Storytelling in the digital age: effects of myth marketing on consumer behaviour

This research investigates the influence of mythological narrative and Archetypes on consumer behaviour in the context of digital storytelling, with a particular focus on Christmas advertisements by M&S and John Lewis. The research explores brand stories and the role of mythology in advertising. The mythological narrative and archetype are explored by looking at their influence on brand perception, consumer preference and purchase intention.
This research employs a qualitative interpretative methodology to examine the impact of mythology on contemporary consumers who actively engage with social media. The netnographic approach is utilised to simulate participants' experiences with advertisements and subsequently gather data through semi-structured interviews and online social media comments. Thematic analysis is employed to provide an in-depth understanding to the nuances of consumer behaviours in the digital age. A framework is proposed to narrow the gap between brand Christmas stories, mythology and consumer behaviour. The research provides a framework for marketers to effectively incorporate mythological narratives and archetypes into their Christmas advertisements. Thus, both the SMEs and Corporations may be aware of the specific factors to consider when improving their brand perception, consumer preference and purchase intention.
The research extends the literature on myth marketing and storytelling by exploring myth marketing through the lens of mythological narratives and archetypes. The theoretical framework argues for the distinction of different factors related to mythological narratives and archetypes that affect different dimensions of consumer behaviour. The theme “connection to the loyalist archetypes” is one of such findings, which impacts both the consumer preference and the brand perception through both its cultural ties to the essence of a British Christmas and its promotion of emotionally resonant themes such as family and togetherness, making it influential to the consumer. The research uncovers several such key themes which connect to multiple dimensions of consumer behaviour. It offers a framework for effectively incorporating mythological narratives and archetypes into Christmas advertisements.
There were some limitations to this research. Firstly, the Easter-themed advertisement lacked recognisable symbolism and archetypes, therefore limiting its impact on the participants. Secondly, the advertisement was viewed both on mobile and desktop, which may have affected participants’ reactions. Finally, longitudinal research would have yielded more insights into the effects of myth-marketing on consumer behaviour rather than the cross-sectional design employed for the research. Further research should employ Easter advertisement with stronger symbolic, mythical and archetypal elements to assess whether clear mythical cues can produce different consumer responses. Subsequent research could standardise the viewing device used by participants when engaging with the advertisement to ensure that there are no significant differences in responses based on the device used.