When it comes to brand promotions and paid partnerships, content creators have been experimenting with various approaches to satisfy the brand and engage their viewers. Among these, storytelling has emerged as a particularly effective approach. By weaving a brand’s message into a compelling narrative, creators can create a more authentic and engaging experience for their viewers.
This method not only highlights the brand’s service/product but also connects on an emotional level with the masses. It makes the promotion feel less like an advertisement and more like a genuine endorsement. And one of the best instances of weaving storytelling into a brand promotion is Prajakta Koli a.k.a MostlySane‘s recent ad for Leverage Edu. The story revolves around Anaya, an Indian student studying law and working part-time at a tea shop in London who has a meet-cute with Alex. You have to watch this wholesome ad:
Prajakta, The Storyteller
Prajakta chose to look at a Leverage Edu brand deal that came her way from a storytelling lens. Did you know that she penned the entire script for this ad herself? AND got the brand to agree to her unique idea and way of presenting their services! We absolutely loved her romance book meet-cute idea to highlight Leverage Edu‘s abroad learning program. Having donned the author hat recently, it’s no surprise that this story turned out so good.
Prajakta recently revealed that she had finished writing her debut novel “Too Good To Be True” which is being published by Harper Collins India. The comments under the brand reel are filled with her fans applauding her storytelling skills. “If a branded content can be that good script, can’t wait to read your book and that can’t wait to see that turn into a movie” wrote one. “Bro we need “Too good to be true” audio book as well, in your voice!!! I wanna know the emotion in which you wrote the book❤️😭” commented another.
We got in touch with the budding storyteller herself and asked her some of the burning questions on our minds about her wholesome new ad. Read on:
What made you try this approach for brand promotion? How did the idea of storytelling come up?
Actually, this is one of my favourite ways of getting a brand collab to go through. I’ve always leaned on storytelling. I used to do that through my sketches for almost 7-8 years now. And since I’m spending a lot more time around romance books and writing now, I just felt like this fit very beautifully.
Can you take us through your writing process? How do you go from an idea to a fully fleshed-out script?
It begins with an idea starter. It’s a just thought that comes to mind, honestly. Anytime I think about studying abroad my first thought is always ‘Oh so many meet-cute opportunities. Maybe I’ll run into someone at a coffee shop or while I’m at Hyde Park sunbathing or waiting to get a ticket for my Tube ride and my card gets stuck and a handsome stranger comes to help me.
These meet-cute ideas are constantly floating in my mind and that’s how the writing process started. This script was fairly easy because the idea itself was the whole video. We don’t go from a ‘meet-cute’ to a ‘first day’ to a ‘whole closure’ of the story, it’s just a starter so it was easy.
Does this mean we’ll get to see more such storytelling ads from Prajakta now?
I really hope! I quite enjoyed doing this. Honestly, it has to be one of my favourite brand scripts, I actually loved the whole process of it!
According to you, why does this format work better for brands?
I think any kind of storytelling works better for brands as long as you can make the brand a part of the story instead of just showing a sponsorship tag or just adding a name or having a deliverable at the end. Also, this has come to me after a lot of trial and error. I’ve been making content for more than nine years now, so over the years I’ve come to realize that this is where I am right now and I quite enjoy it.
Is Anaya and Alex’s story a glimpse of what’s to come in your debut romance novel ‘Too Good To Be True?’
Not at all!! This has nothing to do with the novel although a lot of questions and comments on the brand video are ‘Is this a sneak peek?‘ It really isn’t. This is completely by itself, it’s a standalone meet-cute idea I had and I wrote it especially for Leverage Edu and that’s how the whole thing came together. The book is very very different. Although it is a romance book, that meet-cute is different, again very sweet. I’m very excited for everyone to learn more about it when the book comes out, but this is not at all a glimpse haha!
Also Read: From The Creator-Verse: Social Media Stars Are Going Places
The Agency POV
The idea of weaving Leverage Edu’s significance into a romantic meet-cute story was truly brilliant on Prajakta’s part. We got the co-founder of One Digital Entertainment, Gurpreet Singh Bhasin‘s insight into the changing creator-brand partnership. Running a stellar talent management agency, ODE manages the widely loved creator-actress, Prajakta Koli.
So, what goes on behind the scenes when a creator like Prajakta chooses to evolve her approach towards branded content and partnerships? Here’s what Gurpreet Singh had to say:
“Apart from being an ace content creator, actor, and UNDP advocate for sustainability and girl education, Prajakta Koli has proven her mettle as a writer too through her 9-year-long content journey. It is endearing to watch her break away from traditional norms of advertising. We look forward to shattering more glass ceilings with our star and everyone’s beloved MostlySane as she ventures into writing more stories for brands not just as a content creator but also as a creative strategist to them.”
This Leverage Edu ad scripted by Prajakta has got to be one of our top favourites in recent times! From the idea to the writing to the execution, everything was top-notch. We think Prajakta has spoiled us now. We need more such cute storytelling ads from her. And this makes us want to read her debut novel even more badly now! What did you think of this ad? Let us know in the comments below!
