SOCIOLINGUAL POTENTIAL OF BRAND STORYTELLING

Abstract

The article analyzes the sociolinguistic and emotive potential of brand storytelling – a marketing tool of using a story to build a brand image, explain its values and create an emotional connection with the consumer. Storytelling is a form of communication that uses stories to describe events or things; it is a translation of stories with “content”. The brand story preserves the authenticity and specificity of the brand language, consists of facts, feelings, and interpretations. It carries an implicit message to affect consumers’ emotions. Brand storytelling allows consumers to build meaning in the way that corresponds to their personal life experiences. In the storytelling, the brand is presented in the context of the narrative, rather than in the traditional form of trade, where the focus is made on sales. Thus, in the minds of consumers, it acquires a new meaning. Instead of getting the economic characteristics of a brand, consumers have the opportunity to learn about it through a story. According to marketing research, food brands rank second in the use of storytelling. The article analyzes a sample of storytelling of English-language food brands. The main thing in the modern understanding of branding is that a product or service becomes a brand only when you can tell a story about it. The lingual potential of storytelling promotes the development of figurative thinking, adds value to the consumer experience, and strengthens the relationship between a seller and a buyer. Brand storytelling is emotional stories-monologues; the significant influence on their communicative structure is exerted by deictic elements. The core of the story are predicates that form the narrative line of the addressee’s actions. Brand storytelling invests cultural significance to a product, mediates and promotes consumption, acts as a constant dialogue between the company and the consumer, and serves to differentiate the brand from its competitors. The following types of food storytelling are defined: traditional, modern, feature stories, legendary stories, personalized, and specialized stories.