Dear brand, what’s your story?

A recent article about the downfall of the Abercrombie and Fitch brand in The Guardian highlighted the importance for brands to have depth in order to remain relevant. This got me thinking about what depth could possibly be, and what it takes for a brand, of apparel or other, not to fall into the category of the soulless and meaningless. The explanation for the sheep picture comes right after this, I swear.

Brands need to have depth in order to remain relevant

Storytelling is a way for brands to maintain depth. By creating a carefully crafted narrative around a brand, its origins, evolution and meaning, marketers can create more than a shallow, meaningless brand. They can create a brand that consumers can relate to, and that goes beyond the products or services they offer.

I wanted to give you an example of a brand that represents storytelling, without falling into the usual case studies of Apple or Coca-Cola, and the idea came as I was scrolling down my Instragram feed and saw this, posted by Cherchbi:

Cherchbi is a leather goods and accessories brand, and the picture represents all 12 locations in Britain where parts of the bags are sourced, designed and produced.

I follow and like Cherchbi since I attended a talk by its founder Adam Atkinson last year, because the brands rests on very strong pillars, which I think the story conveys beautifully. This Instagram picture is part of the storytelling: it shows the importance of the British heritage of the brand, and gets you to travel around the British isles where local producers contribute to the making of the goods (and, yes, there is a step in Scotland!).

The story, which you can read in full on their website,  is that of the Herdwick sheep, which produces in Cumbria, North England, a rough fleece that goes through multiple stages before becoming the brand’s emblematic tweed bags.

A story with guts and soul make for the depth of the Cherchbi brand

I find Cherchbi to be a brand with guts, because it thrives to make locally produced goods and rely on strong ethical standards. I find Cherchbi to be a brand with a soul, because it is ingrained with years of UK manufacturing tradition. These guts and this soul make a story worth believing in, that I am sure will get the increasing attention it deserves.

More to be discovered about the Cherchbi story on this short video by Decree Magazine, and on their website.

And you, which brand story do you love most?

 

 

Brand Britain at stake

Country branding has been on the agenda for a long time. Whether it is to create a tourism advertising campaign, stand as a strong political ally, or simply generate economic wealth, countries are more and more consciously working on their national brand.

In the wake of the Scottish referendum for Independence due to take place in just a few days, my marketer mind, all political thoughts aside, boggles at the idea of the future of brand “Britain”, should Scotland go its own way.

What would happen of the Union Jack, the “logo” of the brand? As we know, it combines the flag of England (a red cross on a white background), the flag of Scotland (a white saltire on a blue background) , and the red saltire representing Northern Ireland.

Designers have apparently started thinking about the issue and proposed version of the flag that remove the Scottish elements and add green sections instead in a way to make Wales stand out. A change of flag would however cost millions of pounds and likely be highly unpopular.

Yet, the question remains: would brand Britain suffer from a Scottish independence? What would it mean for the brand’s values, the way it is perceived by the public and its long term credibility?

We shall find out soon enough! Stay tuned next Thursday to know if the Union Jack should still bear the Scottish blue.