During a CES 2024 panel on “Amazon Streaming: Clay Tablets to Streaming TV — The Evolution of Storytelling,” moderator Carly Zipp, who is Amazon global director of brand marketing, asked panelists for their favorite stories, recounting that her son replaced her bedtime stories with ChatGPT. Lauren Anderson, Amazon Studios head of AVOD originals and unscripted programming, picked the story of Tracy Chapman’s song “Fast Car.” “It shows how stories can resonate through generations, genres, geographies, and ethnicities,” she said. For GroupM global CEO Christian Juhl, the stories of Hans Christian Andersen were formative in his childhood.

Stephanie Chang, vice president of content for the advertising division of The Trust consultancy at The Wall Street Journal, is a big fan of “Hamilton,” and, for actor Ronald Gladden, being the star of “Jury Duty” changed his entire life.

Storytelling has evolved for them all — and they all recognize that AI will soon change storytelling in ways not yet fully understood. Chang started her career in print and transitioned to digital. “WSJ has a very strong print subscription but digital has exceeded that and also allowed us to do interesting things with sponsored content,” she explained.

Juhl reports that, “50 percent of what we’re buying now is digital — and the format dictates the story.” “Even five years ago, we were only 25 percent digital and the primary storytelling medium was video,” he added. Anderson, who came from a broadcast background, notes that TV encouraged community, as people watched together and talked about shows the next day.

“’Jury Duty’ could have worked on broadcast,” she said. “We got incredibly fortunate with Ronald. In streaming, we’re looking at what creates community.”

Juhl notes that “brand integration has changed.” “We’ve gotten very involved in TV shows and how to make it organic and not disrupt the story,” he said. “Advertising should earn its place in someone’s life — not interrupt it.”

For that reason, he warns against “any lack of authenticity.” “We’ve seen brands try to make a pivot that’s too radical for them,” he noted. “Then you break trust with the consumer and your brand will suffer.” Anderson stressed that the marketer must “stay focused on your audience, your customer and what you’re trying to deliver to them.”

WSJ’s The Trust began creating AR and VR experiences during the pandemic, such as “World on Pause,” a VR experience about how the pandemic would impact climate change.

“What we run into is that some brands conflate branded storytelling with pure advertising/marketing,” Chang said. “Tell good stories through real people and peoples’ experiences,” she added. “It’s a lighter touch. Let them connect the dots themselves.”