Textile and Apparel Industries

Brand identity or product-focus: Small business video storytelling to build brand trust

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Abstract

To survive in the heavy competition, small fashion businesses need to earn consumer trust in the brand-building stage. Brand storytelling, a set of activities shaping a brand's narrative, can help them effectively deliver product offerings and brand identity. This experimental research compares two types of brand video stories—identity-focused (e.g., eco-friendly, founder stories) and product-focused—to evaluate their impact on brand trust and purchase intention. Study 1 compares eco-friendly with product-focused stories, including the moderator of perceived product aesthetic judgments. Results indicate that eco-friendly video storytelling fosters higher brand trust, positively moderated by product aesthetic judgments. Enhanced brand trust also leads to higher purchase intention. Study 2, comparing founder stories with product-focused stories, reveals no significant evidence that founder stories boost brand trust. The findings suggest that emphasizing a small business's genuine and unique identity contributes better to building brand trust than focusing solely on product attributes.

Keywords: small business, brand video storytelling, brand identity, brand trust

How to Cite:

Kim, G., Jin, B. E. & Jo, H., (2024) “Brand identity or product-focus: Small business video storytelling to build brand trust”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 80(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.17441