How dark stories boost recall

ABSTRACT

This article demonstrates the value of brands employing the use dark stories. Dark stories, also referred to as ‘grotesque’ stories, are created by using shocking, disgusting, or deviant imagery. This paper operationalizes dark storytelling and takes initial steps in scale creation, validating a preliminary three-item scale for the construct. In an experiment, ads employing dark storytelling have higher brand recall relative to ads using non-dark stories. This effect operates through a deepening of brand experience. The effect occurs for established brands that are mainstream or luxury, but not when a brand is unknown. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Stories
• narrative transportation
• advertising
• brand experience
• co-creation

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the research assistants and academic experts who assisted in various stages throughout the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementry material

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