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

Abstract

ABSTRACT Storytelling increasingly form part of many brands’ strategic endeavorsin pursuance of brand resonance. Although previous studieshave focused on the elements and consequences of brand storyconstruction, the role of plot in brand story construction, and its ability to elicit subconsciousemotions among consumers, remain underexplored. Further, previous studies primarily use self-reported measures to assess consumers’ emotional responses to storytelling advertisements, which is 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-partPyramid plot structure to analyze neurophysiological responses(skin conductance level, electro-encephalography, electromyo-graphy) and eye-tracking data in response to a dramatic video storytellingadvertisement. The results indicate that while the intensity ofsubconscious emotions elicited by the advertisement resemblea pyramid-like structure similar to Freytag’s structure, there is evi-dence of fluctuating valence. Further, the results indicate that subconscious emotions are indeed transferred to the brand shown inthe advertisement, implying that brand managers should thinkcarefully about the type of emotional reaction their brand storiesshould elicit.