Stories That Take Flight: Storytelling Strategies in Airline Marketing Campaigns
Abstract
In today’s intensely competitive aviation sector, storytelling has emerged as a strategic marketing tool for airline brands to foster emotional connections, differentiate their identities, and enhance long-term brand equity. This article investigates how leading airline brands incorporate storytelling strategies into their recent digital advertising campaigns. Through a comparative narrative analysis of four selected video advertisements—one from Turkish Airlines and three from international carriers (Air France, Singapore Airlines, and Qatar Airways)—the study examines how narrative elements such as character, conflict, resolution, and emotion are utilized to convey brand values and engage audiences. The advertisements, released between 2022 and 2023, were chosen based on criteria including narrative richness, global visibility, and digital platform distribution. The analysis reveals diverse approaches to storytelling, reflecting each brand's positioning, cultural identity, and marketing goals. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of narrative strategies in airline marketing and offer insights for practitioners seeking to enhance brand communication in the digital era
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Communication Economy
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Early Pub Date
February 26, 2026
Publication Date
February 26, 2026
Submission Date
April 10, 2025
Acceptance Date
February 3, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 10 Number: 1
APA
Bilginer Halefoğlu, S. (2026). Stories That Take Flight: Storytelling Strategies in Airline Marketing Campaigns. Journal of Aviation, 10(1), 58-65. https://doi.org/10.30518/jav.1673445
AMA
1.Bilginer Halefoğlu S. Stories That Take Flight: Storytelling Strategies in Airline Marketing Campaigns. JAV. 2026;10(1):58-65. doi:10.30518/jav.1673445
Chicago
Bilginer Halefoğlu, Selen. 2026. “Stories That Take Flight: Storytelling Strategies in Airline Marketing Campaigns”. Journal of Aviation 10 (1): 58-65. https://doi.org/10.30518/jav.1673445.
EndNote
Bilginer Halefoğlu S (February 1, 2026) Stories That Take Flight: Storytelling Strategies in Airline Marketing Campaigns. Journal of Aviation 10 1 58–65.
IEEE
[1]S. Bilginer Halefoğlu, “Stories That Take Flight: Storytelling Strategies in Airline Marketing Campaigns”, JAV, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 58–65, Feb. 2026, doi: 10.30518/jav.1673445.
ISNAD
Bilginer Halefoğlu, Selen. “Stories That Take Flight: Storytelling Strategies in Airline Marketing Campaigns”. Journal of Aviation 10/1 (February 1, 2026): 58-65. https://doi.org/10.30518/jav.1673445.
JAMA
1.Bilginer Halefoğlu S. Stories That Take Flight: Storytelling Strategies in Airline Marketing Campaigns. JAV. 2026;10:58–65.
MLA
Bilginer Halefoğlu, Selen. “Stories That Take Flight: Storytelling Strategies in Airline Marketing Campaigns”. Journal of Aviation, vol. 10, no. 1, Feb. 2026, pp. 58-65, doi:10.30518/jav.1673445.
Vancouver
1.Selen Bilginer Halefoğlu. Stories That Take Flight: Storytelling Strategies in Airline Marketing Campaigns. JAV. 2026 Feb. 1;10(1):58-65. doi:10.30518/jav.1673445