The role of plot in brand story construction: A neurophysiological perspective

ABSTRACT

Storytelling increasingly forms part of many brands’ strategic endeavorsin pursuance of brand resonance. Although previous studieshave focused on the elements and consequences of brand story construction, the role of plot in brand story construction, and its ability to elicit subconscious emotions among consumers, remain underexplored. Further, previous studies primarily used self-reported measures to assess consumers’ emotional responses to storytelling advertisements, which are associated with measurement error. This study explores the role of plot inbrand story construction from a neurophysiological perspective. Drawing on dramatic theory, this study uses Freytag’s five-part Pyramid plot structure to analyze neurophysiological responses (skin conductance level, electro-encephalography, electromyography) and eye-tracking data in response to a dramatic video storytelling advertisement. The results indicate that while the intensity of subconscious emotions elicited by the advertisement resemble a pyramid-like structure similar to Freytag’s structure, there is evidence of fluctuating valence. Further, the results indicate that subconscious emotions are indeed transferred to the brand shown in the advertisement, implying that brand managers should think carefully about the type of emotional reaction their brand stories should elicit.

KEYWORDS:

• branding
• storytelling
• consumer emotion
• neuroscience

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This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.