Display Storytelling
When I was senior display manager at Macy’s a team of 3 including myself.
Identify what kind of job it is
Jobs fall into 3 main categories
Authority
Value
Hybrid ( is a combo of fashion and value).
Fashion- Standard display
Hybrid - Standard display and Dynamic Content feed
Value- Dynamic Content feed
Content reveiwing
Is this a standard-alone ad or connected to a larger campaign?
Where is this linking?
Who is our target?
What are we saying to them?
How do we want them to feel?
Why should they want to shop with us?
What are takeaways we want the customer to have?
“I have worked with Tesia for over 4 years and she was a true asset to our winning team!
She always came to the table with new ideas, valuable wisdom, and the drive to help the business and others.
I would welcome the opportunity to work with her again, anytime.”
— Deepa Arora Das, Creative Manage
4 tools we have to create strong storytelling
Visual Narrative
Messaging
Typography
Animation Standards
The display is a 15-second commercial it’s no different than an animated social media ad or tv. The big difference is it lives on a page with content and we have 3 seconds to grab someone’s attention as they scroll.
It’s important to have a strong consistent visual narrative with striking images and design.
Visual Narrative
Good Visual Story
Bad Visual Story- Not cohesive visual narrative. Each image was shot at different locations and pieces together.
Messaging + Typograph
A challenge with the display is the limiting of space for a copy so it needs to be short and impactful. We follow the 5-second test idea.
Does the copy leave a strong enough impression to achieve the desired goal in 3-5 seconds?
For fashion it should be great fashion, the feels good and fashion authority.
HTML 5 template examples
For value quality products at a great price.
Dynamic Content template examples
Animations
A lot can be done in 15 secs.
If it is fashion and we take an editorial approach. In a sales ad, we need to build excitement and draw the eye to the sale proposition.
Recommended timing:
3 frames- 6 seconds for the first 2 frames and 2 sec for the last frame the last frame holds.
This is useful for frames that need along with a read-on copy.
4 frames - 4 seconds for the first 3 frames and 3 sec for the last frame the last frame holds. Better for editorial and less copy.