STORYTELLING AS A TOOL FOR CREATING EMOTIONAL BRAND VALUE IN AGRITOURISM

Abstract

This article explores the growing significance of storytelling as a strategic tool for shaping brand identity and enhancing customer engagement, with particular emphasis on its application in agritourism. While global marketing cases such as Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” and Dove’s “Real Beauty” illustrate the effectiveness of emotional narratives, the study extends this concept to rural tourism, where authenticity, cultural heritage, and lived experience play a central role. The research examines how farm histories, family traditions, seasonal agricultural practices, local crafts, and gastronomic heritage collectively form an authentic rural identity that cannot be artificially reproduced. Drawing on the concepts of constructivist authenticity and performativity, the article argues that authenticity in agritourism emerges through host-visitor interaction. By analyzing international and Ukrainian examples, the study demonstrates that storytelling not only enhances destination branding and emotional connection but also contributes to cultural preservation and sustainable rural development.