Once Upon a Time... Branding, Storytelling and Social Enterprises

Storytelling has been a subject of academic inquiry for almost twenty years. Contemporary research in marketing now consents the idea that storytelling is relevant to branding. Social Entrepreneurship has been a topic of academic study for more than forty years; however, the concept has proved controversial because the term is used differently by different scholars. This study’s central contribution is to offer a comprehensive understanding to the reader of where the conversation is regarding Storytelling, Branding and Social Entrepreneurship in the academic marketing literature and to know what researchers should do to extend work in that area. Both Consumer Theory and Consumer Narratives Theory provide a framework that helps explain the role of storytelling in branding. In this study, I review the background, key aspects, and criticism of both Consumer Theory and Consumer Narratives Theory, intending to gather an in-depth understanding of the role of storytelling in marketing. Finally, I put into perspective conceptually related approaches that link storytelling to marketing and present a future research point of view.