Narrative Processing: Building Consumer Connections to Brands

Escalas, Jennifer Edson (2004), "Narrative Processing: Building Consumer Connections to Brands," Journal of Consumer Psychology, v. 14, n. 1 & 2, pp. 168-179.

47 Pages Posted: 13 Jun 2013

Date Written: 2004

Abstract

This paper proposes that narrative processing creates or enhances self-brand connections because people generally interpret the meaning of their experiences by fitting them into a story. Similarly, in response to an ad that tells a story, narrative processing may create a link between a brand and the self when consumers attempt to map incoming narrative information onto stories in memory. Our approach rests on the notion that a brand becomes more meaningful the more closely it is linked to the self. We conceptualize this linkage at an aggregate level in terms of self-brand connections, i.e., the extent to which consumers have incorporated the brand into their self-concepts. The results of an experiment show that narrative processing in response to a narratively structured ad is positively related to self-brand connections, which in turn have a positive relationship with brand attitudes and behavioral intentions.

Keywords: advertising, consumer behavior, narrative

JEL Classification: M31, M37

Suggested Citation

Edson Escalas, Jennifer, Narrative Processing: Building Consumer Connections to Brands (2004). Escalas, Jennifer Edson (2004), "Narrative Processing: Building Consumer Connections to Brands," Journal of Consumer Psychology, v. 14, n. 1 & 2, pp. 168-179., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=993164

Jennifer Edson Escalas (Contact Author)

Vanderbilt University - Marketing ( email )

Nashville, TN 37203
United States

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