To Write or To Speak? Mode of Transmission Impacts the Persuasive Impact of a Story

Previous research in consumer storytelling has examined factors that make stories more persuasive. However, scant research has examined how the act of storytelling persuades the storyteller. The current research hypothesizes that the modality the storyteller uses (either speaking or typing a story) impacts the degree to which storytelling persuades the storyteller. We find that consumers’ lay beliefs indicate that spoken stories are more persuasive than written stories whereas in practice, written stories are more persuasive than spoken stories. We find these effects in a variety of story contexts with a variety of story content. We also find evidence that these self-persuasion effects extend to other key outcomes, such as making the storyteller feel more affirmed. The consequences of these findings for the brand narrative and narrative transportation literature are discussed.

Adam Duhachek is a Professor of Marketing at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC). His research interests include emotions and coping processes, artificial intelligence and consumer decision-making, the impact of political and religious ideology on consumer behavior and story telling. Prior to UIC, Adam was on the faculty at Indiana University and received his PhD in marketing from Northwestern University.

Presentation at 3:30pm. Discussion and drinks from 4:30pm.