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  • January 2019 (Revised October 2020)
  • Technical Note
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Brand Storytelling

By: Jill Avery
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:26
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Abstract

Marketers have long appreciated the value and power of storytelling. Stories fill brands with resonant and relevant meaning and empower brands to serve as critical elements in the lives of consumers. Mastering the art of brand storytelling is an increasingly important part of managing brands in the contemporary brandscape, as today, we live in a world filled with an ever-expanding panoply of physical and virtual media spaces and places within which to create and tell stories with and to our consumers. This technical note outlines how and why consumers respond to brand stories, illuminates the four elements that make up good stories, discusses the use of archetypal plots and characters and other storytelling appeals, and provides guidance and a template for creating resonant, relevant, authentic, and differentiated brand stories.

Keywords

Brand Communication; Brand Management; Brand Storytelling; Marketing; Marketing Communications; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Advertising; Consumer Behavior; Consumer Products Industry

Citation

Avery, Jill. "Brand Storytelling." Harvard Business School Technical Note 519-049, January 2019. (Revised October 2020.)
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About The Author

Jill J. Avery

Marketing
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Related Work

    • January 2019 (Revised October 2020)
    • Faculty Research

    Brand Storytelling

    By: Jill Avery
Related Work
  • Brand Storytelling By: Jill Avery
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