Storytelling: a strategy for brand communication

Purpose of the study. The purpose of this research is to understand how storytelling supports existing brands and how it may help starting brands in their first phase of life. Based on the analysis of the Mesa winery, which highlights the strong connection between storytelling and brand, the paper takes into consideration the role of packaging, labeling, and the company’s architecture. Methodology. This paper combines aspects of theory with empirical suggestions coming from the experience of the Mesa Winery. The methodology of case study is appropriate for developing a theory through a deep comprehension of the empirical phenomena and the context in which they take place (Eisenhardt, 1989). Findings. The experience of the Mesa Winery permits to highlight the way in which the phenomenon of storytelling can be used as a communication strategy for small businesses as well. Moreover, it highlights that storytelling can be a new way to manage the brand. Research limits. This study is limited in that it analyzes only one single case. Practical implication. What emerges from the case study is that a brand’s image based on a storytelling strategy can be conveyed through various elements, bringing the company into direct contact with the consumer. Originality of the study. The contribution we intend to provide is connected with the reduction of insufficient knowledge of the new relationship role between brand and storytelling (Kapferer, 2008). In some scholarly contributions there are many interesting scientific studies with reference to brand and storytelling analyzed separately, but few of them deepen the meaning of the new role of storytelling as it strengthens a brand.