What can music videos teach us about visual storytelling?
This is an episode for: product marketers who like pop culture, music fans and anyone dealing with their nostalgia for MTV of the 80s & 90s.
Molly Geoghegan
Sep 25, 2025
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Stories and messages are best remembered with visuals. We’ve used countless examples of iconic movies to demonstrate this concept.
But what about music videos?
After the VMAs (Video Music Awards) were held a few weeks ago, it got us thinking about classic arcs, story shapes and how they might show up in our favorite music videos. Songs already tell stories themselves but when paired with a memorable dance, schtick or cultural moment, it makes the message that much stickier.
To tackle this episode, Molly brings in a few friends of the pod: filmmaker Asha Alaji-Sharif and Account Coordinator, Bridget Welch. From Madonna to Michael Jackson to Miley Cyrus—we dive into the most popular, most controversial and most memorable music videos of all time.
Music videos do indeed carry their own kinds of story archetypes that we can learn from in the B2B world.
What’s in the Spice Cabinet?
The “Best Of” lists we reference:
- Rolling Stone: The 100 Greatest Music Videos
- Business Insider: 60 of the Most Iconic Music Videos of All Time
A handful of the heavy-hitter music videos we get into detail
- Michael Jackson - Thriller
- Madonna - Vogue
- a-ha - Take on Me
- Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball
- Kendrick Lamar - Alright
- OK Go - Here It Goes Again
- Britney Spears - …Baby One More Time
- Beyonce - Formation
Where to study the “shapes” of story:
- Christopher Booker’s 7 Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories
Our personal picks for fave music video
- Asha: Beyoncé, Shakira - Beautiful Liar
- Bridget: Taylor Swift - Love Story
- Molly: Boygenius - True Blue
About The Author
Molly Geoghegan is a writer, organizer, and film school dropout. She hikes frequently with her dog, Guinness, and signs up for too many email newsletters. Having lived in Chicago, Paris, Dublin and Galway, Molly has van-lifed her way to the Pacific Northwest and calls Oregon home.
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