What is a brand story?
A brand story is a compelling narrative that inspires your audience about the challenges that your brand has set out to solve. Brand stories should be an exciting and emotional account that reinforces the critical role that your brand has set out to play.
Here are a few examples of brand stories:
Warby Parker: Every idea starts with a problem. Ours was simple: Glasses are too expensive. Our founders were students when one of them lost his glasses on a backpacking trip. The cost of replacing them was so high that he spent the first semester of grad school without them, squinting and complaining. (We don't recommend this.) The others had similar experiences and were amazed at how hard it was to find a pair of great frames that didn't leave their wallets bare. Where were the options? It turns out there's a simple explanation. The eyewear industry is dominated by a single company that has been able to keep prices artificially high while reaping huge profits from consumers who have no other options.
Allbirds: A native of New Zealand, Tim Brown was always well versed in the magical qualities of merino wool. Inherently curious, he began asking himself why such a remarkable, sustainable resource was virtually absent in the footwear industry. And with that spirit of wonder, the Allbirds journey began. After years of researching and tinkering, Tim teamed up with Joey Zwillinger, an engineer and renewables expert. Together, they crafted a revolutionary wool fabric made specifically for footwear. The outcome? An entirely new category of shoes inspired by natural materials, and an ongoing mantra to create better things in a better way.
Soho House: We opened our first House on London’s Greek Street in 1995, when founder Nick Jones was offered the space above his restaurant, Cafe Boheme. The rooms of the townhouse were accessed via a small door just around the corner from Cafe Boheme, which inspired Nick to turn it into a members’ club for the local artists and actors who had become the restaurant’s regulars. It was called Soho House because that was what it was: a Georgian house in London’s Soho. The logo reflects the layout of that first space – three floors across three interconnecting houses.
Equinox: Founded in 1991, Equinox was built on the notion that fitness can empower a life well-lived. With over 100 clubs worldwide, Equinox is available however, whenever, and wherever you want it with seamlessly integrated physical and digital offerings. Equinox invented the premium health and fitness space and has continued to define it as the brand’s global reach expands and it diversifies into new spaces, offerings, and categories. Equinox takes an integrative approach to high-performance living, incorporating all aspects of movement, nutrition, and regeneration. As our mission states, in everything we do, we create the possibility for people to maximize the potential within themselves.
Erewhon: Erewhon is more than a grocery store, we are a community of people who are united in our love for pure products that protect the health of people and our planet. At Erewhon, we believe that nutrition is the key to a radiant lifestyle. Through our markets, we endeavor to provide exceptional organic products that inspire good decision-making and healthier communities. Inspired by the Macrobiotic Creed, Erewhon founders Michio and Aveline Kushi charter the natural foods scene by selling macrobiotic and organic foods out of a 10’ x 20’ stall below street-level in Boston. Erewhon is the first store of its kind in America and it soon serves as a model for many other similar natural food stores across the nation.