Power of Consumers
Childhood memories of fairy tales, fables, and campfires often come to mind when one thinks about storytelling. As a type of human communication, stories play an important role in conveying cultural values and customs. Using tales to teach children is a common practice, and there’s a good reason why. The human brain prefers to encode, store, and recall data in narrative form, according to research.
People have always been intrigued by stories because they are simpler to recall than facts. Customers’ “sensations, attitudes, cognitions, and behavioral reactions caused by label stimuli that are really components of the company’s look and image, packaging, communications, and surrounds” are typically impacted by how well a brand’s narrative is communicated (Brakus et al, 2009, p. 52). Many tales about brands are told by customers, but companies may also share their own stories. Especially in the service industry, these company-created brand stories are seen as important (e.g., Mossberg and Nissen Johansen, 2006). Since then, there has been a rise in narrative research (Adaval and Wyer, 1998). The most prevalent subjects of brand story research (Chang, 2009, p.22) include customer experiences, the consequences of product use, and advertising narrative content (Stern, 1994). Travel blogs (Hsu et al., 2009), Harry Potter (Brown and Patterson, 2010), and consumer blogs were among the several sites consulted for brand narrative content. However, there has been no exhaustive research of the company rumors. A few instances exist in the literature, but there is no empirical proof that they influence customer behavior. According to Merchant et al. (2010), the narrative content of firm-generated stories impacted the (bad) emotions and goals of participants.
Storytelling has the power to enlighten and influence customers as they are ready to make purchasing decisions. Storytelling may be a strong tool for changing cognitive processing, recollection, brand image, and decision with the rise of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Digital marketing, on the other hand, has a rather limited understanding of this process. Researchers from BMW AG and Suruga Bank Ltd. have been conducting field research for the past five years to examine the influence that tale authorship plays in customer choice (Pulizzi, 2012). According to the findings, tales from real customers have a substantial impact on how people perceive a company on social media, where they may have a particularly large impact. If firms aren’t incorporating customer feedback into brand storylines, they’re missing out on significant possibilities to engage with potential consumers.
There has been a shift in the digital marketplace’s power from the brand to a combination of brand and customer influence. Brand-to-consumer advertising has long dominated traditional TV commercials. The conventional marketing strategy confronts stiff competition in today’s “multiscreen” market, as corporations employ brand websites and social media to deliver messages with more effect (Lundqvist et al., 2012). The traditional marketing models. Story-driven brand communications, whether in traditional or new media, have the power to move people to action. Direct brand influence is being supplanted by more sophisticated conceptions of brand-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer marketing as consumer-to-consumer storytelling becomes more widespread on social media. This makes it possible for customers to share their creative material with businesses, and then both the businesses and the brand’s customers may spread that content throughout the web (Rajagopal, 2006). Consumer tales are increasingly being shared by companies, and companies are even helping their customers create their own content.
Voice of the Customer (VOC) is the method used to find out what customers want and how they feel about a product or service so that it can be improved. This process is used to find out what customers say or don’t say they want and then deliver products that meet those needs. A company can get the VOC in different ways, such as through interviews and focus groups, consumer and marketing research, client requirements and complaints found in emails, letters, and criticism logs, inference, standardized format, social networks, mystery shopping, and so on.
Historically, businesses and companies relied on use of advertisements to increase their volumes of sales and hence increase their profits. However, with time, firms have established the impact that concerns from consumers can have on the quality and quantity of production. Persuasion is a primary objective of advertising, and its effectiveness must take this objective into consideration (Till & Baack, 2005). The rhetoric (or rhetorical) idea dates back to Aristotle and is one of the first theories of persuasion. Canons of rhetorical theory consist of invention, organization, elocution, and memory, in addition to delivery (Pudewa 2016). A persuasive message must have a well-thought-out structure, which includes the selection, organization, and delivery of each component (Mafael et al., 2021). These elements are likely to be impacted by marketers, since the message’s content is a function of the features or benefits of the advertised product or service. Numerous studies and theories in advertising have concentrated on the selection and organization of individual advertising pieces. According to rhetorical theory, the persuasiveness of an advertisement is determined by the gestalt of its selection and arrangement of several features.
Literature Review
Consumer Behavior
The study of how people acquire, use, and dispose of products and services, as well as the relationships between these actions, is known as “consumer behavior.” Emotions, attitudes, and preferences influence purchasing decisions made by consumers. Since its inception in the 1940s and 1950s, consumer behavior has evolved into an interdisciplinary field of study that incorporates elements (Vollero & Valentini, 2021) of psychology, sociology, anthropology, ethnography, and economics (more so behavioral economics).
Research on consumer behavior aims to get a better understanding of people’s desires and consumption habits by looking at their demographics, lifestyles and behavioral factors (such as usage rates, usage occasions, loyalty, brand endorsement, and propensity to recommend products). Social groups including relatives, colleagues, sports, and reference groups may all have an impact on a consumer’s decision-making process (brand-influencers, opinion leaders).
During the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, experts in the advertising and within the field of psychology greatly affected consumer behavior through the use of motivation study. This research helped businesses better understand their consumers. Marketers began to utilize motivation research techniques in the 1950s, incorporating depth interviews, focus group, theme perception tests, and a variety of other qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Ethnography, photo-elicitation methods, and phenomenological interviews have lately been introduced to the toolbox of researchers. A class on consumer behavior (or CB, as it is fondly called) is included in nearly all undergraduate marketing curricula nowadays, making it a significant sub-discipline.
Consumer behavior proves an important aspect when it comes to the subject of brand image. Marketers face a significant difficulty in figuring out consumer purchasing and consumption habits. It is the study of consumer behavior, in its broadest definition, that examines how people make purchasing decisions and how they consume or experience products and services. Decisions are made by consumers (Rajagopal, 2006). It’s up to them to pick what they want to spend their money on. They may alter their tastes in light of their financial situation and a variety of other aspects.
Some purchases need lengthy, meticulous processes involving a great deal of research to narrow the field of possibilities down to a final choice. Impulse purchases and habitual purchases, on the other hand, are made nearly instantly, with little or no effort put into gathering information. When it comes to buying, some purchases are done by groups (such as families or corporations), while others are made by individuals. In the case of a small group, such as a family, various members of the group may be involved at different phases of the decision-making process and play distinct roles. The purchase category may be suggested by one person, while information on the product may be researched by another, and the product may be purchased and brought home by a third person.
When making a purchase, it’s common for more than one person to play a role in the decision-making process. As an example, the father or mother may begin the process by implying that he/she is too exhausted to cook, but both parents may act as gatekeepers by vetoing unacceptable alternatives and encouraging more acceptable alternatives. In the case of a family dining out, both parents may act as gatekeepers by vetoing unacceptable alternatives and encouraging more acceptable alternatives. There should never be a doubt about the potential of children to influence buying decisions in a variety of circumstances.
Several writers have utilized the theory of the black box, which depicts the consumer’s cognitive and emotional processes when they make a purchase choice. Consumer reactions and responses to external and internal stimuli (e.g., consumer features, situations, marketing effects, and environmental elements) are shown to interact in the decision model’s larger environment. When it comes to behaviorism, there is a theory called the “black box model,” which focuses on the consumer’s response to stimuli as well as internal processes.
According to a black box model, the buyer’s response can be assumed to be a conscious, logical decision-making process in which the buyer has recognized an issue and attempts to remedy it through commercial purchasing. A strong feeling of problem-solving is not always there when people make purchases they make on a regular or habitual basis. Low-involvement judgments are those in which just a minimal amount of time is spent gathering and evaluating relevant data. Decisions with a high level of stakeholder participation, on the other hand, need a significant time and effort commitment. In general, low participation goods are ones that carry modest amounts of financial or psychological risk. High-risk, high-involvement items tend to be more expensive and only purchased on rare occasions. There are several distinct stages in the decision-making process, regardless of whether the customer is making a high-involvement or low-involvement purchase.
According to the choice model, purchases don’t take place in a vacuum. Instead, they occur in real time and are influenced by a variety of factors, such as the immediate context in which the consumer finds himself or herself. Interpersonal and intrapersonal stimuli, environmental stimuli, and marketing stimuli are all included in the paradigm. In contrast to marketing stimuli, environmental stimuli comprise activities or occurrences that take place outside of the company’s control, such as those that occur in the wider operational environment. Additionally, the buyer’s black box comprises buyer traits and the buyer’s decision-making process, which impact the buyer’s reactions.
Consumer Feedback
The term “customer feedback” refers to the opinions and experiences of actual customers who have used a service or product. In order to find out how satisfied customers are with the product, consumer experience, and marketing teams, this survey was created. Customers might be proactively surveyed, interviewed, or asked for reviews so that companies can gather feedback on their products and services. Alternatively, teams might actively obtain feedback by allowing customers to post comments, complaints, or praises in the product itself.
One of the most important factors in long-term growth is customer feedback. Modern businesses seize any opportunity to interact with or learn about their customers. Organizations invest tens of thousands of dollars each year to create a variety of methods for customers to provide feedback.
Even when clients are asked directly for comments, they don’t always provide the whole truth. There may be other things that have had a huge influence on the user’s life that they aren’t aware of. As a result, the consumer feedback we receive will be incomplete, which is a major issue in and of itself. Customer analytics tools are the only method to truly understand what your consumers like and dislike about your product.
The organization may construct precise and thorough buyer personas with the help of customer feedback. A buyer persona is a fictionalized representation of a company’s ideal client. You may use buyer personas to better understand who your ideal consumers are and how they interact with company products and services on a regular basis. Multiple buyer personas are popular in businesses, which may also refer to them as customer or marketing personas. A buyer persona is a persona created by a business to better understand and recognize the demands of their consumers. It’s possible to establish better client acquisition and service strategies. By doing so, the more complex the corporate personas are, the more organizations may personalize their services and needs to meet the needs and desires of their target clients.
The use of buyer personas can help direct the efforts of many different divisions inside a firm. Buyer personas may be used in the product development process, for example, when coming up with new product concepts. It’s also possible that they can help the sales team create a long-term relationship with customers and strengthen the customer service staff to better satisfy their demands. Customers’ personas are crucial to the development of successful marketing strategies because they priorities the promotional activities to which the intended audience should be exposed.
Managing client happiness and loyalty, as well as customer retention and product and service improvement are all made possible by soliciting and acting on consumer feedback. By not having a strong grasp of their audience, marketers will miss out on many chances in the future months and years.
Companies may develop an informed marketing plan with the help of customer feedback. Companies must always attend to their consumers in order to produce the proper message. Customer feedback helps marketers construct marketing messages that resonate with customers, remain on top of the market, and lastly, develop a lead-generating marketing plan by using customer feedback. As a result, firms may become more customer-centric by listening to their customers while creating marketing initiatives. Furthermore, customer-centricity isn’t going ignored in today’s corporations.
Companies may also establish a more personal connection with the general public by regularly monitoring client feedback. Loyalty is increased when companies listen to what their consumers have to say and respond accordingly. Clients will feel more involved in the firm’s decision-making process if they have a strong relationship with the organization.
Customer input may also be used to improve the quality of content by keeping the reader’s interests in mind while creating new materials. Many firms’ marketing departments fail to implement a comprehensive content strategy, despite the fact that content marketing has shown to be quite beneficial.
Using customer feedback, businesses may learn more about their buyer personas. This can help you find the groups of people who are most likely to become customers. In order to get more consumers, you should focus on developing content that specifically targets your target audience, which is more likely to buy your product or service.
An alternative method for deciding what type of content marketing team to create is to discover the problems that your clients are currently experiencing and then create content that addresses each of those issues one by one. What do you mean by “pain spots” for your customers? Customer feedback yet again. Companies rely on input from consumers to figure out which channels are the most popular with their target audience.
Using competition analysis and customer input, a firm may gain a better understanding of its position in the market. To learn what customers think about a firm and its rivals, it’s a good idea to solicit customer feedback. Analyzing the competition allows you to see how well your own products or services stack up against those of the competition. Brands may use this study to better understand how their products and services stack up against those of their competitors.
Develop competitive strategies and understand what provides the organization an advantage over its competitors with a thorough market study. Competitive analysis information may be used to promote a company’s strengths by exploiting the flaws of its competitors. Customers who have been dissatisfied with a competitor’s service or product could be targeted by a campaign that highlights the company’s better capabilities in light of the negative press surrounding the competition.
Businesses may learn more about their target market by soliciting feedback from their customers. As a marketing and research tool, a consumer profile is a combination of consumer data such as demographics, geographic location, psychographics, and behavioral data. A greater understanding of how customers interact with their brands may help marketers and data analysts better target, message, and implement other strategic activities that will boost ROI and marketing effectiveness. More than ever, today’s customers want more from their companies. They are looking for an amazing customer experience as well as messages that are tailored to their specific desires and requirements at any given time. These are just some of the ways that enterprise businesses can benefit from consumer profiles: better understand and serve customers with personalized experiences; optimize advertising spend; create look-alike audiences to increase customer acquisition and expand reach; identify growth, problem-solving and innovation.
Consumer Truth
A “moment of truth” comes when a consumer gets the ability to form an opinion regarding a brand or product. This first impression may generate either positive or negative emotions. The objective of the user experience designer is to ensure that the consumer or user has a favourable opinion of the brand or product at the moment of truth.
“Everyone designs whose sequences of action are aimed at transforming existing situations into ideal ones” by Herbert Simon is highly applicable to business due to instances such as these. In a market that is becoming increasingly crowded, businesses and products can only differentiate themselves via service, therefore the stakes are high. When a market hole exists, there will be a multitude of competitors willing to fill it. Though the majority of service providers in a market region adopt equivalent (if not identical) business practises, a company’s ability to differentiate itself initially based on its superior ability to address particular demands may dwindle. The sole tangible differentiation is thus service.
Customers are less likely to defect (leave a brand or product for a competitor) if they are satisfied with every interaction with the brand. If the customer has a favorable experience with the brand, they are more likely to become “brand ambassadors” or “brand enthusiasts.”
It is possible to have either a fantastic or a dreadful moment at any one time. Neutral outcomes are possible, but uncommon; the majority of consumer interactions will either impress or disappoint. Shep Hyken, a designer of Customer Experience, conceived of these moments.When the customer’s expectations are not only met, but exceeded, a magical moment happens. In reality, magical moments may be generated by just managing an encounter correctly for is when a hotel guest checks in on their birthday and is upgraded to a suite (such as when a fast-food restaurant quickly delivers a warm and tasty burger to an impatient customer).
Unhappy events worsen both customer churn and word-of-mouth recommendations regarding poor service. It occurs when a retail clerk disregards a client’s request for assistance or when a contact center employee acts aggressively towards a consumer. It is crucial to note that consumers who are concerned enough to report an issue to their service provider may be able to rectify a negative situation. Because it is uncommon (if not impossible) to eliminate all possible service failures, it is beneficial when issues are resolved in a way that leaves the client with a favorable impression.
Consumer Socialization
Some academics have started utilizing models that incorporate various theories in response to the increased need for techniques that incorporate multiple theoretical views. In the field of consumer socialization, multi-theoretical approaches may be discovered. A person’s development of consumption-related attitudes and actions is referred to as consumer socialization (Pulizzi, 2012). People’s thoughts and actions are shaped in part by their contacts with “significant persons,” or “socialization agents,” and in part by internal biological or cognitive-psychological changes, according to consumer socialization theories. A person’s ability to learn can be affected by these shifts, and the wants they produce can have an effect on consumer learning either directly or indirectly (via their interactions with agents). In addition, social structural elements (e.g., socioeconomic class, race, sex) can have an impact on consumer socialization, which in turn can influence consumer learning.
Theories of consumer socialization have been broken down into three categories. Social learning theory, developmental theory, and social-systems theory are all subcategories of one other. Although maturational ideas can be included in the developmental category, the distinction between the two is important to keep in mind. When it comes to development and maturity, there is a distinct difference. Theories of cognitive development are an example of a developmental theory. People’s and families’ consumption patterns have both benefited by applying the developmental method to study (Hill, 1969). Hill and his colleagues pioneered sociological study in this area.
Rather than looking at socialization as a result of internal psychological processes, the social learning model focuses almost solely on socialization agents. Formal connectionist learning theories and interaction theories are two types of social learning theories. In the first category, we have Watson and Guthrie’s ideas of stimulus-response contiguity and Skinner, Miller, and others’ theories of reinforcement.
According to connectionist views, the process is regulated externally, independent of a person’s current state of mind (active or passive). When it comes to learning, for example, classical conditioning stimulus-response theories take into account learning in which the results are based on externally imposed reward contingency schedules with an external actor having total control over the process. In a similar vein, instrumental conditioning theories focus on learning that happens as a result of the external agent rewarding or punishing the learner based on their own actions.
Connectionist theories of learning emphasize the role of the environment in a child’s socialization, whereas interaction theory emphasizes the role of the individual. These theorists believe that the individual’s conduct in connection to his or her environment, which is both symbolic and physical in origin, can be explained by this approach. We believe that learning occurs when people engage with other and receive feedback about their own conduct from them. This feedback influences how people think about themselves, which in turn influences how they think about themselves. The foundation of this idea is Cooley’s concept of the “looking-glass self.”
According to role theorists, each person participates in socialization in two ways: as a passive observer and as an active participant. While some early theorists believe that social roles are established externally, others emphasize the importance of the individual’s active engagement in learning, performing, and adjusting social roles as part of the socialization process itself.
Studies of socialization may be done using both symbolic interaction and role theory since both theories acknowledge that people alter their group affiliations and come into contact with different surroundings over the course of a lifetime. This is based on social system theories, which claim that the source of influence comes from inside the learner’s organization or group. It is assumed that a person would learn the customs and behaviors that are distinctive to a certain culture or subculture. As a result, part of socialization entails acquiring knowledge of one’s own culture, which is sometimes referred to as inculturation. The substance of learning outcomes is predicted to be diverse among cultures and sub-cultures because of cultural differences in norms, behaviors, and values. Because these variances may not only reflect accepted norms but also differing socialization processes in each sub-cultural location, it is important to notice.
Adolescence and childhood. Perspectives on development. Consumer socialization seems to be most relevant for children and adolescents from the standpoint of cognitive development. Learning theory and Piaget’s theory of intellectual development are two of the most widely accepted theories of cognitive development. Using Piaget’s idea, learning happens when a kid interacts with their surroundings. A hands-on approach to learning is advocated, where students actively engage in the learning process by manipulating and exploring real-world materials. The phases of intellectual growth are marked by certain cognitive activities, and the order of development is unavoidable.
As a result, Ausubel uses ideas and propositions in hierarchical systems to explain cognitive organization (e.g., Ausubel and Robinson 1969). It is assumed that meaningful learning will take place when the learner is able to connect new information to previously taught concepts in a non-arbitrary way. Using this method of learning is supposed to minimize rote learning and improve long-term memory. As a result, Ausubel believes that meaningful learning may be best fostered through the use of broad concepts that, once mastered, are believed to give a potentially meaningful set of anchoring notions under which later provided subordinate information might be assimilated. A main focus of Ausubel is sequential transfer. As an initial step in the learning process, it is necessary to identify and teach ideas and particular facts that are at the same level of abstraction as the concepts and facts being taught in later learning activities.
Research has shown that socializing, especially consumer socialization, takes place after the age of 15 years old despite the widespread acceptance of Piaget’s cognitive development theories (e.g., adolescence). In recent years, various studies revealing that cognitive development is a lifelong process have cast doubt on the idea that people reach their maximum cognitive potential by the time they reach late adolescence (e.g., Long et al. 1980). Skills vanish in reverse order of difficulty, with the most difficult last to be obtained fading first, according to research. Also, as we become older, we appear to enter a fifth stage of cognitive growth, which is the reverse horizontal decalage. Piaget’s fourth (and last) level of formal processes was issue solving; this is problem finding.
Theories of social learning. Compared to developmental models, social learning models of consumer socialization emphasize environmental influences (i.e., socialization agents) more than developmental models. It’s important to note that whereas social learning perspectives believe that the individual has a more passive role in developing attitudes and actions, cognitive development theories see the individual as having an active role. It is common for theories of social learning to be non-explicit, relying instead on the socializer’s interactions with the various socialization agents. For example, in the field of consumer socialization, learning from television commercials has been ascribed to instrumental conditioning, modelling, and cognitive learning (as a result of the person’s frequent viewing of advertising) (Adler 1977). This learning from parents may also be explained by a variety of factors, such as modelling (Ward et al., 1977), positive and negative reinforcement, and the use of cognition in the form of targeted instruction (Ward et al. 1977).
Theory of Socio-cultural Change Influence of socio-demographic characteristics on consumer socialization is the focus of research on the socio-cultural consequences. Class is an essential social system and will be used as an example in this article. A “life-space” viewpoint can be used to analyze the impact of socioeconomic class on socialization (Lewin 1951). The availability of different stimuli in one’s surroundings increases as one’s socioeconomic position rises, resulting in a wider living space for the individual.
Implications
To advertise anything, from antiques to everyday objects, stories may be used to infuse them with symbolism. Customers may become brand advocates if they are captivated by the story and feel compelled to spread the news. Because of its emphasis on building relationships, storytelling is a good fit for customer-to-customer marketing. If you want to attract new clients, you must first give them a story or two. There are several ways to tell stories in advertising, including ad vignettes or tales (Stern 1994), web advertising (as demonstrated by Ben & Jerry’s), or interactive storytelling for shoppers at a specifically designed store. That’s when you can use the services cape as a way to further enhance the narrative and brand identity of the story.
Marketing efforts that use firm-generated narratives should not be unduly optimistic about the benefits of doing so. When it comes to brand-related stories, there is no data to show which ones are effective or when they should be used. It is impossible for buyers to identify with all brands in the same manner or become engrossed in all stories. Consumer-generated tales may be more effective than firm-generated narratives in expressing brand benefits and values for particular businesses. Indeed, research has shown that companies that create customer narratives have a number of characteristics (Solnet and Kandampully, 2008). Even if the brand is just indirectly mentioned in the TV commercial, it may be more successful than a factual story that bores viewers. However, our findings show that when a company has a compelling story to tell, it’s worthwhile to do so.
Recommendations
SMS marketing should be permission-based since many consumers find it annoying. To have a more comprehensive understanding of this study, it is required to examine more locations. In addition to considering current public views and other advertisements and messaging the business has put on the market, marketers must also consider existing consumer sentiment as well as other advertisements and messages the firm has placed on the market. Has the past marketing action been favorably received by the target market?
Future research must contribute to the construction of the framework for these activities, which are specified by government legislation and industry standards. Rarely do new regulations emerge in the marketing industry aimed at protecting children, prohibiting misleading advertising, and regulating the types of advertising authorized in particular sectors (such as cannabis, alcohol, or cigarettes) (Dwivedi et al., 2021). However, social media marketing restrictions sometimes lag behind technological advances. This emphasizes the necessity for more scholarly research on the topic.
Conclusion
Bill Gates put it that the most unhappy customers are the best resource to any organization. Voice of the customer is a method for organizations to get knowledge and improve. This strategy makes firms more customer-centric by encouraging them to prioritize customer requirements and improve the customer experience. In addition to ensuring that consumers are satisfied with goods or services that suit their requirements, enhancements in this area enable businesses to make choices based on what customers desire. Here are a few of the positive outcomes of the VOC initiative: Improves customer happiness by listening to client feedback and adapting goods to match their requirements. Having satisfied consumers helps retain existing ones and attracts new ones. Understand your brand and address any issues before they reach online networks and the media. When a company’s reputation improves, revenues, market share, and loyalty rewards increase; determine what people want in order to create superior goods. Customer input may be utilized to identify emerging trends and develop inventive new goods (ISO Training, Evaluation, and Certification, n.d.). The marketing strategy may be enhanced by determining the efficacy of promotional efforts. Word-of-mouth marketing is effective because satisfied consumers will tell others about their positive experiences; improve customer service by listening to customers and resolving issues before they escalate.
Cost is the biggest drawback of advertising. Marketers wonder whether or not this type of mass communication is really cost-effective. Obviously, expenses vary by media, with television advertisements being the costliest to develop and position. In comparison, print and internet advertisements are often significantly cheaper. In addition to expense, there is also the issue of how many people an advertising truly reaches. In today’s media landscape, advertisements are easily ignored (Juska, 2021). Even advertisements that are initially captivating might become bland with time. Digital advertisements are interactive and clickable, but conventional advertising mediums are not. In the brick-and-mortar world, it is challenging for marketers to quantify the effectiveness of advertising and immediately correlate it to changes in customer attitudes or behavior. Since advertising is a one-way medium, there are often few direct opportunities for customer feedback and involvement, especially among consumers who frequently feel overwhelmed by competing market signals. Based on cost, consumer feedback, observing the consumer behavior.
The “expressions” and not only the “impressions” of consumers are becoming more significant to marketers, who are turning to social marketing to encourage consumers to share content and ideas (Keller & Fay, 2012). How should we go when it comes to expressing ourselves? The authors recommend a more complete approach that takes into consideration the reality that the majority of customer expressions occur face-to-face rather than only through social media platforms.
In conclusion, storytelling is an efficient method for conveying brand values to customers. A narrative may embody a brand’s core values in ways that ordinary marketing communication cannot. Thus, brand management literature should place a stronger emphasis on narrative. Except for books giving practical guidance and case studies (Fog et al., 2005; Vincent, 2002), storytelling has received less attention in the literature on brand management (Aaker, 1991, Kapferer, 2008
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