The ethics of documentary representation in brand storytelling : a conceptual framework
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In this thesis, I develop a conceptual framework for the ethics of documentary representation in brand storytelling, broadly described as the advertising practice of using elements and techniques of documentary filmmaking to create nonfiction brand stories. Guided by the pragmatist intellectual tradition and its requirement for theoretical contextualization, I draw upon concepts and theories from advertising, documentary media, and narrative hermeneutics to generate a more holistic, integrative understanding of the overarching ethical considerations--referred to theoretically as inherent concrete ethical demands--for evaluating the practice of documentary representation in brand storytelling. In particular, I theorize in this thesis that authentic indexicality and reflexive narration are the two inherent concrete ethical demands for this unique type of advertising practice. More specifically, authentic indexicality deals with the genuine connection between a brand story and reality, while reflexive narration deals with whether a brand story is reflexively (re)constructed and presented to audiences. In combination, these two inherent concrete ethical demands produce four ethical ideal types of documentary representation in brand storytelling, which are prudent representation, imposture representation, superficial representation, and inappropriate representation. Supplementary exemplars are presented as an empirical extension of the four ideal types. Scholarly contributions, future research directions, and implications for professional practice are also discussed.
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M.A.