Young Adults’ Views on Digital Storytelling Campaigns

Abstract

Storytelling is gaining popularity due to its expected ability to earn consumers’ attention and generate positive outcomes such as brand awareness, trust, and customer engagement. However, the effects of digital storytelling campaigns on brands are still insufficiently researched, especially among certain segments such as young adults. Therefore, the main aim of this article is to explore young adults’ views on digital storytelling campaigns, focusing on the determinants of interaction, the impacts on consumer behavior, and the outcomes for brands. By adopting a qualitative approach, eight focus groups were conducted. Participants were 40 Portuguese consumers and social network site users, aged 19 to 37. The study demonstrates that being posted by a friend makes the content more attractive to one’s attention and increase its chances of further interaction (i.e., liking, sharing and commenting). The study also demonstrates that despite the expected positive emotional impacts of digital storytelling campaigns highlighted in the literature, they can also generate mistrust whenever it is not clear for the consumer how the topic chosen for the story relates to the brand and its products. Moreover, these campaigns may also fail to improve brand’s image if the brand is not conveniently featured in the campaign.