Storytelling has redefined marketing from a brand monologue to brand-consumer dialogues, conversations, and co-creation. Drawing on interdisciplinary narrative literature and the perspectives of legendary practitioners, this book reveals the art of storified brand communications and how storytelling affects our brains using consumer psychology and neuroscience insights. With theories, practice, application, and several conceptual models, tools, and techniques, this book invites researchers, academics, marketing practitioners, and students to decode the art of storytelling and join the debate on how storytelling transforms the discourse of marketing and brand communications.
Ancient people gathered around fires to bond and tell stories, passing wisdom from generation to generation. Likewise, we tell stories through social media platforms that transcend time and space. Moreover, digital storytelling in multiple forms and formats has transformed marketing, ushering in an era of a creative renaissance by infusing the imagination of human minds with the power of technology. In this context, the book positions brand storytelling as an artistic science, evolving in the content creators' playground that fosters brand-consumer conversation and co-creation. Although the future of storytelling is mysterious, the author argues that human minds will continue to dominate machines, creating marketing magic at the intersection of narrative art and technological science.
With a balance of theories and practice, including conceptual models, tools and techniques, this book offers valuable insights, allowing researchers, academics as well as astute marketing practitioners and students to follow how the art of storytelling, empowered by science and technology, is transforming the discourse of brand communications in the imagination age.
Foreword
Professor Yasmin Ibrahim
Chapter 1: The Divine Gift that Makes Us Human: Evolution of Storytelling and the Language of Marketing
Chapter 2: Strategic and Tactical Brand Stories: Creating Emotional Triggers to Connect with the Consumers
Chapter 3: Tango of the Brains: The Influence of Narrative Art Explained through Consumer Psychology and Neuroscience
Chapter 4: Narrative Theories: Deciphering the Essential Story Elements
Chapter 5: Storytelling Strategies: Life Philosophies and Narrative Tactics Explained in the Light of Genres
Chapter 6: Make Your Customer the Hero: The Hero’s Journey and Heroic Transformation in Marketing
Chapter 7: Storified Brand Communications: The Art of Fiction-told and Purpose-told Storytelling and Their Application in Marketing
Chapter 8: Brand-Consumer Romance in the Digital Age: Dancing through Transmedia Storytelling
Chapter 9: Finding Your Voice in the Imagination Age: The Art of Personal Branding through Storytelling
Chapter 10: Brand Storytelling in the Age of AI: The ‘Artistic Science’ that Sparks Magic and Mystery
Biography
S M A Moin is an Associate Professor in Marketing and the Director of Teaching Associates at Queen Mary University of London: School of Business and Management. He is an interdisciplinary researcher in brand storytelling, creativity, and consumer trust. Before moving into academia, Moin worked in several industries, including the military (Navy), media, publishing, and financial services. As a management consultant, he advised various companies, worked for the world’s largest international newspaper, and was part of a $4 billion international subsea project.
“Moin has a natural gift for providing profound and enlightened commentary on aspects of marketing and the subject of branding in particular. In this book, Moin shows how the art of storytelling is integral to successful branding and brand communication and provides many examples to illustrate his insights. This book will be of interest to anyone who is interested in branding and in particular those who are responsible for establishing their brands firmly in the hearts and minds of consumers”.
- James Devlin, Professor of Financial Services, Director of the Centre for Finance, Technology and Society, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, UK
“Storytelling is an essential component in Marketing and Brand Communication - as both an art and a science. Dr Moin’s book offers an interesting selection of themes designed to capture the current landscape, encouraging the reader to uncover the guiding principles for what could become a business X-factor.”
- Prof Jonathan A.J. Wilson, Professor of Brand Strategy & Culture, Regent’s University London | NYU London | Loughborough University | LinkedIn Learning Instructor
“In this unique book, Dr S M A Moin presents branding as narrative art, co-creating romance, resonance, and symphony to emotionally connect with consumers’ hearts and minds. Personal branding and brand storytelling in the age of artificial intelligence have also been covered with new insights. This is a credible guide on brand communications that I recommend to all marketers.”
- Professor Kazem Vafadari, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Beppu, Japan
“Dr. Moin's book masterfully unlocks the magic of storytelling for brand success in today’s digital landscape. From ancient cave paintings to immersive AI-informed narratives, this book maps the evolution of this "divine gift" in marketing, highlighting the science and art of crafting stories that ignite brand passion and captivate consumers.”
- Dr Haytham Siala, Associate Professor in Marketing, Queen Mary University of London, UK
“Storytelling in Marketing and Brand Communications covers time-tested fundamentals of narration, but also takes us all the way to present concerns such as transmedia storytelling and harnessing AI for creativity. Beginners and veterans alike will find food for thought in this wide-ranging introduction.”
- Dr Astrid Van den Bossche, Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Digital Marketing and Communications, King’s College London
“A very comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach to storytelling that would be beneficial to those in arts and humanities, social sciences, and business and management.”
- Dr Sianne Gordon-Wilson, Assistant Professor in Marketing and Deputy Chair for School's Research Committee, Queen Mary University of London; Associate Editor for the Journal of Consumer Behaviour.
