Even a feedback form deserves a story. 

By Charli Edwards – Creative Director

Our attention is the most contested resource, every piece of communication, even the functional, is battling against doomscrolling and algorithms engineered to swallow every spare moment of human focus. People aren’t just distracted, they’re being actively pulled away by systems built to keep them scrolling, tapping, refreshing and repeating.

That is the real competition. Not another consultation. Not another leaflet. A machine optimised to steal time.

And if that’s the backdrop we’re working against, every touchpoint we create needs to earn its place. Not by being louder. Not by being clever for the sake of it. But by being clear, engaging and rooted in a story that makes people care.

Narrative isn’t the opposite of practicality. It is practicality.

There’s a long‑standing myth that functional communications should be stripped back, plain and purely informational, while creativity lives elsewhere. As if narrative is an optional layer you sprinkle on top of “the real content”.

But narrative isn’t decoration. Narrative is structure. It is clarity. It’s how you move someone from “why should I bother?” to “yes, this is worth my time”. If you want someone to complete a survey, show up to a drop‑in, read a project description, or give feedback that helps shape the outcome, you have to give them something that cuts through the fog of their day.

You’re not competing with other developers. You’re competing with the endless pull of the feed.

With the end of DCO statutory consultation rules, the playing field hasn’t got easier, it’s got tougher.

For years, developers could rely on rigid regulation as both a framework and a shield. The statutory minimum defined what they had to do, and in doing so, the public naturally understood the limitations of the process.

But now the guard rails are coming off. Consultation is no longer a compliance tick‑box, it is a creative opportunity. And with that freedom comes scrutiny.

Without the structure of statutory requirements to point to, we can no longer say “we followed the rules”. If engagement is low, if materials feel flat, if the public switches off, the responsibility sits firmly with the communicator.

The public won’t accept boring. They won’t accept unclear. They won’t accept uninspired. Not when their online world is overflowing with content designed to hook them instantly and hold them fast.

Boring communications won’t survive the new landscape.

People expect more from the organisations reshaping their communities. They expect transparency, personality, relevance and a clear sense of why their input matters. If a campaign feels dry, generic or bureaucratic, engagement falls off a cliff. Not because people don’t care, but because you’ve given them nothing to connect with.

That’s why narrative matters. It gives context. It creates emotional relevance. It makes even the most procedural communication accessible and human.

Narrative makes involvement feel effortless, not forced – nudging people from awareness to action without it feeling like a chore. This isn’t about adding flourish. It’s about making the functional usable. If attention is the battlefield, narrative is your strategy.

We’re no longer working in a landscape where compliance alone keeps you safe. Developers now need to think like brands, like creators and like community storytellers. A consultation that is simply “correct” is not enough. It must also be compelling. Because in a world of doomscrolling and engineered distraction, bland communications don’t stand a chance. But a clear, confident, well‑told story still does. It still cuts through. It still wins attention. And it still gets people to take part.