Crafting narratives to influence consumers: a systematic review of storytelling marketing

Purpose This study reviews and synthesizes the extant literature on storytelling marketing, with a focus on understanding its powerful impact on consumer engagement. The aim is to identify the key aspects of storytelling strategies that shape consumer perceptions and explore the role of narrative marketing, particularly in the digital age across different industries and academic disciplines. Design/methodology/approach The study analyzes 322 articles from the Web of Science database, published between 1997 and 2024, employing an extensive bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review through descriptive performance analysis and science mapping techniques. Authors have reviewed top-cited studies using the theories, context, characteristics and methods (TCCM) framework to provide a comprehensive understanding of storytelling marketing. Findings This research uncovers key aspects that capture the essence of storytelling in marketing: digital creativity and cognitive elements, emotive branding, narrative influence and experiential engagement. It identifies key theories, models and industry applications and provides a robust foundation for future research on narrative marketing strategies. Practical implications This review provides actionable insights for marketing practitioners, educators and policymakers to leverage the storytelling approach, emphasizing culturally sensitive advertisements and the use of immersive storytelling tools like virtual reality and gamification to enhance consumer engagement and influence societal change. Originality/value This paper offers a comprehensive, multi-dimensional review of storytelling marketing, combining bibliometric techniques with a systematic literature review. This dual approach analyzes the topic using the TCCM framework, thereby providing novel insights into how storytelling strategies are studied and applied across various sectors.