Exploring How Video Digital Storytelling Builds Relationship Experiences

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to explore how digital storytelling enables a consumer relationship experience in online peer-to-peer communities. Within the value cocreation framework, digital storytelling is interpreted as an encounter communication practice where consumers adopt the role of storytellers and story receivers. This study adopts a qualitative multimethod approach to investigate the meanings contained in video stories and the linkage to relationship experience. A case study based on the Airbnb's social platforms was analyzed through the degrees-of-freedom analysis instrument (DFA) and through a systematic dimensional qualitative research called BASIC IDS (an acronym for behavior, affect, sensation, imagery, cognition, interpersonal relations, drugs, and sociocultural factors) to yield psychological valuable insights into the multidimensional construct of consumer relationship experience. The analysis unveils that, within the social media realm, storytelling enables rational, emotional, and relationship experiences. A relationship experience occurs when members of peer-to-peer communities, not only are rationally and emotionally engaged by the story, but are also moved to action going beyond a vicarious role-taking process. Specifically, relatability, a shared sociocultural background, and the drug dimension conceptualize the consumer relationship experience. Implications build on the need for companies to enhance the power of stories through favoring consumers' video making and integrating consumers' flow of stories between multiple social media platforms.

What do Airbnb hosts reveal by posting photographs online and how does it affect their perceived trustworthiness?

“…Another interesting direction for future studies is to move even further and explore how video characteristics may affect consumers. Pera and Viglia (), for example, suggest that such videos may strengthen host‐guest relationships.…”

Impacts of Video Display on Purchase Intention for Digital and Home Appliance Products—Empirical Study from China

“…In related research on online product displays, scholars focused on comparing the differences between display forms and found that video displays, compared to text, had a significant impact on users that browse for entertainment [8]. Some experts believe that visual displays, such as videos, can affect consumer emotions more strongly compared to text, which is beneficial for the emotional aspect of the consumer relationship experience [19]. Some scholars have compared the influences of static pictures, dynamic video, and other display forms (such as slides) on consumers' preferences.…”

“…Some scholars believe that consumers rate search products under a static display more highly, while consumers rate experience products under a dynamic display more highly [15]. Some scholars have classified products as functional and hedonic and believe that the dynamic display form (video) enhances consumers' preference for experiential products [19]. However, some scholars claim that consumers need different information for different categories of products.…”

“…The dynamic display form is a more vivid display form. Compared to the static display form, it makes consumers feel more like participants and enables them to imagine the feeling of using the products better [19]. Therefore, we believe that video display, as a form of dynamic display, can influence consumers' cognition of products and ultimately influence consumers' purchase intentions or behaviors.…”

An Interpretative Analysis of Storytelling in the Beverage Industry

“…In additional to conventional narrative, video has an important role to play and as revealed earlier, some of the leading beverage companies employed video clips as part of their storytelling process. Pera and Viglia (2016) argued "video storytelling has tremendous power compared to written storytelling as it favours the occurrence of the emotional dimension of consumer relationship experiences transforming individual consumption experiences into collective ones". Further, Pera and Viglia (2016) suggested "by building relationships among members, customers are building a relationship with the brand".…”