Telling brand stories

What do we buy into when we buy into a brand? An image? A promise? A relationship?

Well, it tends to be a bit of all these things. Look at car ownership. Many people bind up a little part of themselves in the brand of car they drive. They also bind up their aspirations in the car they'd like to drive (if only they could afford it). Personally, I won't buy a BMW because I don't want to be seen as a BMW driver (however good their cars are) but I would like to own a Lexus hybrid. It says something about me.

Today, creating a compelling brand is increasingly about authenticity. It is no longer enough to simply overlay a company with a thin veneer of imagery. The age of artificially creating the values, positioning and character of a brand is waning – this can only be a good thing in my opinion.

Stories are a great way to get through to the authentic brand. In particular the founder's story. What drove them to set up their company? What were their ideals and aspirations? What continues to drive them?

I believe most of us want to see others succeed. We want to see them take chances and for those chances to pay off. It reaffirms our faith that the same might happen for any of us. That's why the founder's story is so compelling.

I've just come across a nice example of this in a video for Asics, the sport shoe manufacturer. In it, they tell the founder's story in a beautiful, elegant way. It's far removed from the chest beating of a Nike or Adidas. It has an understated calm about it. Admittedly, I wore Asics before I saw this. But it feels right for the brand. It feels authentic.

See what you think.

Origami In the Pursuit of Perfection from MABONA ORIGAMI on Vimeo.