Brand Storytelling in the Age of Short Attention Spans: Strategies for Effective Communication

Abstract

Storytelling is found as a mechanism of creating, developing and communicating the message. Storytelling is an effective marketing tool. This study focuses upon the tendencies in messages comprehension and changes within communication strategies for brand storytelling in the age of short attention spans. The research objective presents the certain research tasks oriented towards the identification of effective communication strategies and explanation of their application to enhance brand engagement. The research applies qualitative and qualitative methodology. Initially, the qualitative methods were used to explain the storytelling theory in marketing, peculiarities of brand storytelling in advertising, the images a brand delivers to the audience, and to describe short attention spans as a growing phenomenon. The survey applied quantitative methods to outline the contribution of brand storytelling as a communication technique, to reveal the effect of short attention spans upon brand communication, and to identify the most effective communication strategies for brand storytelling in the age of short attention spans. The survey data were collected through interviews among 158 individual customers between July-August, 2023. The results showed that effective communication strategies for brand storytelling are divided into direct and indirect. Direct strategies include narrative plot, intrigue, authenticity, surprise, visual image, audio background, obstacle, emotions, conflict and tension, small details, orientation towards future improvements. Indirect strategies involve mode of message transfer, pricing, frequency of transfer, time duration, sequence of brand stories, and personal appeal. The results may be implied by enterprises while generating brand storytelling and by psychologists studying consumers’ behaviour.