Exploring Scandinavia

Ideas don’t spread because they’re smart—they spread because they’re well told. Clever storytellers don’t just communicate ideas; they shape what audiences believe is worth thinking about. Leaders who shape stories shape markets.

In most boardrooms, “thought leadership” is still treated as a function of expertise. Publish a white paper, commission proprietary research, share a bold prediction—repeat at scale. The assumption is simple: if the thinking is strong enough, influence will follow.

But in practice, it rarely works that way.

We operate in an environment defined by content saturation and shrinking attention spans. Insight alone is no longer scarce; interpretation is. And in that shift lies a more useful definition of thought leadership: not just possessing valuable ideas, but shaping how others understand and apply them.

That is the work of storytelling.

Clever storytellers don’t merely communicate ideas—they organize them, give them direction, and make them travel. In doing so, they become the voices that industries listen to, quote, and build upon.

Rethinking Thought Leadership

Traditional thought leadership prioritizes information transfer. Reports, op-eds, and keynote presentations all aim to deliver knowledge to an audience assumed to be rational and attentive.

The flaw is not in the ambition, but in the model. Information does not automatically convert into influence. In fact, without structure, most ideas dissipate quickly, regardless of their quality.

What distinguishes influential leaders is not the volume of their output, but the clarity of their narrative. They don’t just add to the conversation—they frame it.

Storytelling, in this context, is not about embellishment or entertainment. It is a strategic discipline: the ability to package insight into a form that is memorable, repeatable, and meaningful to a specific audience.

Why Storytelling Drives Influence

There are four mechanisms through which storytelling transforms expertise into thought leadership.

1. Stories organize complexity

Modern markets are complex systems. Data points are abundant, signals are ambiguous, and competing interpretations are constant. A well-constructed story acts as a compression tool—it reduces complexity into a coherent throughline.

Instead of presenting ten disconnected insights, a narrative connects them into a single perspective. This allows audiences to process, retain, and apply information more effectively. In executive settings, especially, clarity often outperforms completeness.

2. Stories travel further than facts

Ideas gain influence when they move beyond their original context. A statistic may be accurate, but it is rarely repeated. A narrative, however, is inherently portable.

When an idea is embedded in a story—with a clear tension and resolution—it becomes easier to share across teams, organizations, and media channels. This repeatability is what turns a point of view into a widely adopted perspective.

In other words, storytelling creates distribution leverage for thinking.

3. Stories signal original thinking

In a landscape where access to data is increasingly democratized, differentiation comes from interpretation. Two organizations can look at the same dataset and reach entirely different conclusions.

Storytelling is the vehicle for that differentiation. It reflects how an organization frames reality—what it prioritizes, what it challenges, and what it believes comes next.

A distinctive narrative signals that the thinker is not just informed, but insightful. It demonstrates a point of view, which is the foundation of thought leadership.

4. Stories build emotional credibility

Expertise establishes authority, but trust requires more. Audiences need to understand not only what you think, but why it matters.

Storytelling introduces context, stakes, and human relevance. It connects abstract ideas to real-world implications, making them more persuasive and credible. In doing so, it bridges the gap between intellectual agreement and genuine conviction.

From Content Production to Narrative Design

Many organizations attempt to build thought leadership by increasing content output—more articles, more posts, more campaigns. The result is often fragmentation: isolated pieces of content that fail to reinforce a consistent perspective.

A more effective approach is narrative design.

This involves shifting from a campaign mindset to a system mindset. Instead of asking, “What should we publish next?” the better question is, “What is the core narrative we want to own—and how does each piece of content reinforce it?”

The distinction is critical:

• Content production distributes information.
• Narrative design shapes meaning.

In practice, this means aligning leadership communications, marketing efforts, PR activity, and internal messaging around a shared story architecture. Each touchpoint becomes a variation of the same core idea, adapted for context but consistent in direction.

Over time, this consistency is what builds recognition and authority.

A Practical Framework for Story-Led Thought Leadership

For organizations looking to operationalize this approach, a simple four-part framework can be effective.

1. Insight

Start with a non-obvious observation. What do you see in your market that others are overlooking or underestimating? This is not about novelty for its own sake, but about identifying a meaningful shift, contradiction, or emerging pattern.

2. Tension

Insight alone is not enough; it needs urgency. What problem does this insight expose? What assumption does it challenge? Tension creates relevance by answering the question: why should anyone care?

3. Frame

The frame is how you package the insight and tension into a clear, compelling perspective. This often takes the form of a simple, memorable idea or phrase—something that can anchor multiple pieces of content and conversations.

4. Story System

Finally, the narrative must be expressed consistently across channels. This includes executive communications, marketing campaigns, media engagement, and even sales conversations. The goal is not repetition for its own sake, but reinforcement—ensuring that the same core idea is encountered in multiple contexts.

Common Pitfalls

While the value of storytelling is increasingly recognized, execution often falls short. Several patterns tend to undermine effectiveness.

• Confusing storytelling with entertainment: Business storytelling is not about being amusing; it is about being meaningful. Clarity and relevance should take precedence over creativity for its own sake.
• Over-reliance on anecdote: Personal stories can be powerful, but without a clear strategic link to the broader insight, they risk becoming distractions rather than drivers of understanding.
• Fragmented messaging: Producing disconnected content pieces dilutes impact. Without a unifying narrative, even high-quality content struggles to build cumulative influence.
• Chasing virality over authority: Short-term attention spikes do not equate to long-term thought leadership. Consistency of perspective is more valuable than occasional visibility.

The Strategic Implication

As artificial intelligence accelerates content creation, the supply of information will continue to increase. In such an environment, the competitive advantage shifts away from producing content and toward shaping interpretation.

This is where storytelling becomes decisive.

Organizations that invest in narrative capability—defining clear perspectives, structuring ideas effectively, and communicating them consistently—will be better positioned to influence how markets think and evolve.

They do not risk becoming part of the background noise, regardless of how strong their underlying ideas may be.

In the end, thought leadership is not simply about having something to say. It is about ensuring that what you say changes how others see.

And that is the work of a clever storyteller.

If you want a free copy of my new book, “How I’ve Survived as a STORYTELLER for Over 50 Years: 12 Survival Techniques”, just contact me. The only requirements are to include your name, your email address, and “Storytelling” in the subject line.

Leaders Who Shape Stories Shape Markets, written by Tor Kjolberg

Other articles on storytelling:
How Storytelling Can Help Launch Your Product in Scandinavia
Rethink How Destinations Are Experienced
My 12 Survival Techniques as a Storyteller
Brand Masters of Storytelling
dailyscandinavian.com/how-to-use-humor-in-storytelling-to-break-through-advertising-clutter/

Using humor to make your storytelling stick is a high-stakes, high-reward strategy that uses wit, irony, or absurdity to break through advertising clutter, humanize a brand, and create lasting emotional connections. In this article, I’m looking at how to use humor to break through advertising clutter.

Research shows that ads using humor are 47% more likely to be remembered, and 53% of consumers are more likely to enjoy and recall advertisements that make them laugh. Humor is particularly effective at driving engagement, with funny content seeing up to 400% more shares on social media.

Why Humor Works in Storytelling

Humor triggers the release of endorphins and dopamine, creating positive associations with the brand and supporting long-term memory retention.

Humor is a powerful tool because it taps directly into human psychology, transforming a purely informational message into an enjoyable experience. Studies indicate that humorous campaigns can deliver 6 times more brand lift, achieve up to 47% higher return on ad spend (ROAS), and are 30% to 90% more likely to be remembered than serious, dry ads.

Here is why humor creates strong emotional connections and improves memory, explained through psychological and marketing principles:

1. The Chemistry of Connection (Emotional Connection)

When people laugh, their brains release a cocktail of dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. This triggers feelings of pleasure, happiness, and well-being, directly linking the brand to a positive emotional experience.

Humor, especially self-deprecating or observational, makes a brand feel more human, relatable, and trustworthy. It reduces consumer skepticism and lowers emotional defenses, making consumers more open to the brand’s message.

Shared laughter creates a bond between the brand and the consumer, often making the audience feel like they are “in on the joke.”

The “Tension Release Theory” suggests that humor serves as a pressure valve, relieving monotony or tension in a crowded advertising landscape.

2. The Cognitive Impact (Memory and Recall)

Humor captures attention because it often involves unexpected twists or incongruity, forcing the brain to focus on and decode the joke, leading to deeper processing.

Cognitive studies show that information paired with humor is remembered 90% better than dry information. The brain is wired to retain positive, emotional memories, making consumers more likely to remember the ad and, by extension, the brand.

Content that makes people laugh is more likely to be shared on social media, amplifying reach and reinforcing brand memory, resulting in 400% more shares than neutral content.

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Related: The Story of Storytelling in Marketing
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3. The Role in Storytelling

In a saturated market, a humorous story breaks the mold of traditional, boring ads. When the product is woven directly into the joke (like Snickers’ “You’re not you when you’re hungry”), the laugh becomes a branded memory trace, ensuring the brand is remembered, not just the joke. Consistent humor defines a brand’s voice, making it instantly recognizable and distinct from competitors.

However, for maximum effectiveness, the humor must be tailored to the target audience and aligned with the brand’s persona to avoid being offensive or confusing. 

Humor in marketing storytelling cuts through the noise by serving as a “pattern interrupt” in a crowded, high-stress digital landscape, offering a refreshing, memorable alternative to serious, corporate messaging. In an era of content fatigue, with 67% of consumers reporting feeling overloaded by generic or “polite” marketing messages, humor grabs attention, builds instant rapport, and fosters trust.

Why humor is breaking through

1.It Combats “Marketing Fatigue” & Captures Attention

A witty, unexpected, or absurd story immediately breaks the monotony and indifference toward social media ads. In a world of heavily produced, perfect imagery, humorous, raw, or self-deprecating content feels authentic and human. It disrupts the expected, traditional sales pitch, forcing the consumer to pause and engage.

2. High Memorability and Emotional Connection

Humor helps turn a sales pitch into an experience, making the message “stick” in long-term memory.

3. Drives Virality and Organic Engagement

Humorous content is, by far, the most shared type online, increasing reach without additional paid spend. People share jokes that make them feel clever or help them connect with friends, serving as free promotion for brands.

4. Humanizes the Brand and Reduces Sales Resistance

Humor signals confidence and self-awareness, showing that a brand doesn’t take itself too seriously. When people laugh, their natural defenses against sales pitches drop, making them more receptive to the message. Humor often highlights common pain points or “insider” industry jokes, fostering a “we’re in this together” feeling between the brand and the consumer.

5. High ROI and Efficiency

Ads with humor are 6.1x more effective at driving market share growth than dull or neutral ads. Research indicates that humorous ads can lead to 47% higher purchase intent than non-humorous ads.

Key 2024–2025 Trend: After years of purpose-driven, serious marketing, brands are returning to humor as a “superpower,” with 75% of UK and US winners at the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity using humor.

Humor is a powerful tool in marketing storytelling because it cuts through the noise of a crowded, often impersonal digital landscape, creating a genuine emotional connection with audiences. Rather than relying solely on facts or sales pitches, incorporating humor transforms a faceless corporation into an approachable, relatable, and trustworthy entity, effectively “humanizing” the brand.

Why humor works for humanizing a brand 

1. It Fosters Relatability and Trust

Humor allows brands to act like people rather than corporations, building rapport and making them feel more relatable. Self-deprecating or observational humor shows that a brand doesn’t take itself too seriously, signaling confidence and authenticity. Using humor to highlight common customer frustrations (e.g., Mondays or complicated industry jargon) demonstrates that the brand understands the customer’s world.

2. It Triggers Positive Emotions

When a brand makes consumers laugh, it lowers their guard, making them more receptive to marketing messages.

3. It Makes the Brand Memorable

In dull categories (like finance or utilities), humor is the key differentiator between being ignored and being unforgettable.

4. It Encourages Engagement

Humorous content is highly shareable, often going viral as people pass along content that made them laugh. Using humor, such as memes or witty replies on social media (e.g., Wendy’s or Duolingo), creates an “inside joke” atmosphere, strengthening customer loyalty.

5. It Works Across All Industries (Including B2B)

Humor is effective in B2B marketing, where it helps simplify complex products and differentiate brands in a dry, jargon-filled market. Even in professional settings, customers are human beings who appreciate a good laugh, making them more likely to trust a brand that is, well, human.

Key Considerations for Success

The humor must align with the brand’s voice, or it can feel forced and insincere. What one person finds funny, another may find offensive, so deep audience insight is crucial. Remember, humor should support, not overshadow, the core message.

The Benign Violation Theory

BVT, developed by researchers Peter McGraw and Caleb Warren, posits that humor occurs when three conditions are met simultaneously:

1. A situation is a violation (it threatens how the world “ought to be” – i.e., it is wrong, abnormal, or threatening).
2. The situation is benign (harmless, playful, or not truly dangerous).
3. Both perceptions occur at the same time.

In short, something is funny when it is wrong but also okay.

The Core Components

• Violations: Departures from social, moral, or physical norms. Examples include physical threats (tickling, play-fighting), violations of dignity (slapstick), violations of social norms (rudeness, flatulence), and violations of linguistic logic (puns, absurdities).
• Benignity: This is the perception that the violation is not genuinely harmful. This perception makes the threat seem safe.
• Simultaneity: The observer must see the situation as both wrong and not wrong at the same time. If it is only a violation, it is scary or offensive; if it is only benign, it is boring.

How Violations Become Benign

According to the BVT, a violation can become benign in three primary ways:

1. Alternative Norms: A different perspective can make the situation acceptable, such as when a person is tickled by someone they trust (a mock attack).
2. Weak Commitment to the Norm: The observer does not care deeply about the rule that is broken, such as when someone who is not religious laughs at a joke about a church.
3. Psychological Distance: The situation feels distant. This includes temporal distance (tragedy + time = comedy), spatial distance (a joke about a faraway place), or hypotheticality (a cartoon or joke that isn’t real).

Examples of BVT

• Tickling: A physical attack (violation) that is harmless because it is performed by a loved one (benign).
• Tragedy + Time: A joke about a 5-year-old car accident is funny, but a joke about one that happened yesterday is not, because the latter is too close to be taken lightly.
• Puns: They violate language norms (violation) yet are harmless wordplay (benign).
• A Chicken Crossing the Road: It violates the norm of normal, predictable animal behavior (violation) in a harmless (benign) way. 

Significance

The BVT is useful because it explains why humor is subjective and why some jokes offend some people while making others laugh—the same situation may be perceived as a “benign violation” by one person and a “malign violation” (harmful) by another. It also explains why comedy often pushes boundaries: the best comedy sits on the razor’s edge between harmless and genuinely harmful.

Humor often arises when a situation seems “wrong” yet is perceived as non-threatening. Breaking expectations in a lighthearted way (e.g., in an Old Spice commercial) makes the content memorable.

Key Strategies for Implementation

Humor must feel natural to the brand’s identity, not forced. If a brand is typically serious, a sudden pivot to slapstick can alienate customers.

The most effective humor is rooted in common human experiences, such as the pain points of a specific industry (e.g., B2B marketing) or everyday inconveniences.

Use visual and narrative storytelling to build context rather than relying on a standalone joke. The humor should enhance the message, not overshadow it.

Avoid humor based on politics, religion, or harmful stereotypes. The safest approach is often to make the product or situation the “loser” in the joke rather than a person or group.

Successful Examples of Humorous Storytelling

Old Spice: “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”
This campaign used absurdity to transform an outdated brand into a modern, viral sensation, increasing sales by more than 125%.

Dollar Shave Club: Their “Our Blades Are F***ing Great”
The video used direct, dry, and self-aware humor to disrupt the razor industry.

Liquid Death
uses dark, ironic humor to position bottled water as an “irreverent” lifestyle product, fostering strong brand loyalty.

Duolingo
The brand’s TikTok strategy uses a “chaotic” and slightly unhinged mascot to engage younger audiences, demonstrating that niche, platform-specific humor can be effective.

Visit Oslo

The anti-advertisement for the Norwegian capital spread worldwide. Humor and irony are intended to attract more tourists to Oslo.

Risks and Pitfalls

What one person finds hilarious, another may find offensive or confusing.

If the audience remembers the joke but not the brand or product, the campaign has failed.

Using humor during a crisis or in a highly sensitive context can harm a brand’s reputation.

In essence, successful humor in marketing isn’t just about being funny; it’s about using wit strategically to ensure the brand’s message is both seen and felt by the audience.

How to Use Humor in Storytelling to Break Through Advertising Clutter, written by Tor Kjolberg.
Other articles on storytelling:
Why Storytelling in Brand Marketing Is More Important Than Ever—and Why It Can No Longer Belong to Marketing Alone
How Storytelling Can Help Launch Your Product in Scandinavia
Rethink How Destinations Are Experienced
My 12 Survival Techniques as a Storyteller
Brand Masters of Storytelling

Creative liveries are among the most striking ways for an airline to stand out. Several projects will take off in 2026, and we’ve selected a few creative airline liveries to watch.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)

SAS is celebrating its 80^th anniversary in 2026, and to mark the occasion, an Airbus A330-300 (registered as LN-RKR and named Tore Viking) has been repainted in the airline’s signature cobalt blue. For the first time, an entire aircraft has been painted in the striking color, while the red, blue, white, and yellow accents refer to the flags of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

“For 80 years, Scandinavian Airlines has driven innovation and brought Scandinavia closer to the world through safe and reliable operations. From our first transatlantic flight to today’s global network, that purpose remains unchanged. This aircraft is a symbol of our heritage, and of the role we play every day for our customers and the societies we serve”, SAS CEO Anko van der Werff said about the livery.

Norwegian Air Shuttle

Norwegian’s “Tail Fin Heroes” program, started in 2002, features portraits of iconic personalities who challenged norms and pushed boundaries. Originally focused on Scandinavian pioneers, the portraits expanded to include European and American figures (e.g., Freddie Mercury, Oscar Wilde) to reflect the airline’s growth. The portraits, alongside a red-nosed livery, are a signature branding element.

To celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2022, Norwegian began a renewal program, introducing a modern red, white, and blue design that reflects the hero’s life and work.

Brussels Airlines

Since February 2026, Brussels Airlines has been flying a very special Airbus A320. The Belgian Icon aircraft, registered as OO-SNJ, has been dedicated to the internationally cherished comic character Tintin. It is the second Brussels Airlines plane to be decorated with one of Hergé’s iconic characters, this time with a space-themed drawing.

“Comic art is an essential part of Belgium’s cultural identity, and Hergé’s work continues to inspire people around the world. It is no coincidence that Rackham was our very first Belgian Icon. With this new aircraft, we deepen that legacy and strengthen our mission to showcase Belgian creativity around the world. We are proud to bring another iconic piece of Belgian culture into the skies and to offer our passengers a unique experience,” Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO of Brussels Airlines, said at the time.

China Airlines

Flag carrier China Airlines has announced its second Pokémon-themed aircraft, following on from its Pikachu Jet CI, which was unveiled in 2022.

An Airbus A350 has been wrapped in the new design, which features 13 Pokémon cartoons (including fan favorites such as Pikachu, Skiploom, and Dragonite) and a pastel floral pattern.

China Airlines is also launching Pokémon-themed children’s meals across all routes, plus Pokémon merchandise available for purchase via the China Airlines eMall website.

A Pokémon concept might seem like an unusual choice for a Taiwanese-based carrier given that the franchise originated in Japan. However, it’s a clever move by the airline, given that the nostalgia-fuelled brand is the world’s highest-grossing media franchise with an estimated revenue exceeding $150 billion.

Air India Express

Low-cost carrier Air India Express has collaborated with contemporary artist and illustrator Osheen Siva to give one of its Boeing 737-8 aircraft a new look, which launched this week.

Based in Goa, India, Siva’s work mixes Dalit and Tamil heritage with surrealism and science fiction. Air India Express has created an original piece depicting a Tamil figure against an azure backdrop.

The livery is part of the airline’s broader Tales of India initiative, in which aircraft tail fins are decorated with patterns inspired by Indian heritage.

Conclusion

Airlines paint their planes in bright colors and distinctive liveries primarily as a high-visibility marketing tool to stand out on crowded tarmacs. While most aircraft are predominantly white for safety and efficiency (cooler cabin, easier damage inspection, lower weight), bright colors, special liveries, or company-specific colors build brand recognition.

Creative Airline Liveries to Watch in 2026, Tor Kjolberg reporting.