Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

What Do #Storytelling and #Marketing Have in Common? A Comprehensive Literature Review from the Web of Science

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Communication Design and Branding

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Design and Innovation ((SSDI,volume 32))

  • 542 Accesses

Abstract

Storytelling is a powerful marketing tool that can be used to attract the audience's attention and influence behavior. However, this investigation seeks to understand more deeply the importance of written narratives in the marketing field. In this sense, the objective of this article is to explore similarities and identify patterns, phases or stages, variables, indicators, and respective relationships (models) to help marketers to create storytelling. In the analogy of the visual methodology analytical process, this literature review created a selection of the sample and developed content to structure storytelling within the marketing framework. Through the analysis of 78 papers published in the Web of Science main collection, this research finds out three clusters: marketing cluster, content cluster, and context cluster. Our results indicate that, in marketing, storytelling elicits brand identification, awareness, and customer engagement, as well as it helps with self-expression, a sense of belonging, and a perception of the value of the product or brand. We find some variables, indicators, and respective relationships (models) that can be used in storytelling in the marketing field to improve value awareness. This review also allowed us to identify factors related to the structuring of marketing storytelling. And we found three key elements of the story construct that are transversal: content, classification, and character.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Dessart L, Pitardi V (2019) How stories generate consumer engagement: An exploratory study. J Bus Res 104:183–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.06.045

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Rufner, S. Using Narratives and Storytelling to Communicate Science with Nonexpert Audiences. Writing and the Sciences: An Anthology (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Beaufils, C. Contemporary Text Experiences and Storytelling. InMedia. The French Journal of Media Studies, (8.1.) (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Fatanti MN, Suyadnya IW (2015) Beyond user gaze: How Instagram creates tourism destination brand? Procedia Soc Behav Sci 211:1089–1095

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Akgün AE, Keskin H, Ayar H, Erdoğan E (2015) The influence of storytelling approach in travel writings on readers’ empathy and travel intentions. Procedia Soc Behav Sci 207:577–586

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Chandra Y, Shang L (2017) An RQDA-based constructivist methodology for qualitative research. J Cetacean Res Manag 20(1):90–112

    Google Scholar 

  7. Van Eck, N. J., Waltman, L. Visualizing bibliometric networks. In Y. Ding, R. Rousseau, & D. Wolfram (Eds.), Measuring scholarly impact: Methods and practice (pp. 285–320). Springer (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  8. VOSviewer Software, version 1.6.18; Constructing and Visualising Bibliometric Networks; Leiden University: Leiden, The Netherlands, 2022.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Clarivate. Available online: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/history (accessed on 06 December 2022).

  10. Web of Science, Citation Report Marketing (Topic) and Storytelling (Topic) in on 22 December 2022. Retrieved from https://www.webofscience.com/

  11. Rivera-Toapanta, E., Kallas, Z., Čandek-Potokar, M., Gonzalez, J., Gil, M., Varela, E., ... Gil, J. M. Marketing strategies to self-sustainability of autochthonous swine breeds from different EU regions: a mixed approach using the World Café technique and the Analytical Hierarchy Process. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 37(1), 92–102 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Rossolatos G (2020) A brand storytelling approach to Covid-19’s terrorealization: Cartographing the narrative space of a global pandemic. J Destin Mark Manag 18:100484

    Google Scholar 

  13. Glover C (2018) Rapha and its embedded storytelling. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal 22(1):17–34. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-12-2016-0110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. CL, C., Elicher, M. J. Literary Cinematic Tourism: New clues of the Brazilian Literature influences on Film Tourism development in Brazil (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Karampournioti, E., Wiedmann, K. P. Storytelling in online shops: the impacts on explicit and implicit user experience, brand perceptions and behavioral intention. Internet Research (2021).

    Google Scholar 

  16. , N. F., Scarles, C., Cohen, S. A. The brand value continuum: Countering co-destruction of destination branding in social media through storytelling. Journal of Travel Research, 59(8), 1506–1521 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Liu Y, Öberg C, Tarba SY, Xing Y (2018) Brand management in mergers and acquisitions: Emerging market multinationals venturing into advanced economies. Int Mark Rev 35(5):710–732. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-01-2017-0011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Lund NF, Holst-Beck P, Pine BJ II, Leask A (2022) Hamlet Live: the 7 I’s Experiential Strategy Framework for heritage visitor attractions. J Herit Tour 17(2):125–141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Irimiás A, Mitev AZ, Michalkó G (2021) Narrative transportation and travel: The mediating role of escapism and immersion. Tourism management perspectives 38:100793

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Kamleitner B, Thürridl C, Martin BAS (2019) A Cinderella Story: How Past Identity Salience Boosts Demand for Repurposed Products. J Mark 83(6):76–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242919872156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Dias P, Cavalheiro R (2022) The role of storytelling in the creation of brand love: the PANDORA case. J Brand Manag 29(1):58–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Rodner, V., Goode, A., Burns, Z. Is it all just lip service?: on Instagram and the lobalization of the cosmetic servicescape. Journal of Services Marketing (2021).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Michael N, Fusté-Forné F (2022) Marketing of luxurious gastronomic experiences on social media: The visual storytelling of luxury hotels. Int J Tour Res 24(6):827–838

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Moscardo G (2020) The story turn in tourism: forces and futures. Journal of Tourism Futures 7(2):168–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Moscardo G (2020) Stories and design in tourism. Ann Tour Res 83:102950

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Frost W, Frost J, Strickland P, Maguire JS (2020) Seeking a competitive advantage in wine tourism: Heritage and storytelling at the cellar-door. Int J Hosp Manag 87:102460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Grębosz-Krawczyk, M. Consumer storytelling as an element of word-of-mouth communication of nostalgic brands: Evidence from Poland. Innov. Mark, 16, 74-84 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Boukis, A. Exploring the implications of blockchain technology for brand–consumer relationships: a future research agenda. Journal of Product & Brand Management (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Chen A, Eriksson G (2019) The making of healthy and moral snacks: A multimodal critical discourse analysis of corporate storytelling. Discourse, Context & Media 32:100347

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Mei XY, Hågensen AMS, Kristiansen HS (2020) Storytelling through experience scape: Creating unique stories and extraordinary experiences in farm tourism. Tour Hosp Res 20(1):93–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Mitchell SL, Clark M (2021) Telling a different story: How nonprofit organizations reveal strategic purpose through storytelling. Psychol Mark 38(1):142–158

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Lund NF, Cohen SA, Scarles C (2018) The power of social media storytelling in destination branding. J Destin Mark Manag 8:271–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2017.05.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Castelló E (2020) Storytelling in applications for the EU quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs: place, origin and tradition. Span J Agric Res 18(2):e0105–e0105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Palo T, Mason K, Roscoe P (2020) Performing a myth to make a market: The construction of the ‘magical world’of Santa. Organ Stud 41(1):53–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Castelló E (2021) The will for terroir: A communicative approach. J Rural Stud 86:386–397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Camprubí R, Planas C (2020) Storytelling in tourism destination branding: the case of lobal. Cuadernos de Turismo 46:617–619

    Google Scholar 

  37. Rinallo, D., Pitardi, V. Open conflict as differentiation strategy in geographical indications: the Bitto Rebels case. British Food Journal (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  38. Närvänen E, Kuusela H, Paavola H, Sirola N (2020) A meaning-based framework for customer loyalty. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management 48(8):825–843

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Brusk J, Engström H (2021) Marvinter: A case study of an inclusive transmedia storytelling production. Convergence 27(1):103–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Krampe C, Fridman A (2022) Oatly, a serious ‘problem’for the dairy industry? A case study. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 25(1):157–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Mc Kiernan DK (2021) Formal qualitative probability. The Review of Symbolic Logic 14(4):882–909

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Joseph E (2019) Discrimination against credentials in Black bodies: Counter stories of the characteristic labour market experiences of migrants in Ireland. Br J Guid Couns 47(4):524–542. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2019.1620916

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Semenchenko, T. O. Peculiarities of foreign language teaching to future specialists of financial and credit field in circumstances of eurointegration and lobalization. Financial and Credit Activity Problems of Theory and Practice, 3(26), 510–515 (2018). https://doi.org/10.18371/fcaptp.v3i26.143870

  44. Ingenbleek, P. T. M., Zhao, Y. The Vegetarian Butcher: On its way to becoming the world’s biggest ‘meat’ producer? International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 22(2), 295–307 (2019). https://doi.org/10.22434/IFAMR2018.0051

  45. Finkler, W., Leon, B. The power of storytelling and video: A visual rhetoric for science communication. Journal of Science Communication, 18(5), A02 (2019). https://doi.org/10.22323/2.18050202

  46. Dias, L., Dias, P. Beyond Advertising Narratives: “Josefinas” and their storytelling products. Anàlisi, 47–62 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/analisi.3118

  47. Gordon R, Waitt G, Cooper P, Butler K (2018) Storying energy consumption: Collective video storytelling in energy efficiency social marketing. J Environ Manage 213:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.02.046

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Cao S, Foth M, Powell W, McQueenie J (2021) What are the effects of short video storytelling in delivering blockchain-credentialed Australian beef products to China? Foods 10(10):2403

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Kašperová E (2021) Impairment (in) visibility and stigma: how disabled entrepreneurs gain legitimacy in mainstream and disability markets. Entrep Reg Dev 33(9–10):894–919

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Ikäheimo JP (2021) Arctic narratives: brewing a brand with neolocalism. J Brand Manag 28(4):374–387

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Spence C (2021) Musical scents: On the surprising absence of scented musical/auditory events, entertainments, and experiences. I-Perception 12(5):20416695211038748

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. Bounegru, L., Venturini, T., Gray, J., Jacomy, M. Narrating networks: Exploring the affordances of networks as storytelling devices in journalism. Digital Journalism, 5(6), 699–730. (2017). [43].

    Google Scholar 

  53. Sanders, J., van Krieken, K. Exploring Narrative Structure and Hero Enactment in Brand Stories. Frontiers in Psychology, 9 (2018). https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01645

  54. Zhang W, Fesenmaier DR (2018) Assessing emotions in online stories: Comparing self-report and text-based approaches. Information Technology & Tourism 20(1):83–95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-018-0122-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. Brown S, Stevens L, Maclaran P (2022) What’s the story, allegory? Consum Mark Cult 25(1):34–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  56. Hoffjann O (2021) The innovation function of hybridization in public relations. Media Commun 9(3):155–163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. Cayla J, Arnould E (2013) Ethnographic stories for market learning. J Mark 77(4):1–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work received funding from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) and from national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) through financial support to CeDRI (UIDB/05757/2020 and UIDP/05757/2020) and SusTEC (LA / P/0007/2021), as well as from the European Social Fund through the Center Regional Operational Program (CENTRO-04-3559-FSE-000162) through financial support to Instituto Politécnico da Guarda (IPG). This research also would like to thank Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (IPB), Portugal, and as Instituto Federal de Pernambuco (IFPE), Brasil.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Politécnico da Guarda (IPG), Av. Dr. Francisco Sá Carneiro 50, 6300-559, Guarda, Portugal

    Henrique Marques

  2. Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (IPB), Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal

    João P. Almeida & Oliva M. D. Martins

  3. Research Centre in Digitalization and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI), IPB, Bragança, Portugal

    João P. Almeida

  4. Laboratório Para a Sustentabilidade E Tecnologia Em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Bragança, Portugal

    João P. Almeida

  5. Instituto Federal de Pernambuco (IFPE), Campus Cabo de Santo Agostinho, 54510-110, Pernambuco, Brasil

    Adriana de Fátima Valente Bastos

Authors
  1. Henrique Marques
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. João P. Almeida
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Adriana de Fátima Valente Bastos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Oliva M. D. Martins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to João P. Almeida .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute for Design, Media and Culture School of Design, Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, Barcelos, Portugal

    Nuno Martins

  2. Research Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Design, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Castelo Branco, Portugal

    Daniel Raposo

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Marques, H., Almeida, J.P., de Fátima Valente Bastos, A., Martins, O.M.D. (2023). What Do #Storytelling and #Marketing Have in Common? A Comprehensive Literature Review from the Web of Science. In: Martins, N., Raposo, D. (eds) Communication Design and Branding. Springer Series in Design and Innovation , vol 32. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35385-7_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35385-7_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-35384-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-35385-7

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation