Why do we like stories? We like them because they provide answers to our lives and a mechanism to shape our identity by connecting with the story characters. We connect emotionally with the story characters as long as they have similar challenges and values, and thus we regard them as a representation of ourselves.
They respond to the human need to find idols and role models with whom we can identify ourselves. Stories not only help us in building our identity but also work like social glue, as they help us in connecting with others and building relationships. Stories are the most effective way to create an emotional connection between brands and consumers.
When assessing brands, consumers evaluate first the brands with which they have some emotional connection. Then, depending on the importance of the purchase, they search for more or less information to support the final decision. Furthermore, humans process information more efficiently when this is delivered through a story, and therefore this information is more likely to be remembered in the form of a story.
The travel industry is not an exception to this consumer behavior; rather, the emotions play a more important role than in many other industries. In fact, destinations developing marketing 3.0 hold one of their main competitive advantages in appealing not only to the consumers’ emotions but also to their human spirit, outshining other destinations that have incorporated storytelling in their marketing strategy.
What stories about travel experiences do you remember that were really memorable?
