Research has shown that we make sense of our world through the use of narrative processing. Psychologically we process what happens in our world in sequential narrative segments – these structured sequences of imagery are the most natural way we know to describe and ascribe meaning to that which gets our attention.

Perhaps the key then to capturing attention lies in the extent to which our message or brand connects with a person’s understanding of themselves – their own narrative. In this age of abundance the key to capturing people’s attention and in engaging them with your brand, one needs to understand the role of narrative and how the role of narrative marketing creates self-brand connections.

The essence of the aptitude of story is: context enriched by emotion. Stories are high in concept, touch and context – it is this mixture that separates stories from all other forms of communication and it this very characteristic that helps someone identify and find meaning in a brand.

A significant driver in creating brand loyalty are self-brand connections (SBCs). They are the key to capturing the audience's attention in a world saturated with markeitng messages. The strength of this connection is facilitated through the degree to which a person can integrate a brand into their self concept. Recent studies show that SBCs are created if a person is able to identify the story behind a brand and identify a similar narrative within their self-concept. This explores how humans process information in narrative chunks and how these narratives are assimilated in SBCs.

In practice, narrative can also be used in the marketing space as a means of strategising around the brand.

The first stages in establishing a brand (or even re-evaluating in annually) involve assessing the brand strategically. Doing this in a narrative manners means that marketers come to construct the brands story from inception to current day situation. Understanding the brand in this way opens strategic opportunites for the way one wishes the brand's story to pan out.