A Study on the Dual-Path Influence of Plateau Ecological Agricultural Products Brand Story Project on Consumer Brand Attitude

The plateau region is frequently characterized by descriptors such as "pristine" and "mysterious" in ecological discourse. Developing effective brand narratives for plateau ecological agricultural products constitutes a critical determinant of brand equity enhancement. Through two controlled experiments, this study systematically examined the dual-path mechanism through which brand storytelling approaches (natural stories vs. humanistic stories) influence consumer brand attitudes. The results revealed that for brands with a short history, natural stories outperform humanistic stories in stimulating consumers' perceived functional value. Conversely, brands with a long history benefit more significantly from humanistic stories in elevating perceived emotional value. Furthermore, agricultural products types moderate these effects: natural stories demonstrate stronger efficacy for primary agricultural products in functional value perception, whereas humanistic stories prove more effective for processed products in emotional value cultivation. Mechanistically, perceived functional value and emotional value operate as distinct mediating pathways, explaining how brand story projects interact with brand history and agricultural product types to influence brand attitudes. These findings offer actionable insights for agricultural enterprises to strategically align narrative content with brand heritage and product characteristics in marketing communications.