From Performer to Marketer: How the Stage Taught Me about Building Brand Awareness

I have always loved to tell stories. For me, it’s all about how they make people feel, the power they have to shape opinions, drive behaviour, and spark connection through shared experience.

As a former actor turned marketer I naturally gravitated towards storytelling through performing rather than writing. Before starting my own business, I spent several years in the performing arts, and since then I’ve come to see how the principles of acting mirror what makes storytelling in marketing come alive. The main one being human connection. 

The same reasons people buy tickets to a show are the reasons why they engage with a brand: to feel something, to be moved, and to connect. In theatre, audiences applaud when they’re emotionally stirred, but also to encourage the performer to keep going and give more.The same happens when a potential customer clicks an ad. They’re intrigued, inspired, and ready to see what else your brand has to offer.

So, how did I take my experience as a performer and use it to connect with people through my own brand?

Having the Human Factor 

At its core, storytelling is what gives your brand that human connection. The kind that makes people feel something real.

As someone who has played Hermia in A Midsummer's Night Dream in the 21st century, I’ve learned that whether you’re on stage or behind a brand, it’s all about emotional connection. Acting teaches you to make a story relatable, no matter how old the script is, and the same applies in marketing. If people see themselves in your story, they’ll listen.

When brands share stories that evoke real human emotion, it creates a sense of connection and trust. Audiences aren’t just buying a product, they’re connecting with a feeling, an experience, or a purpose. Storytelling allows businesses to highlight the people behind the product and show that there’s more than just a logo, but real a voice, and a purposeful mission. 

Stage versus Social media 

In the same way actors have a stage, marketers have social media, website, and email marketing. Just like an actor can read a room and adjust their energy to keep the audience engaged, brands can use platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn or TikTok to gauge audience reactions and respond in real time.

This is where modern storytelling shines. Social media removes the wall between your brand and audience, allowing you to connect more intimately. You’re not just broadcasting a message out into the world and hoping it sticks, you’re building a relationship, trust, and that’s what makes a brand memorable.

Script to Substance: Letting your Values Drive the Narrative 

One thing I learned from my acting days is the power of authenticity. Now, I know you might laugh and think, "How can you be original if you're pretending to be someone else?" But the truth is, to act well, you have to be honest with yourself first. 

No matter how morally flawed they may be, you can’t judge your character. Authenticity comes from being in the moment, it's listening as if it’s real, rather than thinking like an actor reciting lines. 

The same challenge exists in marketing. Telling your brand’s story in a relatable and authentic way isn’t always easy. In the same way an audience can tell if an actor can’t connect with its character, they can also pick up on unoriginal narratives. What I am trying to say is that an actor needs to align with its character just like a brand’s story needs to identify with its values. 

Aligning with a character's truth is key to a stellar performance just like a brand's alignment with its core values is essential for creating an authentic narrative. 

Rehearsal and Relevance: The Power of Knowing your Audience 

In both acting and marketing, understanding your audience is key to success. As an actor, you must connect with your audience on an emotional level. You need to understand what makes your character tick so the audience can see themselves in the story. That’s what makes a performance land, and what makes it feel real. 

Marketing works in the same way, just with slightly less jazz hands. Instead of diving into a character’s backstory, you're digging into demographics, preferences, and buying habits to tell a brand story. 

When I played a new character I wouldn’t just immediately adopt their personality or make presumptions about their behaviour, I’d ask questions like: What do they care about? What’s their morning routine? What annoys them? Where did they grow up?

In marketing, you’re asking similar questions, just about your customer. What frustrates them? What inspires them? What do they need that your brand can help with?

It’s all about understanding the “why” behind your audience’s decisions because emotion drives behaviour, both on stage and in the marketplace.

Engaging Your Audience: How Theatre Techniques helped Shape my Storytelling Approach

Timing, suspense, and audience interaction were all things I learned in acting school that helped me tell engaging and persuasive brand stories.

A well-told story has a way of staying with people, but if they're not interested enough to engage with it, or if it's delivered at the wrong moment, it might be completely missed.

That’s why when you're sharing your brand story, you need to spark interest first. Whether it’s through social media, a blog, or video content, it's crucial to create a sense of curiosity and connection before delivering the full message.

Building suspense over time is just as important as delivering the story itself, like saying the right line at the right moment on stage. For a better comparison, it’s almost like how Carrie Bradshaw steps out of her New York City apartment, effortlessly captivating, perfectly timed, and impossible to ignore.

These techniques taught me that great storytelling in marketing isn’t just about what you say, it’s about how, when, and why you say it, and making sure your audience is ready to listen.

And now for the closing scene. Hold the applause! 

Navigating the marketing landscape may feel like a minefield sometimes, but it doesn't have to be. We’ve all had experiences and we all have stories to tell, and that’s what makes us both as humans and marketers unique. 

Sure we have countless ways to tell our brand story, and it can get overwhelming trying to cut and condense it to suit different platforms. The main thing is to not let your message or your voice get lost in the noise. It’s all about keeping it simple and keeping it relatable. 

So if you like how I think, and are ready to put on a show that your audience won’t forget, then get in touch here.