A study discussed at the University of Padua explores the topic of storytelling

Telling your story to the market and to the world  is no easy task, especially in today’s climate where the differences between companies have quickly become blurred: products from one brand or another are becoming increasingly similar, to the point where consumers take the quality of each for granted. Hence the need to  position yourself in a way that sets you apart from the competition. And here, it is increasingly the world of storytelling that counts. This is the world that is the focus of ‘Raccontare la scrittura:  storytelling ed identità verbale della Scuola Holden’ (Telling the story: storytelling and verbal identity at the Scuola Holden), a research paper by Miriam Lombardi.

The research explains that competition based on storytelling rather than on the product itself leads many companies to create a strong brand identity: the brand must possess unique intangible characteristics and core values that are relevant and engaging to its consumers. In this way, companies are able to convey and deliver quality to their customers, encouraging them to choose them time and time again. All this requires not only content but also technical expertise. In other words, it is not enough to have a strong identity; the way in which it is conveyed also matters. It is, in other words, an era of attention to the smallest details, both online and offline, and of crafting a way of expressing oneself through a set of symbols that ultimately defines the company itself. This is the era of storytelling as a means of communicating one’s identity, in an attempt to increase closeness with one’s audience and added value for customers, as well as to build empathy for the brand itself and its values. Miriam Lombardi’s study examines the methods and approaches adopted by the Scuola Holden in Turin. While not strictly a business, but a private institution that follows many of the promotional strategies that would also apply to brand management. Miriam Lombardi’s study is therefore unique: it examines corporate storytelling through the lens of an organisation that has made storytelling one of its core offerings.

Raccontare la scrittura: storytelling ed identità verbale della Scuola Holden

Miriam Lombardi

Thesis, University of Padua, Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy and Applied Psychology, 2026