Storytelling in a time of uncertainty: how brands touch hearts and win trust
At the tech and culture festival SXSW shared filmmaker Cheryl Miller Houser (she/her) a powerful lesson: truly human-centered storytelling can both touch hearts and initiate change. In her talk, 'Human-Centered Storytelling: Driving Connection & Culture,' Houser illustrated how stories that start from empathy, vulnerability and imagination can revolutionize; from foster care reform to viral marketing campaigns. 'We all long to be seen, heard and understood. That is the greatest gift we can receive and give, Houser said. That shared humanity, she said, is the key to impactful stories in both society and marketing.
That storytelling resonates so powerfully precisely now is no coincidence. We live in an age of uncertainty, where people seek footing in real, human stories. In a world where trust in institutions is declining and technology is blurring the line between real and fake, authentic storytelling is becoming a means to restore connection.
Listening with an open heart
The first pillar of Houser's approach is listening with an open heart. When people feel truly heard, they dare to share their full story, with all the emotions that come with it. Houser illustrated this with a poignant example from foster care. In New Jersey, Christine Norbut Beyer, head of child welfare, on a sweeping reform of the foster care system. Beyer wants to move away from the reflex of simply taking children away from their families; instead, she is committed to supporting vulnerable families. To get her 6,600 employees and the public on board, she and Houser made the documentary "Truth to Transformation. In it, young people talk candidly about their lives in foster care. 'Because I listened with an open heart, they opened their hearts,' Houser told of filming with the young people. The result: a wave of empathy. 'We recognize ourselves in them. Their experiences become ours.' According to Houser, anyone who sees Truth to Transformation comes away convinced that the reforms Christine Beyer wants to implement are urgently needed.
Empathetic listening works not only in the nonprofit world but also for businesses, Houser argued. She pointed to gymnast Simone Biles, who shocked the world during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by retiring to protect her mental health. Where critics branded her a "quitter" or "national disgrace," others, like The New York Times for example, praised her courage to "put her mental health first and only then the expectations of others. Biles gave a global face to the struggle with mental strain, and made many fellow fighters feel less alone.
Remarkably, sports drink brand Powerade, a sponsor of Biles, decided not to drop her but to embrace her story. 'When she dropped out, media wondered if her sponsors would drop her, which is normal when an athlete stops performing. Powerade did the opposite,' Houser told me. The marketers there 'listened with an open heart and saw Biles 'in her completeness as a human being, not just as a performance machine. That empathetic approach led directly to a new campaign, "Pause is Power.
Whereas Powerade previously touted its sports drink primarily as a hydration product, the brand now emphatically represents the mental well-being of athletes and challenges the win-at-all-costs mentality. A moving commercial surrounding Biles' return to the sports stage showed how even the greatest champion needs help and gains strength from break and recovery. The result was golden: the spot featuring Biles was voted the most moving Olympic commercial by trade media. More importantly, Powerade gave substance to its slogan by putting its words into action. For example, the company has since introduced a clause giving sponsored athletes the contractual right to a break to work on their mental health.
This people-oriented approach struck a chord with the public and fits the spirit of the age. "Despite a backlash against 'purpose' in advertising, Gen Z and millennials in particular still want to buy from and work at companies that share their values, provided they see action and not just talk, emphasized Houser. And at a time when distrust in institutions is growing, people are looking for footing in real, personal stories. Empathetic listening - as with Truth to Transformation and the campaign around Simone Biles - not only provides recognition, but also helps restore trust in systems and brands.
Stories of struggle and triumph
The second storytelling principle Houser discussed is telling stories of struggle and triumph. 'Struggle and triumph is the best way to grab and hold your audience's attention,' she said. Scientists call that narrative transportation: a well-constructed story sucks the viewer along on a journey. The greater the goal and obstacles, the stronger we sympathize with the protagonist. And when it finally achieves its goal, the audience feels inspired - and even urged to turn that emotion into action.
A powerful example is Jeremy Renner, the Hollywood actor who suffered a near-fatal accident on New Year's Day 2023. A 6.5-ton snow plow ran over him, breaking 38 bones and doctors feared he would never walk again. But Renner fought back with pain, therapy and perseverance. On social media, he shared his rehabilitation process step by step, which grew into an inspiring story of resilience and recovery.
That personal struggle did not go unnoticed by running shoe brand Brooks Running. When Renner began posting about his rehabilitation, Brooks sent him running shoes for support. When the brand had to choose a face for its first global campaign in 25 years in 2024, Renner was the obvious choice. In the video Love, Hope and Titanium we see him, against all odds, running again. 'My doctor said I would never walk again ... but today I can,' he says in derision, jogging down his driveway.
The campaign caught on. The video reached a huge audience, generated a lot of engagement and won awards. But perhaps more importantly, it felt authentic. Brooks was seen not just as a shoe brand, but as an ally in one's recovery process. 'If your product helps the hero achieve his goal, then he too becomes a hero,' emphasized Houser. We see this pattern everywhere: whether they are elite athletes, actors or ordinary people, stories of perseverance and victory capture the imagination. Because it is precisely in uncertain times that we seek stories of perseverance and victory. They show that even in adversity, progress is possible; a message that has more resonance today than ever.
This underscores why struggle and triumph are such powerful building blocks for storytelling. "Struggle is both the burden and the joy of being human, for through it we learn and discover what we are capable of, Houser said. Stories of perseverance and victory strike a chord because everyone recognizes struggle and growth in one way or another. This is precisely why they stick around and inspire action.
Imagination as a source of power
The third principle in Houser's story is stimulating imagination. "Imagination drives creativity, innovation and our ability to hope and dream, she explained. Houser showed how technology and human emotion can go hand in hand in storytelling. 'Some fear AI means the end of our humanity,' she noted. "The following example shows the opposite; how to use AI to tell deeply human stories.
On the screen appeared an advertising film of Volkswagen Brazil, which became a sensation in the summer of 2023. The reason: VW celebrated 70 years in Brazil and introduced its first electric model there. But how do you connect such a futuristic vehicle with decades of popular history? Volkswagen found the answer in the music and imagination of its audience.
Using AI, the car brand made a dream of millions of Brazilians come true: a duet between legendary singer Elis Regina and her daughter Maria Rita. Elis Regina, one of Brazil's greatest musical icons, died in 1982 at the age of 36. Maria Rita was only four at the time; she later went on to become an eight-time Latin Grammy winner. For years, music lovers fantasized what it would sound like if mother and daughter ever sang together. In the VW spot, just that happens. With AI, Elis' voice and image were brought to life and brought together with a new recording of Maria Rita. Mother and daughter sing Elis' classic together Como nossos pais - appropriately a song about past and future - while Elis rides in a classic Volkswagen T1 bus and Maria Rita in the new electric ID.Buzz.
'When I first saw that spot, tears welled up in my eyes,' Houser admitted. Maria Rita herself also mentioned the result 'a dream come true.' Dhe campaign hit like a bomb. Within days, the video achieved more than 50 million organic views and 2 billion impressions. Even the first lady of Brazil shared the clip saying it moved her to tears.
Yet Volkswagen's AI stunt also raised ethical questions. 'AI resurrection of Brazilian singer for car ad raises joy as well as ethical concerns,' header The Guardian apt. Critics questioned the justification for digitally "reviving" a deceased artist without her explicit consent. In this case, the next of kin gave their approval, but the discussion remains current.
The impact of AI in storytelling depends on how it is deployed. When technology is used to enhance a deeply human story - as with Volkswagen - it can touch emotionally and generate positive engagement. But when AI is deployed in a way that is perceived as manipulative or unethical, it can have the opposite effect. AI-driven storytelling only works if it is transparent and ethical. The difference between a powerful story and deception lies in how technology is employed: does it enrich the message, or does it distort reality? This dichotomy - between technological progress and the need for authenticity - marks the times in which we live. AI is embraced when it enriches human stories, but evokes resistance when it blurs the line between reality and illusion. Brands that strike the right balance in this can strike a deep emotional chord.
Houser emphasized that it is not about the technology itself, but the creative vision behind it. "You can harness the magic of AI to tell exceptionally human stories, if you start with imagination and use AI only to bring that imagination to life.
A future full of stories
At the end of the session, Houser returned to the bigger picture. Storytelling may be a marketing tool, but in essence it is about human advancement. "What kind of future do we want to create? she asked rhetorically of the audience. Brands, non-profits, government agencies; 'they are nothing more than organizations run by people like us,' she stressed. And people naturally have the power to imagine a better reality and then make it happen. Houser urged everyone in the room to harness that power: 'Listen with an open heart - to yourself, to others, to the world around you. Then use your imagination to sketch out a vision, something big with high stakes ... and set out in your own story of struggle and triumph. If only your goal is big enough, you will make mistakes, you will sometimes fail, and that's okay ', it sounded inspiring.
In Houser's view, this is the path to meaningful progress: when we as humans harness our empathy, resilience and imagination, we can create a future together 'in which we and our planet can prosper'. That call quieted the SXSW auditorium, only to erupt in thunderous applause. Human-centered storytelling had proven its point: it knows how to move, connect, and get people moving, whether it's a foster care revolution or a new pair of running shoes. And maybe humanity is exactly what the world needs today ;-)
By Niels Hansen, Zeitgeist expert | Futurologist | Keynote speaker
Austin (USA), March 13, 2025
