Investors and traders have long studied the patterns of their holdings’ rises and falls in the displays of their Bloomberg terminals, looking for meaningful signals in the noise of [stock chart patterns](https://www.cmcmarkets.com/en-gb/trading-guides/stock-chart-patterns)(1).

But what if there were a more human, narratively compelling way to interpret these shapes?

As we all know, past performance is no predictor of future returns, so when we invest in the market what we’re really investing in is a story. A story ‘based on real events’, sure; but speculative fiction nonetheless.

Now, if Kurt Vonnegut is to be believed, there are a finite number of ‘[Story Shapes](https://bigthink.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/vonnegut.png?w=1100)’(2) that humanity has returned to time and again over generations because they’re so compelling.

By bringing together these two themes we can create ‘Tales of the Market’ i.e. performance indicators as told by the classic story structures / archetypes of different genres of movie to help investors understand what might be in store for them.

## Here’s three illustrative examples:

### Rags to Riches / Fairy Tales
A Cinderella-esque tale of an overlooked, underappreciated asset suffering through the doldrums, rising from humble beginnings and finally getting the recognition it deserves.

__Popular among Value investors waiting for their prince to come.__

### From Bad to Worse / Horror
A share showing the kind of volatility best described as ‘frequent jump scares’, which mirror the EKG of the investor holding these assets. A sense of foreboding creeps in as you watch the descent, and you’re left with the creeping sensation that the call options are coming from inside the house.

__Popular among Day Traders looking for an adrenaline rush.__

### Boy meets Girl* / Rom Com
A stock that has been consistently plodding along suddenly experiences a rapid series of ups and downs, initial excitement followed by deep disappointment. Then, just when things seem at their lowest ebb, there’s a strong rally that pushes the asset to new heights.

__Popular among investors who believe that Quality ultimately shines through.__

*It could also be Girl meets Boy, Boy meets Boy, Girl meets Girl, or Non-binary. Love is love.

For ideas on how to tell your own compelling, persuasive stories you know where to find us.

---

1. https://www.ig.com/uk/trading-strategies/10-chart-patterns-every-trader-needs-to-know-190514
2. https://bigthink.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/vonnegut.png?w=1100

As traders look for signals amongst the noise to support their investment case, Strategy Director Dan Perry wonders whether archetypal narrative structures are the key to understanding investment opportunities.

Stock Stories

With CMOs obsessed about achieving productivity gains to enhance performance and conversion, getting a grip of your messy middle is vital.

For decades, marketers have been trying to optimise prospective customers’ ‘path to purchase’. And they’ve been using all manner of tools and frameworks to understand and influence buyer behaviour.

Recently, however, Google has stepped in and attempted to reflect the modern reality of that behaviour with its framework: the ‘messy middle’. But Google’s characterisation of people’s purchase behaviour as ‘messy’ is actually just a reflection of the inherent humanity of marketing.

So how do you better guide gloriously ‘messy’ people towards your products and services and most effectively close the gap between a trigger and the point of purchase.

Read our short practical report, ‘Untangling The Messy Middle’ in which we explore:
- The specific behavioural changes that are defining the messy middle in 2025
- The business case for further tightening your conversion journey
- The five core steps needed to untangle your messy middle
- Best practice: who’s getting it right?

Here’s our view on the messy middle and how to untangle it.

[Download report](//assets.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/https://assets.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/PGlLYCfdEfuG8LmD7hQSo/6ef174b7b9426d820ba96b17d9e29492/9988_MessyMiddleReport_DIGITAL_UK_AW2_MO.pdf/6ef174b7b9426d820ba96b17d9e29492/9988_MessyMiddleReport_DIGITAL_UK_AW2_MO.pdf)

For decades FS marketers have worked to optimise a prospects the path to purchase. But Google’s ‘messy middle’ shows how unpredictable it really is. 

Do you have a grip on your messy middle? Discover how to untangle it with our brand new report here.

Untangling the messy middle

With CMOs obsessed about achieving productivity gains to enhance performance and conversion, getting a grip of your messy middle is vital.

For decades, marketers have been trying to optimize prospective customers’ ‘path to purchase’. And they’ve been using all manner of tools and frameworks to understand and influence buyer behavior.

Recently, however, Google has stepped in and attempted to reflect the modern reality of that behavior with its framework: the ‘messy middle’. But Google’s characterization of people’s purchase behavior as ‘messy’ is actually just a reflection of the inherent humanity of marketing.

So how do you better guide gloriously ‘messy’ people towards your products and services and most effectively close the gap between a trigger and the point of purchase.

Read our short practical report, ‘Untangling The Messy Middle’ in which we explore:
- The specific behavioral changes that are defining the messy middle in 2025
- The business case for further tightening your conversion journey
- The five core steps needed to untangle your messy middle
- Best practice: who’s getting it right?

Here’s our view on the messy middle and how to untangle it.

[Download report](//assets.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/3HO8F5bPGIbBjLVFdrEIa7/ffc94cbfd70e9a9451f9b0fe3e5d10d0/9988_MessyMiddleReport_DIGITAL_US_AW2_MO.pdf)

As the popular myth of ‘shrinking attention spans’ is further debunked, [most recently by James Hurman’s post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jameshurman_no-attention-spans-are-not-declining-ive-activity-7354292475722645504-tR8Y/), I’d argue that the perceived dwindling attention to advertising has another explanation.

Rather than attention spans getting shorter, I think that our media consumption behaviours have just caught up with our reaction times.

Humans have always been quick to react. From first impressions to split-second judgements.
And modern media, with the infinite scroll, has supercharged that tendency.

With so much choice available, if our immediate reaction isn’t to lean in then it’s to move on.
If the song on Spotify doesn’t have a strong opening hook, we move on.
But, if we like it, we put that song / artist on repeat and it climbs up into our Spotify Unwrapped.
If the first episode of the Netflix series disappoints, we move on.
But, if hooked, we binge the whole series and watch 8 hours in a row.

We have the attention span when we’re engaged. But, the decision of whether or not to engage happens more quickly.

It’s a subtle shift, but has meaningful implications for how we, as marketers, react.

If we believe that __attention spans__ are short, then we focus on immediacy. Get the logo in the first two seconds. Make the message direct, and beat them over the head with it. Scream at the viewer before they have a chance to look away. 
Which, ironically, further serves to push audiences away. [No wonder 35% of Brits use ad blockers.](https://business.yougov.com/content/49359-understanding-the-internet-habits-of-britons-as-third-party-cookies-phase-out)
It can work if you really throw money at the problem, but it’s neither effective nor efficient, nor elegant.

However, if we believe that it’s a matter of __instant reactions__, it becomes our job to give the audience something they immediately react positively to.
Something interesting. Entertaining. Useful. Beautiful. Funny. Shocking.
When I say ‘react positively’ I don’t necessarily mean that they like it; just that it catches their eye or their ear, evokes a response, and lodges in their memory. It leaves a mark; preferably an emotional one.

This isn’t a new idea. In fact, it’s a very old idea. Just ask Paul Feldwick, PT Barnum, etc. about the power of iconic visuals, absurdity, earworms, ‘in media res’ action, etc. But it’s an idea that bears repeating.

Now, what are most people’s instinctive reactions to financial services? In the general public? A wrinkling of the nose. A furrowing of the brow. ‘It’s complicated’. ‘That’s not something for me’. ‘They’re all the same anyway’.

It’s not much better for marketers in B2B. Time-poor professionals with myriad other pressures and demands on their time. Responsibilities to do what’s best for their clients, their customers, their buyers, their business. Where a change requires additional due diligence, procurement, oversight, analysis.

It’s a category where people are quick to move on, or stick to what they know, because of these instinctive immediate emotional reactions.
We, as marketers specialising in this area, need to make a better first impression in order to leave a lasting impression.
We need people to notice us (as made abundantly clear in our [Notice Me report](https://www.teamspirit.co.uk/news-insights/notice-me)).
And we need to change how people react from the very first moment if we’re ever going to change how people think and feel and behave; especially when it comes to their money.

As the myth of shrinking attention spans is further debunked, Strategy Director Dan Perry suggests that what we’re really seeing is a challenge for marketers to make better first impressions

Reactionary advertising

What an achievement it was to celebrate the Teamspirit 20th Anniversary. We thought such a landmark should be remembered in a BIG way. Doing what he does best, our Art Director Joe Childs wanted to show his gratitude by painting a large mural on the roof terrace for everyone in our company and clients to enjoy whilst relaxing upstairs. 

Working in our bold and bright company colours, Joe created a typographic design, using our icons to reflect our creativity and expertise. “I love the Teamspirit brand colours, so it was a lot of fun using them when painting the wall. The roof garden looks great, the painting is really vibrant and it makes a big difference up there”.

<strong>Watch our video of its creation below</strong>

<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/140073478" width="800" height="480" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>


The proud reveal of our stunning new mural

Related News

Mon 13 Oct 2025

Stock Stories

Wed 3 Sep 2025

Untangling the messy middle

Wed 3 Sep 2025

Untangling the messy middle

Tue 12 Aug 2025

Reactionary advertising