The Influence of Storytelling Strategies on Attitude and Purchase Intention

Introduction

A story is a discourse that narrates interrelated actions and consequences in chronological order (Gilliam & Flaherty, 2015). According to Baskin (2004), storytelling is the most important and most human thing that our species does. Stories have been told since the beginning of time, be it war stories or heroic deeds.

This study focuses on analysing the influence of storytelling strategies on individuals’ attitude (ATT) and purchase intention (PI), examining how storytelling may or may not influence the positive weighing of an individual regarding his/her ATT and PI. According to Sole and Wilson (2002), storytelling is defined as the sharing of knowledge and experiences through narratives to communicate lessons, complex ideas, concepts, and casual connections. The power of storytelling has been widely recognized in various disciplines, including Sociology, Psychology, Management, and Marketing (Gilliam & Flaherty, 2015), thus demonstrating its importance and usefulness in different fields of study and business areas, as in the case of tourism and destination marketing.

The theoretical model adopted in this study was developed by Denning (2005) in his book The Leader's Guide To Storytelling, which seeks to describe the importance of storytelling, not as a cultural phenomenon, but as a set of tools that can be worked and shaped according to certain objectives. This study will serve as a basis for businesses to develop and apply storytelling strategies leading to individual ATT and PI. Thus Denning’s model (2005) will serve as a starting point and a theoretical reference of what a strategic storytelling approach may be. Authors’ application of this approach will be replicated from a digital perspective, using storytelling in a blog narrative format as a means of exposure.

By itself, however, storytelling may not be enough to cause direct influence on PI. Woodside (2010) refers to the ability of a story to affect the way individuals perceive the world. This ability can also affect how individuals act, react, or face certain common situations. Belk (1975) suggests that the individual is susceptible to change in his behaviour through situational variables. These variables may originate in various formats and/or occasions provoked or unrelated to the individuals themselves. In the present study, ATT is taken as a variable of connection between storytelling and PI, i.e. the applied storytelling strategies expectedly will create or change the individual's ATT. In turn, this ATT may or may not generate PI.

Storytelling may also be one of the most effective communication tools for persuasion and relationship building (Mcgregor & Holmes, 1999). Therefore, brands tend to be interested and invest in the means and ends, which allow them to take advantage of this communication tool. This brand-consumer proximity may result in an emotional connection and reinforce the effectiveness of the intended marketing message (Budtz, Fog & Yakaboylu, 2005), facilitating not only the brand's strengths and values but also the individuals’ primary choice. for example, in the tourism sector and destination management, storytelling is a narrative adequate to communicate the value proposition of tourism service systems and enhance the value co-creation process of all stakeholders involved (Bassano, Barile, Piciocchi, Spohrer, Iandolo & Fisk, 2019).

This chapter presents a conceptual model based on studies concerning storytelling, strategies, ATT, and PI. The main objective is to develop an understanding of strategies, ATT, and PI and relationships between them. After the literature review, the research model and data collection and analysis methods are described. Further on, results obtained are also presented. Lastly, the discussion section discusses the results, the study’s limitations and implications, and suggestions for future studies. As a final reflection, this chapter’s expectation is to contribute both at an academic and managerial level to a better perception and use of storytelling strategies. This study’s findings help companies to choose the strategy that best fits their objectives (e.g. improving the individual’s perception of the brand value) and to design the combination of strategies according to the results businesses want to achieve.