16 Companies That Are Killing It With Brand-Driven Storytelling

When we meet someone in real life, we ask questions to get to know them better. We listen to their anecdotes, ideas, opinions, and beliefs.

We try to unearth their story, and to tell our own (or some of it, at least). The end goal is to connect. To find a kindred spirit with some similar likes, dislikes, and convictions for friendship, or romance, or some combination of both.

In business, the rules don’t really change. Telling your story is a critical part of building your brand. It helps to shape how people view you and enables consumers to begin forging a connection with you and your company. Do it right, and you’ll put building blocks in place that allow you to develop a thriving brand with an equally thriving future, one that people buy from simply because they love what you do, what you stand for, and the stories you share.

In fact, marketing psychology has confirmed what we’ve long known to be true: we’re hardwired for stories. They lead to better understanding, trust, comprehension, receptivity, and more. We teach important ideas to our children via fables and fairy tales. We share episodes from the lives of important religious and historical figures via dialogues and stories. We connect, engage, and are moved… to tears, to laughter, to anger, to sympathy, to action.

“Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to breathe life into your brand and is also one of the main components of a solid content marketing approach.” ~ David Campbell, Right Inbox.

The trick, however… is to be authentic. Consumers aren’t stupid. If they think you’re fabricating stories and falsifying your brand, they will find out. At some point, the truth will come out and the “brand” you built will be in need of some serious damage control if it’s to survive.

“A good story makes you feel something and is universal. They want to grasp your values and your commitment to excellence; be inspired and intrigued. Storytelling is the most powerful way to convey these ideas.” ~Mark Truby, Vice President of Communications, Ford Motor Company

Some of the world’s biggest brands are guilty of, shall we say… stretching the truth. PepsiCo’s Naked Juice got caught making claims that the products were “all natural” and “non-GMO.” They ended up agreeing to a settlement that saw them pay out $75 to Naked Juice customers who could provide proof of purchase, and $45 to those that couldn’t. Ouch.

“Storytelling, when done right, will pull a consumer into the world of a brand to see a different perspective, showing them the bigger picture. The story is an invitation for someone to participate in something bigger than themselves, something they believe in.” Joe Teo, Hey Orca

Volkswagen was caught falsifying and cheating on emission tests for its diesel cars in 2015, a practice they had been doing for at least 7 years in an effort to deceive consumers looking for a cleaner, more environmentally-friendly vehicle. Other automakers were soon discovered to be doing the same thing, including Suzuki, GM, and Nissan.

Or how about General Mills, who was called out in 2012 by California consumer Annie Lam for the misleading marketing of their “Strawberry Naturally-Flavored Fruit Roll-Ups”? Turns out that despite what consumers would reasonably believe, there was no strawberry in a Strawberry Fruit Roll-Up. Finally, the people behind brain game app Lumosity were slapped with a $2 million fine for making unfounded claims about preventing dementia, memory loss, and Alzheimer’s disease.

More recently, both Samsung and Huawei were caught lying about their smartphone cameras, claiming photographs actually taken by a robust DSLR camera were taken by their phones.

Of course, brands of this size can comfortably ride out these kinds of “hiccups,” in part because of cold, hard cash, but also because they produce so many products under their name. If a PepsiCo brand fails, they just launch another.

Could you?

I’m guessing the answer is “no.” With that in mind, there are no ifs, ands, or buts here: just be 100% honest and genuine, 100% of the time. That’s why it’s also important to strengthen your internal brand.

Thankfully, for every PepsiCo and General Mills, there are heaps of impressive brands that are telling great, authentic stories. Let’s take a look at 16 brands that are killing it with their storytelling, something Forbes has dubbed the new strategic imperative of business.

“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories that you tell.” ~Seth Godin

1. Dannijo

Jewelry brand Dannijo was founded by sisters Danielle and Jodie Snyder in 2008.

In the years since, the brand’s incredible visual storytelling, combined with a fantastic product line that now includes jewelry, shoes, and handbags, has amassed the pair more than 200,000 Instagram followers. They’ve built themselves a celebrity-packed fan base that includes Rihanna, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman, and Beyoncé.

When speaking with Fast Company, Danielle explained the sisters’ belief that authentic storytelling is key to creating a successful lifestyle brand. She said companies need to “create narratives that are so compelling to consumers, they want to build your products into their lives.” 

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

So what stories is Dannijo telling, and how is it telling them?

The sisters use Instagram to showcase snapshots of their own lives, alongside lifestyle photos of their products and pics of celebrities (and beautiful non-celebrities) wearing – and rocking – them. Dannijo is popular with the rich and famous and your next-door neighbor.

They regularly post inspirational videos such as #ConversationPieces, casual interviews between one of the sisters and another influential figure. Each of their videos tells its own story, and each one is absolutely true to the brand.

The website “About” page gives a little biographical background on the sisters, but more importantly, highlights the charitable initiatives supported by Dannijo, such as creating sustainable economic opportunity for women in underdeveloped areas of the globe.

Their ecommerce portal features the World of Dannijo blog. With subsections like Style, Health & Beauty, Motherhood, and Danni & Jo, it’s a one-stop shop for their products, stories, brand, and adventures.

The sisters launched a popular podcast in 2018 called ‘No Filter with Danielle Snyder’ in which Dani interviews celebrity friends in music, marketing, movies, and more. It’s yet another opportunity to chat and tell stories that resonate with fans of the brand.

What really makes Dannijo’s content stand out is how Danielle and Jodie are almost always part of the story. You’ll even see the sisters themselves modeling many of their products. They’re just as much a part of the brand as the products, and when people buy their accessories, they’re buying the sisters themselves.

They know this is key to their success, so as much as possible, they put themselves at the center of the stories they tell. The brand name is Dannijo, and the brand is Danielle and Jodie, and consumers have embraced all three.

Danielle and Jodie are what make the “Dannijo” brand. They feature customers and advocates in the stories they tell, but it’s the sisters themselves that are the beating heart of the company.

This goes against what most marketers will tell you: that customers should be at the center of a brand and the stories you tell. I still believe this, but there are exceptions to every rule. Danielle and Jodie aren’t just selling jewelry accessories, they’re selling a lifestyle that they embody and impart with each item they produce.

2. Airbnb

Conversely, Airbnb is 100% about the customer. How could it not be? Without the customer, there is no product. In this case, the customer – both hosts and guests – is the brand. You check Airbnb data analytics research made by Mashvisor to find out more information.

For anyone not yet familiar with Airbnb, it’s an online marketplace in which homeowners can offer their property, or part of it, for rent. Travelers then use the site to book a stay in their home. 

Or at least, that’s the general idea. Today the site includes more than just private homeowners – many hotels offer rooms for rent via the site, too. And you won’t just find places to stay, either. Hosts also add to the appeal of AirBnB by offering their extra amenities like home gyms, swimming pools, rooftop patios and more The company now provides a space for hosts to offer experiences, as well as places to eat.

Experiences tell the story of the locations we visit. Surfing in Australia or Hawaii, concerts in New Orleans or Paris, or green activities around the world are stories in action.

The services offered may have expanded, but the customer is still at the heart of the brand. Airbnb doesn’t own or manage properties itself. They simply provide a forum for customers to promote and book properties, meals, and more. Most companies still have a product, even if nobody’s buying, but not Airbnb.

Airbnb knows this, and instead of telling the company’s story, they get their customers to tell their stories. This is so important to Airbnb that they have a whole section dedicated to “Stories from the Airbnb Community.” Stories. Front and center.

The site’s Belong Anywhere rebrand and campaign used imagery and short films to offer a snapshot into the lives of Airbnb hosts and what a guest might expect a stay with them to be like. It moved the brand away from the business of houses and rooms to the business of home and experiencing a place like a local. Stories were and are key.

The company used their “Belong Anywhere” approach to raise more than $1 million for refugees through USA for UNHCR.

Positioning the customer at the center of the brand – in effect, letting the customer be the brand – is essential to the Airbnb philosophy.

This technique works for Airbnb not only because it helps consumers to build an affiliation with the Airbnb brand, but because it helps them overcome one of the biggest pain points of using a service like this: who are the people I will be staying with, and what will the experience be like? Stories provide the answers.

It’s understandable that first-time Airbnb-ers might feel a little anxious at the prospect of staying in a stranger’s home. But using articles, video, and imagery to show that Airbnb hosts are normal, interesting people, just like the people who stay with them, helps to put the minds of potential guests at ease, and can even help to drum up excitement about the prospect of enjoying a more “authentic” travel experience with the Airbnb brand.

Their YouTube channel has over 200,000 subscribers and is frequently updated with new stories, reviews, and profiles. One such video in 2015 revealed that 550,000 people stayed in Airbnb properties for New Year’s Eve, in over 20,000 cities. Another just this month, launched ahead of Halloween, reveals that more than 9,000 guests have stayed in so-called “haunted homes.”

Finally, they recently launched a good old-fashioned print magazine that allows subscribers to “see the world through a local lens.”

Airbnb is literally built on the power of storytelling.

3. Usersnap

This rambunctious start-up out of Austria has been making waves now for a few years. Usersnap is quickly becoming the #1 SaaS customer feedback solution, and not only because of its lovely corporate design, UX/UI, seamlessly easy-to-use and easy-to-install product, or their G2 best-in-class customer support. Usersnap is making waves because they’re bringing a diverse feedback tool with a good price point to companies of all sizes.

What’s Usersnap’s brand and positioning? Well, the company makes no bones about it: Usersnap is great at collecting multiple types of feedback, and using it to make better product decisions. Intended for product managers, CS/CX’ers, software engineers, and project managers, those in the software industry know about Usersnap because they tell stories of their own growth.

Since last year, here’s a quick overview of what Usersnap has been up to:

• Crafting content directly showing how they use their own product to foster business success (example: how to handle customer requests, see their blog for more info)
• Sharing the results of their customer research to “unlock a $300m market” with the jobs-to-be-done framework (see their LinkedIn profile for more info)
• Running a virtual summit that featured 50+ speakers, and included a talk by their Head of Growth on what they did to transform their product (see Klaus-M. Schremser’s talk from their blog for more)
• Publishing their own “State of CX Report”, showing that companies dedicated to a CX strategy and vision have 3x year-over-year revenue than companies that don’t (check out their blog for more)

Usersnap is a great example of a B2B SaaS company that knows how to speak to their audience, and provide them valuable insights based on their own story and journey in the digital world. They’re one of the more active content marketing brands in their space, and rightfully so: they’ve got a lot to say about customer feedback!

4. Goodlife Fitness

With over 365 locations across Canada and the United States, Goodlife Fitness has demonstrated fantastic growth and staying power since its founding in 1979. But what worked for customer acquisition in the past – high pressure, aggressive sales tactics, coupled with images or videos of impossibly beautiful, fit, and trim people – doesn’t work anymore.

In fact, those same sculpted men and women are enough to keep most of us away from the gym these days. It’s not the right story.

Deciding to join a gym isn’t a vanity project anymore, at least not exclusively. It’s about taking better care of ourselves. It’s about better physical and mental health. And those are the stories we want to see: regular people making that decision, their reasons why, and the results of their efforts.

A few years back, Goodlife launched their “Live Your Good Life” campaign. It featured 15 to 30-second videos, radio, and television spots showcasing the everyday real heroes in our lives. You may not be a hero to thousands, but you are a hero to someone.

A year later, Goodlife launched #SexySmartStrong, complete with real people talking about what makes them feel sexy, smart, and strong. It featured people of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds telling their stories.

And just a few months ago, they released a series of television commercials showcasing real Goodlife members sharing their stories or transformation and motivation. The #ChangeYourStory campaign proved very popular for the fitness chain, and inspired many others to change their own story, too.

The Goodlife Fitness YouTube channel includes those campaigns, in addition to employee profiles, recipes, Ask Coach Lav, fitness tips, and more.

Real people. Real stories. That’s the right kind of motivation, and the driving force behind Goodlife’s growth into Canada’s largest fitness chain, and the fourth largest in the world.

5. Minnetonka

It shouldn’t be hard for a brand with as rich a history as Minnetonka to tell great stories, but not every brand with a tale to tell does it as well as these guys do.

Minnetonka has been producing quality, comfortable footwear since 1946. It’s a “quintessential American brand” – an ideology the company has lived up to and remained true to throughout its history, even as the company has gone international. Today they trade in 50 countries worldwide.

It’s clear that Minnetonka understands that staying true to its roots is key to building a brand with timeless appeal. Sure, products should move with the times, but wherever possible, what made a brand great – what attracted customers to it in the first place – is the foundation of the brand, and should stay firmly in place.

For Minnetonka, that means being a family brand which consumers can trust to supply them with products that look good, are comfortable, and will last. It’s about providing quality products that are affordable and accessible to everyone, products that transcend class and generations. Cameron Diaz might wear them, but so do your parents, your neighbors, and your children.

These are the ideologies that the company pushes through in the many stories it tells.

It starts with the company “history,” which is presented as a short timeline and ends with an inspirational movie that delves into the brand’s beliefs and its relationship with the secret of its success – the customers.

It continues with a short article that illustrates a key component of the brand: the quality of the products and materials used to make them.

And no savvy digital marketing campaign would be complete without a healthy dose of user-generated content. The #MyMinnetonka gallery allows customers to upload and share how they make Minnetonka’s styles their own. Real people, real stories.

The stories continue onto Minnetonka’s blog, where stories are organized under Culture, DIY, Style, and Heritage with a liberal sprinkling of everyday tales of adventure in which Minnetonka shoes have a starring role.

“The relationship people have with their Minnetonka’s is special and distinct to each individual, and we are proud to have been able to help create these unique experiences since 1946.” ~David Miller, 3rd Generation CEO

That’s a lesson in dynamic storytelling from start to finish.

6. Warby Parker

The Warby Parker catalog may only include two main categories – eyeglasses and sunglasses – but they’ve become an ecommerce success in the nine years since they debuted because of the stories they tell.

Their self-proclaimed lofty objective? “To offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially-conscious businesses.” That’s practically a story unto itself. And they share plenty of other stories that lay bare exactly how they’re doing it.

“Our customers, employees, community and environment are our stakeholders. We consider them in every decision that we make.” ~Warby Parker

Their “How Warby Parker glasses are made” page offers a behind-the-scenes peek at a pair of glasses from design through manufacturing, including background on supplies and suppliers.

The main material? Plant-based cellulose acetate.

The personal touch? Every pair is assembled and polished by hand.

A socially-conscious business? For every pair of Warby Parker glasses sold, they give a pair to someone in need via charitable partners around the globe. To date, they’ve given away more than 5 million pairs.

That’s a story we can all feel good about supporting.

7. Burt’s Bees

Body care brand Burt’s Bees began in 1984 when its founders (Roxanne and Burt) met during a chance hitchhiking encounter, hit it off, and started making wax candles together.

Their story makes a little more sense when you learn that Roxanne was an artist and Burt was a beekeeper who was well-known locally for his roadside honey stand.

Today, Burt’s Bees sells a huge range of natural bodycare products (350 at last count, but if nothing else, you’re probably familiar with their Beeswax Lip Balm).

Yet, despite the company’s success, the Burt’s Bees philosophy has remained exactly the same: “What you put on your body should be made from the best nature has to offer.”

Theirs is a mix of natural care products for healthy living advocates, with a side of activism.

Taglines on their site include “A full line of natural cosmetics that work because of how they’re made, not in spite of it” and “We harness the wisdom, power, and beauty of nature, to bring out yours”.

And that not only resonates with their ideal customer, but also reveals the brand’s prevailing ethos.

In place of a traditional “About” page, the company has a whole section dedicated to enlightening customers on what the brand is about and what it stands for.

Its “history” is told through a stunning timeline that’s heavy on the pictures and light on words. The “purpose” page explains the brand’s guiding principles (its triple bottom line: people, profit, planet). It shows how Burt’s has achieved Carbon Neutral Certification, and enlightens customers as to how their packaging is as sustainable as the products it contains.

The stories the company tells seep through onto social media, in particular YouTube. It uses video to educate consumers not only about the Burt’s Bees brand, but also about one of the key ingredients in the brand’s success: the bees.

If you only watch one of their stories, make it “Burt Talks to the Worker Bees.”

In 2016, the company launched a wildly successful “bring back the bees” campaign to raise awareness of the worldwide decline in bee populations. For every #SelflessSelfie posted, Burt’s Bees donated 5,000 wildflowers, with a goal of planting 2 billion. The campaign helped them cultivate more than 10,000 acres of honey bee forage in addition to many other projects to research and assist our pollinating friends.

The Burt’s Bees brand is about being 100% transparent.

Their 2018 sustainability report shows the good, the bad, and the ugly on their way to their 2020 goals. The company is proud of the ingredients it uses and the products it makes, and it shows. 

Burt’s uses storytelling as a mechanism to help customers buy into the company’s philosophy: that we should treat our skin, and the world we live in, with care.

They aim for the greater good: the overlap of good for you, good for them, and good for all.

8. Nike

Nike has understood and has been leveraging the power of great storytelling longer than most people have been online. In 1999, the brand released a one-minute “commercial” that commemorated the career of Michael Jordan.

Despite being commissioned by Nike, there was no mention of the brand until the film’s closing seconds in which, over a school photo of Michael, the brand’s slogan “Just Do It” appeared, followed by the classic Nike logo.

This couldn’t have been more different from most commercials at the time, which tended to lean towards the “sell, sell, sell” principle. Commercials weren’t viewed online, they were viewed on television sets, and TV real estate was (and still is) very expensive. Wouldn’t a two-second mention of a brand in a one-minute ad be a waste?

But Nike knew better than to push its brand down consumers’ throats. It understood that what would really make a lasting impression, and what would help build the brand and allow the company to sell more products in the long-term, was an authentic story.

Storytelling sells. Storytelling resonates. Storytelling connects.

This ethos has held up, and is arguably what makes Nike one of the greatest brand storytellers of our time. Nearly everything Nike does is accompanied by a backstory, and their website is rife with them.

This vibrant comic strip recounts the history of one of Nike’s most iconic items of apparel: the Windrunner Jacket.

This article charts the Nike-supported efforts of distance runner Eliud Kipchoge to complete a sub-two-hour marathon – a miraculous feat that he achieved earlier this month. 

Every year, the company does a roundup of the stories, products, and innovations that made headlines over the previous 12 months, and 2018 was no different.

New product launches are typically a story rather than a press release. The post for the Fearless Ones collection debuting this month comes with plenty of backstory, quotes, and the anchor philosophy behind the new range.

And yet Nike doesn’t just tell its own stories: they’re pretty passionate about giving others a voice, as well.

One of their best is the Equality campaign, with the goal of “celebrating differences and inspiring change through the power of sport.”

Nike launched the initiative by asking us to extend the fairness and respect we see on the court, rink, or field to the “real” world. The N7 Fund has contributed $5.6 million to 243 indigenous communities since its inception ten years ago.

Everyone has a voice. Everyone has a story.

This article and photo gallery give an intimate look into Amsterdam’s elusive street football scene … while this video celebrates NBA player Kyrie Irving’s father and the sacrifices he made through a simple game of one-on-one.

It’s safe to say that the Nike marketing strategy is really killing it with brand-driven storytelling, and while it would be fair to argue that it’s easy for the company – that they’re the biggest brand on this list by far and one of the first-movers in creating an online clothing store – that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from the stories they tell and how they’re presented.

9. Everlane

Everlane is an online and direct fashion retailer. There are hundreds of similar businesses out there, and Everlane may not look any different at first glance. But look closer.

The brand is built upon six simple little words: Exceptional quality. Ethical factories. Radical transparency.

Whereas other retailers keep production costs secret and typically don’t like to discuss where and how their products are made, Everlane strives to reveal all. They don’t just make it available to their customers, they actually announce it and go out of their way to share it.

The company works primarily off a “2-3x the production cost” model. Other retailers? They may be charging 5x, 10x, or even higher. Each product offered by Everlane has its own story. You see in black and white the process and markup for each item. Customers learn why each item costs what it does. Simple.

They engage with their customers on Twitter (35K followers), Instagram (850K followers), and more. They share stories of new product launches, answer questions, tour and evaluate factories (every factory has a story, according to the brand), and allow users to share photos.

Everlane says they believe in exceptional quality, ethical factories, and radical transparency, and they’re not afraid to put their money where their mouth is. The factory and product stories are their brand.

10. Softr

Softr is a tool that allows you to easily create authentic websites, web apps, and client portals. Softr’s goal is to make technology more accessible to everyone. This allows engineers to concentrate on the most important aspects of the business, saving time. There is no need to know how to code or design, and there is no learning curve.

Softr is often updated, has a simple and intuitive user interface, secure and appropriate for both beginners and professionals.

Using Softr’s SVG wave generator, you can supercharge your designs by creating colorful, multilayer, random and organic-looking SVG shapes and waves.

Softr also offers a free application for grabbing and downloading any Vimeo thumbnail.

You may rapidly grab and save any YouTube thumbnail using Softr’s free app. 

Most importantly, Softr allows you to extend your web app by combining it with existing external APIs (Pabbly Connect, Zapier, Integromat, etc). Also, you can use online booking and scheduling to connect with your customers.

Allow consumers to contact your support team by integrating chat support into your online app and use Softr’s rich collection of free assets to save time and money.

11. Krochet Kids

Socially-conscious? Check. A business model built on giving back to communities and making a genuine difference in the lives of its residents? Check.

Meet Krochet Kids.

Non-profit Krochet Kids produces simple, high-quality, hand-crafted, and affordable items of clothing and accessories including T-shirts, hats, and bags. But there’s so much more to them. They use a “unique model” to “empower the women of Northern Uganda, India, and Peru with the assets, skills, and knowledge to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. What’s more, they know the name and story of each and every individual that is employed to make their products.

The result is “long-lasting and sustainable change.”

Krochet Kids tell their own stories, and the stories of the people that work for the company. As we’d expect, the company’s history makes for pretty interesting reading. It began with a shared passion for snow sports and of course, crochet.

But there’s a lot more to this brand than the founders.

Each item comes with a label that’s signed by the person who produced it. Customers can then go and find that person’s profile, see their picture, and read their story. Customers can continue the story and leave a thank you and share a bit about the life of the item now.

Take a look at Masudha’s story to see what I mean.

The stories continue off-site, too. The company has a strong presence on Instagram, but where it really shines is on YouTube. Its videos add more chapters to the brand’s stories by telling us more about the products, the brand’s philosophies, and how the work and education provided by Krochet Kids has helped to empower people and transform the lives of the workers, and in turn, their families and communities.

Each and every employee is an integral part of the Krochet Kids brand. The founders themselves are loud and proud about the company and its achievements, but it’s the people who produce the products that really matter. Consequently, the manufacturers are given just as much, if not more prominence, as part of the Krochet Kids brand.

Without the people that produce the products, there would be no brand. Krochet Kids is what it is because of the fantastic faces behind it and how everyone gets the chance to tell their tale.

12. Chobani

If I asked you to name an exciting food, yogurt probably wouldn’t feature too high up the list. But through the power of storytelling, Chobani has transformed their product from a quick and easy snack to a means of reaching culinary nirvana.

So how do they do it?

Simple but effective, Chobani’s approach is all about putting the product front and center, but in ways that you wouldn’t expect. While rivals hype their healthy credentials and convenience, Chobani prefers to shout about how their yogurt can be used to jazz up a vast range of delicious dishes, from donuts to crispy tacos.

Add in a beautifully-shot YouTube channel with more than 12K followers, and it’s easy to see why the brand has enjoyed so much success (they even own the world’s largest yogurt manufacturing facility).

There’s no shortage of brands both big and small killing it with brand-driven storytelling. Take SuperJam, for example. Founder Fraser Doherty has turned it into an international success with the power of stories.

SuperJam’s “about” page features a no-holds-barred timeline that chronicles the twists and turns of the brand’s road to victory.

Fraser is not one to shy away from the camera. Consequently, the SuperJam blog is jam-packed (pun intended) with brand-driven tales that detail Fraser’s latest achievements and recount his most recent adventures.

There’s even a site dedicated solely to “Fraser the brand” (aka “Jam Boy”) and he’s even written a couple of books – get yourself a copy of “Super Business” if you want to read his story in full.

Or look to the online real estate marketplace such as Zillow. Using data on over 110 million properties, they tell stories that resonate with millennials and those approaching retirement and everyone in between. The site’s blog features stories on unique homes, tips and advice, home improvement, and the popular First-Person section with user-generated content.

Their Twitter feed shares buyer and seller profiles, unique renovations, fixer-uppers, and investment opportunity stories with their 365K followers.

Or GoPro and their onsite user section and YouTube channel with over 7.9 million subscribers. Or Harley-Davidson and their recent “Find Your Freedom” intern and social media campaign. Or Toms Shoes and their annual One Day Without Shoes campaign to provide footwear for those that need it most, in addition to the many other ways they’re improving lives … all told through stories.

“When we read a story, not only do the language parts of our brains light up, but any other part of the brain that we would use if we were actually experiencing what we’re reading about becomes activated as well.” ~Rachel Gillett

Storytelling and marketing are the new power couple. Whether you just started an LLC or are running your business for years now, There is no better way to connect, engage, and reach your customers. Period.

13. Amazon

Amazon launched its first marketplace in India in 2013 amidst competition from the unorganized retail market. Fast forward 7 years later and it is now worth $16 billion dollars with a 30% market share.

But that doesn’t mean they don’t need to innovate.

Amazon rolled out a unique way of storytelling with its Amazon Storyboxes revolutionizing packaging.

Each Storybox bears a photo of the seller and a QR Code on the packaging. Scanning the QR Code leads customers to seller stories which is a section on the Amazon India site and app.

What a brilliant way to highlight the background of small and medium business owners that are making a living on Amazon!

Amazon has made a conscious effort to bring sellers in the spotlight and allow customers to connect with them. This campaign idea #IAmAmazon is a simple yet effective way to host an interactive feature on an otherwise ordinary packaging.

The seller’s face on the box is a scannable asset created from QR Code elements which leads users to a dedicated microsite. Given how there is no app required to scan QR Codes on iOS devices and all the latest Android smartphones, the entire process is frictionless. QR codes are safe and can be created easily using any of these best QR code generators.

Gopal Pilla, VP, Seller Services had this to say “Sellers are a key part of the Amazon flywheel. We have over five lakh small businesses, artisans, women entrepreneurs, and emerging brands selling on our marketplace and every Amazon seller has a unique story behind their success. With Storyboxes, we wanted to bring these stories to life.”

There are 6 seller stories that have been captured on the boxes. This includes stories like that of Rani Ravindran who is a homemaker and mother and sells wooden toys and cotton pillows on Amazon.

Storyboxes make use of the precious real estate on the packaging and deliver real value to the customer and sellers while making it abundantly clear that Amazon is socially responsible.

A great story is powerful and moving. It has heart and soul. But not every brand story will meet this criteria. The stories you tell don’t all have to move people to laughter or tears, they just have to be authentic, open, and honest. Show that your company and your customers are real people with real stories to tell. Share what your brand is all about: your core values, purpose, beliefs, and mission. Create and share content, cultivate an active community, and tell the stories that matter to them.

14.  Land  Rover

The automotive company Land Rover has a long history of providing exceptional customer experiences. Their tagline is “To delight our customers not just with our vehicles but at every point at which we make contact with them.”

Their high powered, luxury SUVs are world famous for their rugged yet sophisticated designs. And it’s a great example of brand storytelling. For their recent 70 year anniversary, the company created a video campaign called “The Land of the Land Rovers.”

The commercial brings to life a true story of a remote Himalayan area in India. In the video, they tell the story of local drivers who use well maintained Land Rovers from 1957. 

But these drivers aren’t just using the vehicles for short pedestrian trips. They use them for daunting journeys over mountain roads inbetween two tiny villages called Sandakphu and Maneybhanjang.

Land Rover sent an internal team to set up camp for 10 days in Maneybhanjang so they could see exactly what the fearless drivers experienced everyday on their routes. The final result is a thrilling, beautiful look at the region.

Eye-catching cinematography and an exotic story are cemented with candid feedback from the drivers and villagers about just how reliable Land Rovers are for off road driving.

Older Land Rover ads are another great look into the brand identity of the automaker. A clear theme presents itself: upscale, offroad, rugged reliability. Now, will most people who buy a Land Rover be trekking over mountains in foreign countries or risking their lives just to test the company’s brand promise? Of course not.

People who buy Land Rovers will probably drive them to and from their urban workplace, and on the occasional family vacation — using paved roads the entire time. But that doesn’t matter. A brand, as Land Rover demonstrates, is more than logic. It is a feeling, an emotion that transports you into another world just by purchasing it. 

15. IKEA

The Swedish furniture company IKEA uses brand storytelling to enhance the value of their products. They take what was previously mundane (pieces of plastic, wood, and metal to put in your house) and turn it into something fun, hip, exciting, and friendly. Humor is an excellent resource when telling stories, and IKEA does it masterfully. 

Take, for example, the company’s Shelf Help Guru campaign. It takes a boring product and turns it into a laugh-out-loud story. The video features a “Shelf Help Guru ” named Fille Gute who takes customers on a “shelf discovery” journey that improves their private lives (their bedroom and bathroom).

The video tows the line between inappropriate puns and other funny stories while delivering the real message: IKEA furniture improves your life. Furniture, as their branding shows, is more than decoration.

IKEA Singapore continued this branding storyline on their Facebook. They ran a contest asking customers to ask questions for their Shelf Help Guru on how to improve their homes. Winners were awarded with $50 gift cards to incentivize engagement. 

The company even hired someone to personally answer every question, posing as the “Shelf Help Guru.” These answers involved hilarious memes and of course links to IKEA products that were relevant.

The moral of the story? Brand-driven storytelling doesn’t need to be boring. You can get personal without going over the line. To get the balance right, inject humor in your branding but always speak from the place of your core brand values and voice.

Consumers today love authenticity, and that alone will win you brownie points. And don’t get it twisted. IKEA knows their market. They aren’t being funny just for the sake of it. They are using humor and storytelling to encapsulate marketing messages and promotions — a smart combination if done correctly.

16. Sanlam Bank

The South African based Sanlam Bank shows how storytelling with your brand can create a powerful marketing campaign while also effecting positive change. Even an industry as “cold” as financial services can bring human warmth to their advertising efforts. And it all revolves around brand-driven storytelling.

In South Africa, research shows that most people don’t save very much of their income. It’s economy isn’t equivalent to say, the U.S. or UK, so that’s understandable. In fact, household debt is around 75% of income on average.

But that didn’t stop Sanlam Bank from using storytelling to educate South Africans on the importance of savings. The firm introduced a 5-part web series called One Rand Man — a young professional who performs a social experiment: only receiving payment in the form of one rand coins (South Africa’s smallest unit of currency).

To give some context, one rand coin is around seven cents in U.S. dollars. The video series follows him as he attempts to pay for everyday expenses in these small denomination coins. Every week, Sanlam bank teams up with local finance news outlets to share tips based on this One Rand Man avatar — tips that are relevant for many South Africans in the same situation.

The results? The combination of valuable personal financial advice and a relatable character quickly spread the marketing campaign. In fact, the video series received over 900,000 views. This made it the most watched advertisement on YouTube in all of South Africa at the time.

Furthermore, the story-driven campaign earned over 74 million impressions and 41 million rand worth of exposure for Sanlam Bank. That’s about $3 million USD. The power of this brand-driven story spawned other similar campaigns such as One Rand Family, which have been driving a lot of growth for the bank while providing everyday South Africans with incredible financial education.

Have you told any brand stories yet? What tactics and channels did you use? If not, what’s stopping you? Leave your thoughts in the comments below: