The effect of a green brand story on perceived brand authenticity and brand trust: the role of narrative rhetoric

This study aims to empirically investigate the influence of a green brand story strategy on perceived brand authenticity (PBA) and brand trust. The theory of narrative rhetoric is adopted to examine the effect of three rhetorical strategies—anthropomorphism, reversal, and symbolism—on narrative immersion and its effect on PBA. The impact of PBA on brand trust is also examined. The study proposes a research model and conducts two independent online experiments with the aid of a survey research company to observe participant response to stories written with or without the rhetorical strategies. Data collected via the post-experimental survey are used to test the proposed model. Results show that the green brand story with narrative rhetoric positively affects immersion, which in turn enhances PBA, and brand trust is also positively affected. In particular, reversal and symbolism positively impact immersion, but no significant effect is identified between anthropomorphism and immersion. This study provides a new perspective from which the relationships among brand storytelling, PBA, and brand trust may be explored.