Ninety percent of the ads we see throughout the day will likely be forgotten quickly. Their sheer volume clamoring for our attention makes each less memorable and effective; and Gen Z, who have grown up with social media, are better at recognizing (and being skeptical of) ads than any other generation before them.

But sometimes there are ones that get it right, like the one above, a game trailer for Square Enix’s latest release, Visions of Mana. That I did not understand a word in the video but almost immediately recognized the story it was trying to tell is testament to the power of what it did right: storytelling—with people and human experience at the center, it’s a universal language.

Storytelling is a buzzword in marketing these days. Everyone seems to talk about it, but very few do it well (or at all). Storytelling is grounded in authenticity and always centers people and their experiences, not product features and value propositions. Those get articulated by telling a story; but too often they steal the spotlight in marketing campaigns, and stories get left behind.

In contrast, the trailer above is a near-perfect example of “storytelling as marketing.” It does a few things very well:

• It centers a person: Stories are about people. The fewer the better because the audience can then relate to the individual’s experiences more thoroughly. Focusing on too many people dilutes the investment in any one individual or story. It’s better to tell one story deeply rather than multiple superficially. By centering the narrative around a person, this video also comes across as more authentic and less sales pitchy. This is crucial. Here, the story is of a Japanese boy’s growth into adulthood tracking along the same trajectory as the iconic series’ evolution, from monochrome 8-bit sprites to modern-day vibrant CGI, and the gameplay memories he develops along the way.
• It’s nostalgic: Currently there’s no shortages of remakes in popular culture and entertainment, which suggests audiences are pining for the past. X-Men ’97, Dune, and a remake of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car with Luke Combs at the Grammys are a few examples of this resurgence. There are many theories behind this: Some argue people are looking to the past because the current state of the world seems bleak, others say it’s merely a cyclical taste in trends. But the one constant is that what’s old is becoming new and reimagined in popular culture.

• It targets a specific audience: The marketing team clearly knew who they were going after: elder millennials and Gen X gamers who grew up playing the original Secret of Mana for the Super Nintendo in the 90s. This is evident from the archival video, 16-bit soundtrack, and general nostalgic aesthetic and feel. For many gamers in this demographic the action RPG was a memorable standout, and revisiting it feels like a comforting return home.