Examining how consumers can love brands through internal storytelling

Purpose This research aims to empirically test the boundary conditions under which the archetype-based narrative structure of storytelling brand advertisement through internal endorsement can generate brand love by making the consumers anthropomorphize the brand archetype. Design/methodology/approach Two studies based on survey and experimentally designed stimuli were conducted to validate the conceptual framework. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and process macro on SPSS. Findings The results support that when the brand is endorsed in the storytelling ad by an internal endorser or storyteller, the narrative structure of the storytelling ad impacts brand love via the anthropomorphization of the brand archetype. The congruence between the internal storyteller’s personality and the archetype’s personality moderates the effect of the narrative structure on the anthropomorphization of the brand archetype, leading to brand love. The psychological sense of brand community further conditions the moderating impact of congruence. Originality/value The research provides insights to the brand marketers that internally endorsed archetype-based storytelling brand ads can be effective when the personality of the internal endorser is congruent with the personality of the archetype and the target consumers have a strong psychological sense of brand community.