Genre and format aspects of storytelling in brand journalism

Vollständiger Abstract

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The article tests the hypothesis that the structure and flexibility of the format have made storytelling the optimal genre model in brand journalism (promotion journalism). Storytelling is understood as an original genre organization of speech in Internet communication. Due to its demand, storytelling has new formats for implementation. The authors analyze the reasons for the popularity of storytelling and reveal its value for the sphere of mass communications. The distinctive features of storytelling in brand journalism include consumer focus, emotionality, uniqueness of content, simplicity, and dialogic nature of the text. In the systemic classification description of storytelling, the authors highlight different types and models of text construction, and analyze examples from new media. According to the organization of the storyline, eight general types are singled out (monomith, travel wheel, sparkline, false start, nested cycles, etc.). According to the correlation of events within the text, linear and nonlinear storytelling types are contrasted, according to the implementation of the storytelling process and the strategy of managing the audience’s attention – closed and open storytelling. According to the features of the organization of the emotional rhythm of the narrative, storytelling texts are divided into pyramidal segmental and peak contrast types. Based on the technical and technological feature, the authors single out monomedia and transmedia storytelling. Journalistic storytelling is contrasted to marketing and educational storytelling in terms of areas of application. The division of classical (traditional) and strategic storytelling is based on the functional-pragmatic principle. The popularity and pragmatic power of journalistic storytelling in new media are ensured, among other things, by the possibility of implementation in the multitext format.