Hamby and coauthors publish in Journal of Macromarketing

Anne Hamby, associate professor of marketing, and co-authors Jelena Pokimica, Angela Minichiello, Krishna Pakala and Eric Jankowski, recently had their paper, "Institutional Storytelling as a Catalyst for Identity Transformation and Social Change," accepted for publication in the Journal of Macromarketing.

The paper explores what they call institutional storytelling: a shift from traditional marketing research that typically focuses on brands telling stories to consumers. Instead, it examines what happens when consumers tell their own stories.

"Most storytelling research looks at brand-driven narratives," Hamby said. "But we're flipping that around to ask: what happens when you get people to share their own experiences?"

When individuals share stories about a product, a personal challenge or an experience, the act of telling the story can reinforce their own beliefs and identity. The paper notes that campaigns like Dove's empowerment initiatives demonstrate how storytelling can also challenge broader social stereotypes when people share experiences of overcoming obstacles.

To explore this concept, the paper combined conceptual research with an illustrative case study involving science, technology, engineering and mathematics - or STEM - graduate students who participated in storytelling workshops and live storytelling shows. It then examined how these stories influenced both the storytellers and the audiences.

The results showed storytelling can reshape perceptions. After hearing the stories, audiences were more likely to see people in STEM fields as relatable individuals rather than distant stereotypes.

For Hamby, the impact of the research ultimately comes down to people.

"Science and moving fields forward are important," she said. "But at the end of the day, it's about how people see themselves and where they feel like they belong in this world."

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