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The impact of storytelling on the consumer brand experience: The case of a firm-originated story

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Abstract

Stories fascinate people and are often more easily remembered than facts. Much has been written about the power of stories in branding, but very little empirical evidence exists of their effects on consumer responses. In the present study, we investigate how a firm-originated story influences consumers’ brand experience, by comparing the brand experiences of two groups of consumers. One group was exposed to the story and one group was not. An existing brand was used in the study, which had not been launched in the focal country. In-depth interviews were conducted with individuals in the two experimental conditions. The comparison revealed remarkable differences between the two groups. Consumers who were exposed to the story described the brand in much more positive terms and were willing to pay more for the product. The study contributes to brand management research and practice by demonstrating the power of storytelling on consumer experiences. The results are also important from a managerial point of view. They demonstrate how brand stories can be used to create and reinforce positive brand associations. A review of past research in combination with the findings demonstrates that more research is needed on the effect of stories on consumer brand responses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marketing, Hanken School of Economics, PO Box 479, Helsinki, 00101, Finland

    Veronica Liljander

Authors
  1. Anna Lundqvist
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  2. Veronica Liljander
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  3. Johanna Gummerus
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  4. Allard van Riel
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Additional information

1works as a Creative at the ad agency 358 in Helsinki. She holds a Master of Science degree in Marketing from the Hanken School of Economics and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Helsinki, Finland.

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Lundqvist, A., Liljander, V., Gummerus, J. et al. The impact of storytelling on the consumer brand experience: The case of a firm-originated story. J Brand Manag 20, 283–297 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2012.15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2012.15

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