You say it best, when you say…not very much.

That’s how the song went, right? Something like that anyway.

Ocado’s latest campaign has got me going all gooey over minimal masterpieces – the use of micro-stories.

Their sublime Shopping List Stories answer the question: how do we tell stories in campaigns in such little space?

They do what all good stories do: they paint a picture in our imagination, build a world in our minds. All in a handful of words and fuzzy images.

Connecting with people is often about finding the magical in the mundane.

Specific, relatable moments that we identify with.

I remember working on a campaign for the Borough of Waltham Forest, to support local businesses after the Covid lockdowns.

Getting the creative approach right was proving a tough nut to crack, before a Fatboy Slim song (what else?) unlocked a micro-story approach that led to campaign becoming an award winner.

Here’s a few other recent examples of micro-story magic in action.

SW Railway

A campaign to address abuse to staff, highlighting how hurtful comments come home with the targets.

German Depression Aid

Not only a campaign that made you look twice, the tiniest of stories with serious depth.

Wonderbly

Massive IYKYK energy (it’s a dodgy Clapham nightclub), instantly recognisable and uncomfortably relatable for so many Londoners.

Tesco

Maybe not a story as such, but finding creative magic in the everyday humdrum of a supermarket receipt for the Women’s Euros.

Try it out…

I often use a similar exercise in workshops with teams – asking them to write a short story about a random image.

It’s a great starting point for thinking about micro-stories.

Working with a London council recently turned up many intriguing tiny tales about a dog behind the wheel of a car!

Take a look at this pic and see what micro-story you can tell about it (see if you can keep it six words or under).

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