The value of a good story in priceless: How does a brand create history by communicating their sustainibility through storytelling in a trustworthy way.

Abstract

In an environment of perpetual change within brand communication, the power of storytelling remains a captivating and influential tool. With the growing importance of environmental and ethical concerns, storytelling has gained new dimensions, especially in the realm of sustainability. While sustainable storytelling holds promise for conveying messages of sustainability and building brand trust, crafting narratives that deeply resonate with consumers remains a challenge. As brands seek to align with sustainability values and connect with their audience, navigating this complexity becomes essential. Therefore, this research aims to analyze how well-established these brands adeptly employ sustainable storytelling to craft narratives that resonate with consumers, evoke emotions, foster engagement, incite action, and establish a foundation of trust.

Building on existing literature, this study aims to understand how integrating elements like aspirational context, transparency, empathy, and perceived verisimilitude into sustainable narratives impact brand trust. The research also strives to comprehend the specific contexts where sustainable stories are most effective in establishing and enhancing brand trust.

Through an experimental design, the type of stimulus significantly and positively influenced participants' brand trust. The strategic value of sustainable storytelling is evident, highlighting the contributions of aspirational context, transparency, and empathetic characters to brand trust in sustainability and ethical practices. The research findings reveal the compelling power of aspirational context, perceived transparency, and empathetic characters in enhancing brand trust within sustainability and ethical practices. Participants exposed to narratives rich in aspirational context demonstrated heightened brand trust, underlining the importance of inspirational content in shaping positive brand perceptions.

Therefore, transparent communication emerges as a crucial factor in establishing trust, while empathetic characters forge a deeper connection with consumers, acting as mediators between aspirational context and brand trust. However, perceived verisimilitude, or realism, surprisingly holds limited influence on brand trust in the sustainability storytelling context. Which sets the stage for further investigation and research.