Narratives of Value: Storytelling in Brand Communication

Abstract

Today’s consumers are increasingly attentive to the values and meanings behind the brands they support, rather than focusing solely on products. Storytelling has become an important tool in contemporary marketing for shaping brand identity and creating emotional connections with audiences. This thesis examines how brand identity is constructed and communicated through narrative strategies in brand communication, by focusing on three case studies.

The analysis draws on theories of storytelling, emotional engagement and narrative transportation. It explores how narrative elements such as protagonists and conflicts are used to create emotional resonance and encourage audience identification. The selected case studies include an online story, Patagonia’s “Nothing Wasted” (2023), and two video essays, Nike’s ”Home: Finding Our Place Through Sport” (2023) and Apple’s “Think Different” (1997). These cases were chosen because they represent different narrative strategies in brand communication. Patagonia’s narrative emphasises environmental values through an animal protagonist, Nike focuses on belonging through an athlete’s story and Apple uses fragmented storytelling featuring historical figures to highlight creativity.

The findings suggest that brands increasingly rely on narratives that shift attention away from the product and instead emphasize values and ideology. Rather than focusing on overt brand presence, brands communicate indirectly through external protagonists such as athletes, historical figures and animal characters. This form of storytelling may enhance authenticity and increase audience engagement, as it reduces the overtly commercial nature of the message.