An Interpretative Analysis of Storytelling in the Beverage Industry

Abstract

Stories, in one form or another, are probably as old as the human race, but in recent years, businesses have increasingly come to recognise the importance of storytelling. The aims of this paper are to explore how the major players in the beverage industry, arguably one of the most important elements in the hospitality industry, have employed stories in their corporate communications and to offer some reflections on current approaches to storytelling within the industry. The findings reveal that all the world‟s leading beverage companies employ stories on their corporate websites, as part to their approach to business communication, and that these stories address a variety of themes, including company histories, brands, employees‟ experiences, breweries, customer stories, and corporate social responsibility.