8 top brand storytelling examples to inspire you (+ tips to create a great brand story)
Lauren Mathews
GatherContent Contributor, Writer
When it comes to content strategy, standing out feels almost impossible. SEO best practices are constantly evolving. And social media algorithms remain unpredictable.
One way to capture consumer attention? Brand storytelling.
Brand storytelling enables companies to build brand awareness, inspire customer loyalty, and drive revenue. It takes coordination, collaboration, and prioritization—and luckily, with tools like GatherContent, prioritizing branded content is easy.
In this article, we’ll explore why brand storytelling matters and how to create compelling brand stories. We’ll also share eight brand storytelling examples to help you get started.
What is brand storytelling?
Brand storytelling helps a company demonstrate how its product or service can help a customer solve a problem or achieve a goal. It uses narrative techniques to tap into the emotions and values of a company’s target audience.
Today, companies use a variety of platforms to tell their stories—including videos, blog posts, email newsletters, social media, and podcasts.
Why brand storytelling matters
Brand storytelling is essential to an effective content marketing strategy. Let's walk through some of the benefits of brand storytelling.
Captures attention
Consumers are bombarded with advertisements wherever they look. Today, over 200 million businesses are active on Instagram. And the average consumer receives 120 marketing emails a day.
With brand storytelling, companies cut through the marketing noise. Businesses can set themselves apart from their competitors by communicating their values and mission through captivating narratives.
"With brand storytelling, companies cut through the marketing noise. Businesses can set themselves apart from their competitors by communicating their values and mission through captivating narratives.”
At the same time, brand storytelling enables companies to connect with customers more meaningfully. “Stories create a deeper relationship between the brand and the audience,” says Story Mastery Founder Michael Hauge—a Hollywood script consultant and story expert who has worked with entertainment and business legends like Will Smith and Russell Brunson.
“Customers associate the emotional experience they have with the story with the emotional experience they will have when purchasing the product,” Hauge told us. With brand storytelling, companies build community and encourage customer loyalty.
Motivates customers to take action
By crafting a narrative around a company’s products and services, companies showcase their unique value proposition to encourage customers to take action.
For Hauge, brand storytelling resembles the experience of watching a movie. “People don’t go to the movies to see extraordinary people. They want to see ordinary people accomplish something extraordinary,” he says. “If you tell the right story, you can convey the extraordinary things you can help your target market accomplish.”
Learn more: Looking to create a content strategy that inspires action? Our Content Strategy Roadmap is a free step-by-step guide and checklist to create a strategy that works. Download it here.
What makes a brand story effective?
For decades, companies like Disney, Apple, and Nike have used storytelling to increase brand awareness and drive revenue. But businesses can create compelling brand stories without a significant investment.
“Budget is irrelevant to the quality of the story,” says Hauge. “Small and mid-size businesses have an advantage because your story is more unique. You can convey the personal attention you give your followers in the story.”
The following are three elements that make up a compelling brand story.
Position the customer as the hero
Brand storytelling should not center on the product or brand. Instead, businesses should showcase a customer and share how the company helped them achieve their goals.
“Describe how [the consumer] connected with the company and what they accomplished. Keep that character the hero,” says Hauge. “Describe their success. And this is critical—paint a picture of their new life as a result.”
Lean into narrative storytelling techniques
An effective brand story has a beginning, middle, and end. Hauge suggests that companies should follow four steps:
Create a hero.
Describe their hero’s aspiration or the problem they need to solve.
Show the hero connecting with the company.
Share their life after reaching their goals.
Remain authentic
Today, consumers purchase more with their values than ever before. A study by Salesforce found that 88% of customers expect companies to communicate their values. And 66% of shoppers stopped buying from a company whose values didn’t align with theirs.
Brand storytelling should reflect a company’s values and resonates with its target audience. If content does not align with a brand’s mission, the company will erode trust and risk losing customers.
Good to know: Looking to overcome the common pitfalls that come with content creation? Our content workflow platform simplifies the content creation process.
8 brand storytelling examples to inspire your own
Brand storytelling can seem daunting when you are just getting started. Here are eight brand storytelling examples to spark your creativity.
1. The North Face Presents: Beyond the Summit
The North Face is an outdoor apparel and gear brand. Its mission is to support the future of exploration. The North Face Team program supports athletes “pushing the limits of human potential.”
The North Face Presents: Beyond the Summit follows Kit DesLauriers—a celebrated American ski mountaineer. After becoming the first person to ski the seven summits, DesLauriers was looking for a deeper purpose.
In the video, DesLauriers travels on skis across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for two weeks. As part of her trip, she collects data on the diminishing snowpack and shares her experiences with politicians and scientists.
Why we like it:
DesLauriers’ mission aligns with the values of The North Face.
It appeals to a target audience that loves adventure and cares about conservation.
Although the video features the company’s products, the athletes in the video do not mention them. Instead, the ruggedness and remoteness of the trip speak to the products’ durability.
2. How Dog Lover Maria Ducasse Created a Community to Keep Pets and Their Parents Together by Chewy
Chewy is an online retailer of pet food and accessories. The company’s mission is to be the “most trusted and convenient destination for pet parents everywhere.” Chewy highlights its passion for pets and community-building on the company’s blog.
With East New York Dog Lovers, Ducasse aims to end pet surrendering because of medical emergencies or hardships.
Why we like it:
Ducasse’s story connects with Chewy’s mission and resonates with the values of its target audience.
Chewy shares a link to donate to East New York Dog Lovers in the post. The article also shares resources to help struggling pet owners outside of Brooklyn.
Etsy is a global marketplace for finding unique and creative goods. The company’s mission is to turn independent artists into successful businesses and “keep connection at the heart of commerce.” Etsy uses TikTok to share stories from Etsy sellers and customers.
The TikTok video starts with a woman claiming winter will no longer defeat her. Instead, she will be “dressing for dopamine.” The video showcases her new wardrobe filled with bold and colorful pieces.
Why we like it:
The video shares an aspirational story of overcoming the winter blues with positivity.
All the clothing is made by independent sellers, reflecting Etsy’s values.
4. Tara Gomez and Mireaia Taribo: Crafting Natural Wine from Catalonia to California by MAKER
MAKER is a canned natural wine company that believes “great stories and great wine are meant to be shared.” The female-founded company supports diverse winemakers and seeks to deliver “premium wine minus the snobbery.” MAKER’s blog features wine education, stories about suppliers, and a behind-the-scenes look at their business.
MAKER could have prioritized the collaboration and its products. Instead, they centered on Tara and Mireia.
The blog post aligns with MAKER’s values.
5. Clarissa’s Story of Belonging by Sephora
Sephora is on a mission to “celebrate individual beauty and the power of community.” In its Belonging series on YouTube, the beauty brand shares the day-to-day life of customers.
Clarrisa’s Story of Belonging features Clarissa Rankin, a female truck driver. Rankin discusses the challenges of working in a male-dominated industry. She also shares how she uses makeup to express herself.
Why we like it:
The series aligns with Sephora’s mission to empower customers to celebrate their beauty in ways that feel the best to them.
The video’s focus remains on Rankin rather than the products she discusses.
6. Get Yourself a Bounce House by Birdy Grey
Birdy Grey creates stylish and affordable bridesmaid dresses. Founded by Grace Lee and Monica Ashauer, Birdy Grey values “empowerment, inclusivity, and scrappiness.”
The Instagram reel starts with a bride, groom, and bridal party jumping in a bounce house. The video transitions to a carousel of wedding photos when the music begins.
Why we like it:
It can be challenging to tell a brand’s story in the short-form video format popular on platforms like Instagram or TikTok. Birdy Grey’s video has a compelling hook and keeps the audience engaged.
While the video features Birdy Grey products, the couple holds the spotlight.
7. BKLYN Larder Modernizes its Cheese Business by Switching to Shopify POS by Shopify
Shopify is a commerce platform that enables entrepreneurs to sell online and offline. By reducing barriers to entrepreneurship, the company seeks to make it easier to “start, run, and grow a business.”
Shopify’s blog offers guides to help retailers optimize their operations and drive revenue. The company also features case studies of successful entrepreneurs.
The blog post shares the story of Mandy Wynn—the owner of BKLN Larder. In 2016, the local cheese shop was in danger of shutting down. Wynn acquired the store and started using Shopify products to run the business.
Why we like it:
The article centers on Mandy Wynn. The post uses narrative storytelling to share Wynn’s experience taking over the business, how she improved sales and the results. It also shares Wynn’s future goals.
The article aligns with Shopify’s mission to support entrepreneurs and small businesses.
8. How to Feel Good in Your Skin with Carly Weinstein by The Clear Cut
The Clear Cut is a direct-to-consumer fine jewelry and engagement ring brand popular with millennial and Gen Z shoppers. The company seeks to bring transparency to the jewelry industry and make “life’s special moments a little brighter through the pieces we wear and the conversations we’re sharing together.”
Olivia Landau—CEO and co-founder—hosts a weekly podcast called Cozying up with The Clear Cut. In each episode, Landau “gets up close and personal with women who inspire us.”
In How to Feel Good in Your Skin, Landau and content creator Carly Weinstein chat about body positivity, entrepreneurship, and their mental health struggles.
Why we like it:
The podcast aligns with the brand’s mission of transparency.
The podcast is authentic. Landau regularly shares behind the scenes of building the business on Instagram and TikTok. Her conversation with Weinstein complements how the company already engages with the audience.
Enhance your brand storytelling with GatherContent
Brand storytelling can transform how your audience engages with your brand. But crafting compelling brand stories requires careful planning, organization, and collaboration.
GatherContent is an all-in-one content operations platform that streamlines the content creation process. Our Content Hub enables marketers to organize content to meet their organization’s needs. With Workflow tools, companies automate routine processes. And our collaboration tools enable real-time feedback and approvals.
Start a free trial today to see how GatherContent is helping thousands of organizations create and scale their content strategies.
One way to capture consumer attention? Brand storytelling.
Brand storytelling enables companies to build brand awareness, inspire customer loyalty, and drive revenue. It takes coordination, collaboration, and prioritization—and luckily, with tools like GatherContent, prioritizing branded content is easy.
In this article, we’ll explore why brand storytelling matters and how to create compelling brand stories. We’ll also share eight brand storytelling examples to help you get started.
What is brand storytelling?
Brand storytelling helps a company demonstrate how its product or service can help a customer solve a problem or achieve a goal. It uses narrative techniques to tap into the emotions and values of a company’s target audience.
Today, companies use a variety of platforms to tell their stories—including videos, blog posts, email newsletters, social media, and podcasts.
Why brand storytelling matters
Brand storytelling is essential to an effective content marketing strategy. Let's walk through some of the benefits of brand storytelling.
Captures attention
Consumers are bombarded with advertisements wherever they look. Today, over 200 million businesses are active on Instagram. And the average consumer receives 120 marketing emails a day.
With brand storytelling, companies cut through the marketing noise. Businesses can set themselves apart from their competitors by communicating their values and mission through captivating narratives.
"With brand storytelling, companies cut through the marketing noise. Businesses can set themselves apart from their competitors by communicating their values and mission through captivating narratives.”
At the same time, brand storytelling enables companies to connect with customers more meaningfully. “Stories create a deeper relationship between the brand and the audience,” says Story Mastery Founder Michael Hauge—a Hollywood script consultant and story expert who has worked with entertainment and business legends like Will Smith and Russell Brunson.
“Customers associate the emotional experience they have with the story with the emotional experience they will have when purchasing the product,” Hauge told us. With brand storytelling, companies build community and encourage customer loyalty.
Motivates customers to take action
By crafting a narrative around a company’s products and services, companies showcase their unique value proposition to encourage customers to take action.
For Hauge, brand storytelling resembles the experience of watching a movie. “People don’t go to the movies to see extraordinary people. They want to see ordinary people accomplish something extraordinary,” he says. “If you tell the right story, you can convey the extraordinary things you can help your target market accomplish.”
Learn more: Looking to create a content strategy that inspires action? Our Content Strategy Roadmap is a free step-by-step guide and checklist to create a strategy that works. Download it here.
What makes a brand story effective?
For decades, companies like Disney, Apple, and Nike have used storytelling to increase brand awareness and drive revenue. But businesses can create compelling brand stories without a significant investment.
“Budget is irrelevant to the quality of the story,” says Hauge. “Small and mid-size businesses have an advantage because your story is more unique. You can convey the personal attention you give your followers in the story.”
The following are three elements that make up a compelling brand story.
Position the customer as the hero
Brand storytelling should not center on the product or brand. Instead, businesses should showcase a customer and share how the company helped them achieve their goals.
“Describe how [the consumer] connected with the company and what they accomplished. Keep that character the hero,” says Hauge. “Describe their success. And this is critical—paint a picture of their new life as a result.”
Lean into narrative storytelling techniques
An effective brand story has a beginning, middle, and end. Hauge suggests that companies should follow four steps:
Create a hero.
Describe their hero’s aspiration or the problem they need to solve.
Show the hero connecting with the company.
Share their life after reaching their goals.
Remain authentic
Today, consumers purchase more with their values than ever before. A study by Salesforce found that 88% of customers expect companies to communicate their values. And 66% of shoppers stopped buying from a company whose values didn’t align with theirs.
Brand storytelling should reflect a company’s values and resonates with its target audience. If content does not align with a brand’s mission, the company will erode trust and risk losing customers.
Good to know: Looking to overcome the common pitfalls that come with content creation? Our content workflow platform simplifies the content creation process.
8 brand storytelling examples to inspire your own
Brand storytelling can seem daunting when you are just getting started. Here are eight brand storytelling examples to spark your creativity.
1. The North Face Presents: Beyond the Summit
The North Face is an outdoor apparel and gear brand. Its mission is to support the future of exploration. The North Face Team program supports athletes “pushing the limits of human potential.”
The North Face Presents: Beyond the Summit follows Kit DesLauriers—a celebrated American ski mountaineer. After becoming the first person to ski the seven summits, DesLauriers was looking for a deeper purpose.
In the video, DesLauriers travels on skis across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for two weeks. As part of her trip, she collects data on the diminishing snowpack and shares her experiences with politicians and scientists.
Why we like it:
DesLauriers’ mission aligns with the values of The North Face.
It appeals to a target audience that loves adventure and cares about conservation.
Although the video features the company’s products, the athletes in the video do not mention them. Instead, the ruggedness and remoteness of the trip speak to the products’ durability.
2. How Dog Lover Maria Ducasse Created a Community to Keep Pets and Their Parents Together by Chewy
Chewy is an online retailer of pet food and accessories. The company’s mission is to be the “most trusted and convenient destination for pet parents everywhere.” Chewy highlights its passion for pets and community-building on the company’s blog.
With East New York Dog Lovers, Ducasse aims to end pet surrendering because of medical emergencies or hardships.
Why we like it:
Ducasse’s story connects with Chewy’s mission and resonates with the values of its target audience.
Chewy shares a link to donate to East New York Dog Lovers in the post. The article also shares resources to help struggling pet owners outside of Brooklyn.
Etsy is a global marketplace for finding unique and creative goods. The company’s mission is to turn independent artists into successful businesses and “keep connection at the heart of commerce.” Etsy uses TikTok to share stories from Etsy sellers and customers.
The TikTok video starts with a woman claiming winter will no longer defeat her. Instead, she will be “dressing for dopamine.” The video showcases her new wardrobe filled with bold and colorful pieces.
Why we like it:
The video shares an aspirational story of overcoming the winter blues with positivity.
All the clothing is made by independent sellers, reflecting Etsy’s values.
4. Tara Gomez and Mireaia Taribo: Crafting Natural Wine from Catalonia to California by MAKER
MAKER is a canned natural wine company that believes “great stories and great wine are meant to be shared.” The female-founded company supports diverse winemakers and seeks to deliver “premium wine minus the snobbery.” MAKER’s blog features wine education, stories about suppliers, and a behind-the-scenes look at their business.
MAKER could have prioritized the collaboration and its products. Instead, they centered on Tara and Mireia.
The blog post aligns with MAKER’s values.
5. Clarissa’s Story of Belonging by Sephora
Sephora is on a mission to “celebrate individual beauty and the power of community.” In its Belonging series on YouTube, the beauty brand shares the day-to-day life of customers.
Clarrisa’s Story of Belonging features Clarissa Rankin, a female truck driver. Rankin discusses the challenges of working in a male-dominated industry. She also shares how she uses makeup to express herself.
Why we like it:
The series aligns with Sephora’s mission to empower customers to celebrate their beauty in ways that feel the best to them.
The video’s focus remains on Rankin rather than the products she discusses.
6. Get Yourself a Bounce House by Birdy Grey
Birdy Grey creates stylish and affordable bridesmaid dresses. Founded by Grace Lee and Monica Ashauer, Birdy Grey values “empowerment, inclusivity, and scrappiness.”
The Instagram reel starts with a bride, groom, and bridal party jumping in a bounce house. The video transitions to a carousel of wedding photos when the music begins.
Why we like it:
It can be challenging to tell a brand’s story in the short-form video format popular on platforms like Instagram or TikTok. Birdy Grey’s video has a compelling hook and keeps the audience engaged.
While the video features Birdy Grey products, the couple holds the spotlight.
7. BKLYN Larder Modernizes its Cheese Business by Switching to Shopify POS by Shopify
Shopify is a commerce platform that enables entrepreneurs to sell online and offline. By reducing barriers to entrepreneurship, the company seeks to make it easier to “start, run, and grow a business.”
Shopify’s blog offers guides to help retailers optimize their operations and drive revenue. The company also features case studies of successful entrepreneurs.
The blog post shares the story of Mandy Wynn—the owner of BKLN Larder. In 2016, the local cheese shop was in danger of shutting down. Wynn acquired the store and started using Shopify products to run the business.
Why we like it:
The article centers on Mandy Wynn. The post uses narrative storytelling to share Wynn’s experience taking over the business, how she improved sales and the results. It also shares Wynn’s future goals.
The article aligns with Shopify’s mission to support entrepreneurs and small businesses.
8. How to Feel Good in Your Skin with Carly Weinstein by The Clear Cut
The Clear Cut is a direct-to-consumer fine jewelry and engagement ring brand popular with millennial and Gen Z shoppers. The company seeks to bring transparency to the jewelry industry and make “life’s special moments a little brighter through the pieces we wear and the conversations we’re sharing together.”
Olivia Landau—CEO and co-founder—hosts a weekly podcast called Cozying up with The Clear Cut. In each episode, Landau “gets up close and personal with women who inspire us.”
In How to Feel Good in Your Skin, Landau and content creator Carly Weinstein chat about body positivity, entrepreneurship, and their mental health struggles.
Why we like it:
The podcast aligns with the brand’s mission of transparency.
The podcast is authentic. Landau regularly shares behind the scenes of building the business on Instagram and TikTok. Her conversation with Weinstein complements how the company already engages with the audience.
Enhance your brand storytelling with GatherContent
Brand storytelling can transform how your audience engages with your brand. But crafting compelling brand stories requires careful planning, organization, and collaboration.
GatherContent is an all-in-one content operations platform that streamlines the content creation process. Our Content Hub enables marketers to organize content to meet their organization’s needs. With Workflow tools, companies automate routine processes. And our collaboration tools enable real-time feedback and approvals.
Start a free trial today to see how GatherContent is helping thousands of organizations create and scale their content strategies.
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