Unthinkable to Acceptable: How Stories can make Controversial Ideas More Mainstream

• Main Authors: Chris Underation, Rachael Graf
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Athens Institute for Education and Research 2020-04-01
• Series: Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications
• Subjects: branding; caliphate; islamic state; marketing; terror
• Online Access: https://www.athensjournals.gr/media/2020-6-2-1-Underation.pdf

Though it has recently fallen on difficult times though the loss of land the death of its leader, The Islamic State is a brand of Islam that styles itself as the new caliphate. ISIS fights for the liberation of the Sunni faithful and claims to be the leader of the world’s Muslim population. Westerners and others who oppose ISIS have used a good deal of ink trying to explain what gives this group its power to engage the imagination—is it the extreme violence it uses on the battlefield, or is it the fact that they have boldly claimed a new caliphate and that it is obligatory for the world’s Muslims to support them? This paper argues that the power of ISIS comes from the stories it tells. These stories are assessed according to the paradigm of Jim Signorelli’s StoryBranding, which explains how stories can become powerful tools of persuasion that create loyal, committed followers that make lasting brands.