Narratology in social media branding

Abstract

: With the continuous iteration of digital technology, social media has become deeply embedded in people's daily lives. By virtue of its extensive reach and powerful interactivity, it has exerted a profound social impact. Consequently, leveraging the advantages of these platforms for brand building has become a widely accepted consensus. However, in an ocean of information, how can a brand stand out? The key lies in the emotional appeal of its content. Against this backdrop, narratology provides a critical pathway for brands to establish deep emotional connections with their users. Taking the core elements of narratology—story structure, character development, spatiotemporal context, and audience participation—as an analytical framework, this paper explores how brands construct narrative systems with strong communicative power and a sense of identity on social platforms such as Weibo, Douyin (TikTok), and Xiaohongshu (RED). The study reveals that successful social media brand narratives often employ a creative reconstruction strategy of "putting new wine in old bottles." In video content creation, brands tend to borrow well-known classic stories or traditional characters (e.g., mythological figures or cinematic classics) as narrative vehicles to lower users' cognitive thresholds and evoke collective memory. On this basis, creators deconstruct and reorganize traditional content by integrating modern internet slang and humorous expressions, rendering originally serious or distant classic images highly relatable and approachable. This grounded narrative style not only bridges the gap between brands and users but also stimulates users' desire for entertainment and sharing through the appeal of "contrast cuteness." Ultimately, brand information is effectively conveyed in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.