MBE203007 Anum Sheraz

Advanced Strategic Marketing

Brand Narrative

Name: Anum Sheraz

Reg #: MBE203007

Submitted to: Dr. Kamran Naqi

Due: June 25th, 2021

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Brands Narrative

The argument for the thesis statement that branding is narrative has a lot of arguments
in its favor. With the advancements in e-commerce and social media, this phenomenon
has particularly taken on a different meaning. It is quite possible that brands are
narrative and change meaning with the way they are communicated. This is the reason
why companies across the globe are utilizing the Synergy of e-commerce and social
media in order to create a unique opportunity that can help them build brand recognition
as well as increased sales while also increasing engagement with wires and provide
them with instant customer service. It has become exceptionally important for brands to
create a compelling story and narrative that can allow them to connect with their
audience at an emotional level (Herskovitz & Crystal, 2010). We can see this element of
an emotional Bank account or commitment that is communicated through brand
campaigns in all advertisement and social media campaigns by famous brands
including Samsung Apple, Google and even celebrity brand including Beyoncé and
Miley Cyrus etc. Brands need to create a compelling story that requires a clearly
understood Central character which makes it easier for the audience to identify with it
and ultimately create long-lasting emotional bonds. The brand narrative is highly
dependent upon a strong brand persona. The long lasting emotional born created using
compelling story telling can ultimately create long-term value for the business by
motivating audience to become loyal customers and showcase the attributes of brand
loyal audience.

Brand is narrative because there is a strong relationship between its image/identity and
the narrative that is associated with it. When talking about the different dimensions or
types of narrative we come across cognitive narrative, affective narrative, somatic
narrative etc. As the dimension of the narrative changes, so does the way we connect to
that particular brand. For example, a technology based brand is most likely to use or
associate a cognitive narrative with it in order to attract the attention of tech nerds
(Bonnin, & Alfonso, 2019). However the changing times have come to a point where
Samsung and Apple use vibrant advertisements that use affective narrative in order to
appeal to the target audience. There commercials are now filled with people enjoying

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their lives with beautiful sceneries and dancing away because they have the latest
phones from these Tech Giants. This is a way of associating affective narrative with
their brand so that it can appeal to a larger target audience that aspires to live such a
lavish life with carefree attitude.

Research shows that brands that are not able to tell a compelling inconsistent brand
story, that influence the rational and emotional commitment of the target audience, may
be at risk of being easily destroyed by their competitors who are able to create a strong
brand story and ultimately strong brand narrative. In the current competitive
Marketplace, strong story telling strategies allow organizations like Apple and Google to
create a well formulated brand narrative that connects at a deeper emotional level with
the target audience and ultimately engages them as loyal customers (Herskovitz &
Crystal, 2010). In the current marketing scenario, brand narratives provide real value to
organizations as they drive various key performance indicators like repeat sales by loyal
customers as well as an overall positive customer feedback due to higher satisfaction
levels.

Final Thoughts

I do believe that branding is narrative. When the narrative changes, the image and
identity of a brand also changes in the mind of the customer. Narrative also helps us in
understanding how to use a particular brand and defines its need in in our everyday life.
Cognitive narrative will appeal to our mind and we will approach that product purchasing
decisions logically. On the other hand, an affective narrative will most likely make us
emotional as consumers and bring a change in our actions or behavior that can
ultimately lead to purchasing that brand and being its loyal customer. Increasingly
organizations are trying to create affective narratives that reflect their products and
brands in a new light so that consumers feel emotionally attached to this brand
(Escalas, 2004). For this purpose organizations are increasingly using social media
services in order to engage with the buyers and understand their behavior patterns.

Branding is narrative because the way we are told about a particular brand and its story
is narrated to us, we may feel differently towards it based on the narrative we listen. In
this regard the example of Coca-Cola plants in India is an important example. Although

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Coca Cola is an international brand and it is used globally but everyone who heard
about the unethical and environmentally bad practices of Coca Cola bottling operations
in India held a negative opinion about the brand and how it is not leaving the Earth a
better place (Singh, Jindal and Samim, 2011). The views about the company were
suddenly not positive and Coca-Cola immediately understood the negative
consequences and changed its tactics to appease consumers. This is only one example
of how branding is narrative and how quickly consumers can feel differently or
negatively about the brand based on the narrative that is associated with it.

Few Examples

One such example is the way we have started avoiding several brands that are actively
supporting Israel in the unjustified and inhumane occupation of Palestine. As consumer
our opinions about these brands have quickly turned negative even though some of
these brands may be used in our home every day for past many years. However the
fact that branding is narrative has now turned us against these brands who support
Israel. Like I have been personally using L’Oreal products for over a decade now but the
narrative of involvement of this brand in the Apartheid made me stop using it. To sum it
all up, I do believe that branding is narrative and it is the responsibility of the marketing
manager and management to create a positive narrative that allows consumers to
emotionally connect with the brand and become loyal customers.

Link to Tuhura Athletics Case Study

Creating a strong and appealing brand persona and narrative is key towards success of
domestic brands in Pakistan that are quality driven. These companies can use their
brand persona and narrative as an important tool in their strategy to achieve higher
number of exports as well as domestic sales. One such example is that a Pakistani local
brand, Tuhura Athletics (https://www.tuhuraathletics.com/) can utilize the concepts of
brand narrative in order to connect at an emotional level with the target audience in the
international market. With the use of storytelling techniques, the brand can gain the
emotional commitment of their audience and as a result increase their probability of
achieving the goal of increased exports. Although it takes a lot of time and strategic
effort to create the most relevant brand narrative that can inspire and influence

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customers to become loyal customers, it is exceptionally important for Tuhura Athletics

to focus on the four pillars of branding in order to create a coherent and relevant brand
narrative that can provide real value to the organization.

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References
Bonnin, G., & Alfonso, M. R. (2019). The narrative strategies of B2B technology
brands. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing.
Escalas, J. E. (2004). Narrative processing: Building consumer connections to
brands. Journal of consumer psychology, 14(1-2), 168-180.
Herskovitz, S., & Crystal, M. (2010). The essential brand persona: storytelling and
branding. Journal of business strategy.
Singh, H. P., Jindal, S., & Samim, S. A. (2011). Business Ethics: Relevance, Influence,
Issues and Practices in International Business Scenario. Special Issue of the
International Journal of the Computer, the Internet and Management, 19(1), 1-5.

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