Let’s talk about brand stories. What are they? And who cares? You’d be surprised to hear that a lot of people do – over 80% of people want brands to tell their stories. The reason for this is that people want to trust their brands. When they do, they are more likely to purchase from said brand, and as a business owner, this is exactly what you want!
So how can you craft a brand story that generates trust and credibility with your audience?
Well, instead of telling you how, let us show you 5 great brand story examples so you can see for yourself how their missions, values and stories help them forge a strong connection with their target market.
What is a brand story?
But before that, you should know what a brand story is. There’s no real concrete definition of a brand story because honestly, it’s a combination of many things – who are you as a brand, why do you do what you do, what is your impact on the world? As you can see it can get quite convoluted but to put it into layman terms, your brand story tells people why you, as a brand and as a business, exists.
Your brand story is also what sets you apart from other businesses – it’s your point of difference. Otherwise, your brand might as well be just another plain drop in an ocean of companies and businesses.
There’s many other benefits to having a good brand story. These can include:
- Transparently communicating your message to people
- Attracting new customers
- Humanising your brand
- Building trust and credibility
- Improving your presence on social media
It makes you want to start creating a brand story of your own doesn’t it? Before you do that though, let’s take a look at 5 brands that have great brand story examples and see what makes them so great!
5 Brand Story Examples
LEGO
LEGO is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of play materials. Founded in Denmark in 1932, LEGO is sold all over the world with millions of people, both children and adults, having played with their famous LEGO bricks.
LEGO’s brand story is that of creativity. One of their missions is to ‘support a more creative and resilient society’. And while people of all ages enjoy LEGO, LEGO has a particular focus on children, aiming to help ‘inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow’.
LEGO’s mission statements tell what they’re all about and what they hope to achieve. Source: Lego
These statements explain to people why they do what they do, and at the same time explains LEGO’s incredible popularity.
People want brands to care and put effort into the betterment of society. And while LEGO isn’t plastering these messages into every form of advertising, their values can be seen in the high quality and creative complexity of their LEGO sets.
Off-White
Off-White is a luxury fashion brand founded by American fashion designer Virgil Abloh. Based in Milan, Italy, Off-White went through various rebrandings before settling on the popular fashion label it is today.
Off-White’s unique brand sets it apart from other luxury brands. Source: Google
Off-White is proof that even though they may not have any society-improving statements, a well-crafted brand story can still create a loyal customer base and help you sell products – despite the exorbitant prices of their clothing items.
Founder Virgil Abloh has described his brand as “the grey area between black and white as the color off-white” to the fashion world. In other words, Off-White fills a niche in the fashion industry and helps stand out from its competitors – appealing to like-minded fashion customers.
Udemy
Udemy is an online learning platform that features thousands of courses that cover anything and everything, from coding to engineering to law. People can sign up and pay for courses of their choice or alternatively, get paid for teaching these courses.
Having a clear passion gives your company direction and purpose. Source: Udemy
With millions of learners and instructors, Udemy is proof that placing high emphasis on a single value can attract more and more customers.
That single value is learning which Udemy believes should be ‘the centre of every company’s, government’s and nonprofits’ strategies’. This belief drives the business, gives it a strong brand identity, and acts as the reason for their high quality service.
JUST Water
The environment is something a lot of people care about – surveys have shown that over 75% of people want to live more sustainable lifestyles. JUST Water is a bottled water company that has a brand story which is all about the environment and sustainability. The company achieves its sustainability goals through its innovative packaging – their cartons are made out of 80% renewable plant material.
JUST Water’s focus on sustainability is one of their great selling points. Source: JUST Water
Their packaging practice is one of the biggest reasons why JUST is a successful brand. It’s one thing to say that you and your business care about the environment, but actions speak louder than words. When you can back up your mission statements with tangible actions, it makes a greater impact on your target audience.
Headspace
Our list of great brand story examples rounds off with the meditation app, Headspace. Headspace teaches users how to meditate and practice mindfulness through easy, simple lessons that you can do on your phone.
Headspace has a compelling, memorable brand story that sticks in the audience’s minds. Source: Headspace
Headspace’s story is a great piece of brand storytelling. Founded by a sport science student-turned-monk, Headspace initially began as an events company where they held seminars about mindfulness.
But when their attendees wanted to take home their lessons with them, the Headspace team had the great idea to create an app where users could meditate where they wanted to. Headspace’s compelling brand story makes them memorable and creates an emotional connection with their audience.
Craft a brand story that connects with your audience
These 5 brand story examples have hopefully given you some idea of how to create your own (or mould your current one) interesting brand stories that will resonate with your target audience.
Want help creating a brand story? Our branding experts can help you create one, along with other branding features such as logos and style guides! Get in touch with us today. And for more digital marketing articles like this one, check out the ZipZipe blog!
