The WARC Podcast Storytelling is an increasingly overlooked art form
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Mar 19, 2026 Adam Sheridan, Global Head of Products for Creative Excellence at Ipsos and author of Misfit Stories, explains why storytelling is underused in ads. He contrasts feature-led spots with relatable narratives, explores the misfit mindset and surreal humor, and examines short-form storytelling, participation tactics, and memorable commercial examples.
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The Misfit Mindset Drives Memorability
- The misfit mindset pairs empathy with surprising, entertaining execution to boost effectiveness.
- Ads that are oddly memorable or 'gloriously weird' are nearly three times better at driving memorability.
Make Audiences Work A Little
- Do not give audiences everything; design creatives that invite cognitive participation by leaving gaps or relying on shared experience.
- Participation—trusting viewers to 'get the joke'—boosts memorability more than one-way exposition.
Choose Illogical Humor For True Escapism
- Use illogical, unexpected humor to create escapism that forces attention and sticks in memory.
- Ipsos found illogical humor is 2.7 times more effective for memorability than generic humor.