yourself some excellent presentation training

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