Best Brand Story Examples to Build Trust with Customers

Everyone has a story, people, communities, and even brands. A brand story is a dive into the values & mission of a company. It is the most humane part of a brand, therefore, learning brand story examples & tips is a must to create your own.

Connections are made via contact. And, if there is no connection between your brand and its customers, the chances of it resonating with the audience can become bleak. To make contact with the psyche of the customer, companies tell their brand story. 

A brand story is often an empathetic side of the company. It creates relatability and emphasizes values that are adhered to by customers. 

Writing a brand story should be the most organic step in the brand-building journey. However, not all of us are writers and storytellers. Therefore to help you with that, we have mentioned some great tips and best brand story examples to help you through it.

So to write your own brand story…read ahead!

What is a Brand Storytelling?

Brand storytelling is a brand story or a brand narrative that evokes human emotion from its users. It is created to create a bond between the customer and the brand leading to loyalty.

A brand story needs to be authentic and should be congruent with the brand values or the brand mission of the company. It is often used as a marketing strategy or tool to increase brand awareness, empower brand perception, and increase a company’s revenue.

Different Mediums used for Advertising Brand Story

Considering a brand story is a marketing strategy, it is advertised to the customer via different advertising channels. These are:

Essential Elements of Brand Storytelling

Just like any other marketing is a mix of multiple ingredients, an example of a good brand story is similar. It can only be impactful if it packs all the necessary flavors. Creating a brand story is similar to creating a recipe i.e. “Sugar and spice, and everything nice!”. 

Adding to it, going overboard with it can make it distasteful. Therefore, let’s first get through the necessary ingredients of a brand story. These are:

1. Understanding the Audience

In marketing, everything starts with understanding the audience. One should ask questions such as:

• What are their likes and dislikes?
• What are their pain points?
• What sort of value do they expect from the product?
• What sort of value do customers have from a brand?
• What is the demographic we are catering to?
• What are the problems your product can fix?

Once these are laid out, the majority of queries are already answered to create a good brand value or perception. It is important to understand what makes your customer feel aligned with your brand values. It’s not always about creating an impulsive buying decision but instead creating a long-term connection with your customers.

2. The Authenticity of the Story

Any story that has been created strictly from a marketing perspective is a farce. Getting confused? On one end, we are preaching that it is a marketing tactic but on the other, we are saying the polar opposite.

Anything created simply from the perspective of pure marketing is 100% tailored and doesn’t seem organic. Good brand story ideas have a clear narrative and free flow that seems authentic.

A brand story is your story that the world needs to know. For instance:

• How was the idea of the brand conceived?
• How the product came to its inception?
• What have been the struggles?
• What gave you the idea for creating this brand?
• What do you want to do or how do you want to serve society with your solution?

These are questions that every brand creator has answers to. Creating a fake brand narrative is never going to take any campaign further. Instead, telling the story with the utmost authenticity will. It doesn’t matter where you come from, or what you did before. What matters is what you want to do with your brand now, and that is what customers genuinely connect with.

3. Communication of Solution

Having brand story ideas laid in place in one aspect of it. Another aspect is how well the story is being communicated. Once a solution has been created, telling the customers how the product can solve their problem is a major battle.

Adding to it, this battle can be won only by utilizing the communication or advertising channels well. Channels that were mentioned above. Every content piece or press release or event should explain how the product can solve the existing problem. Once that is laid out, the initial adopters are most likely to gravitate toward the brand.

4. Community Build-Up!

Building a community is the most necessary step. A community is a group of people who are and will be your loyal customers and will help in catapulting the brand via different mediums. Mediums such as word of mouth, social media, videos, content pieces, reviews, feedback, etc. 

It is important to engage with the community and listen to what they have to say. Taking any negative reviews as feedback is a must. Unlike the board room, a community is not an echo chamber, it speaks what it has in mind. Listening to them can help you figure out your biggest flaws. On the other hand, if these feedbacks are listened to & implemented, the community responds positively and evidently helps in growing the brand.

Top Brand Story Examples/Ideas 

Building a brand story or brand story website examples requires some compelling storytelling ideas for mobile apps branding. Below are some of the top brand story examples/ideas to help you understand how to communicate the message. 

Therefore, let’s dive into the example of brand stories:

Note: There are no official stories published for the brand below. However, their story is scattered across websites and different forums gave out in the past. The examples below are consolidated versions of them.

1. Google

Google is a top-tier company in its niche and is often considered the best example of brand story within its niche.

“Founded in the year 1995 by Standfor University student Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the famous search engine was initially known as the Backrub. The name was a pun for a mathematical notation for 1 followed by 100 zeros symbolizing their goal of “organizing world’s info and making it accessible to the world”.

What started with a ping pong table, blue carpet, & clunky desktop computers outgrew with time and shifted to the famous Googleplex (in Yoshka). Today, Google produces hundreds of products used by billions worldwide, e.g. YouTube, Android, Gmail, and Search. Their enthusiasm for creating tech for everyone has stayed with us from dorm room to garage, despite changes.”

2. Apple

Apple is another inspiring brand, and is often considered a top-tier example of the brand story for new companies in the technology niche.

“Apple Computers Inc. was founded on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, with a vision to revolutionize computers. In 1977, they added a monitor, keyboard, and casing to the Apple I, and in 1980.

Apple prospered in the '80s, due to Jobs' agreement with Adobe, which led to desktop publishing. Apple's market share declined until 1996 when they bought NeXT Software & asked Steve Jobs for help. Jobs became iCEO & formed an alliance with Microsoft. This led to the iBook & iPod, which changed Apple's fortunes.

The iPhone, introduced in 2007, is one of the world's most well-known products. Apple Watch, iPad, Apple Card, Apple News, Apple Arcade, and Apple TV are other popular products. Tim Cook is the CEO, succeeding Steve Jobs who passed in 2011. In 2018, Apple became the first company to reach a market value of one trillion dollars, doubling it two years later.”

3. Marks & Spencer

A British retailer famous all around the world is another great example of brand story and how it is told.

“M&S was founded in 1884 by immigrant Michael Marks, who traveled to the north of England and was successful in obtaining a booth at Leeds' Kirkgate Market. He used the catchphrase "Don't ask the price, it's a Penny" to build his success after arriving with little money and limited English. 

His stall selling home goods quickly prospered due to this simple idea and his diligent work. Tom Spencer, a cashier from the wholesalers Dewhirst, teamed up with Michael to support his expanding business. From this collaboration, "Marks & Spencer" was born.”

4. IBM

IBM is one of the oldest tech firms that has been solving problems of the world for a very long time. It is often regarded as the top example of brand story.

“IBM is one of the largest computer and system integrators worldwide. The company won four Turing Awards, five National Medals of Technology, five National Medals of Science, and five Nobel Prizes.

Before becoming the official name of the expanding international company, the moniker "International Business Machines" was used in Canada priorly for seven years. When Thomas Watson, Sr. oversaw the design of IBM's initial corporate logo and changed the name. Thus began the development of IBM's brand identity, which culminated in Paul Rand's iconic "8-bar logo," which is still today one of the most recognizable corporate marks in the entire world.”

5. TATA

Famous Indian conglomerate that is known for its philanthropy and long history. The history of TATA in itself is one great example of a brand story.

“A privately held conglomerate running for generations now. TATA is everywhere and covers multiple sectors such as chemistries, consumer goods, energy, engineering, information systems, materials, and services.

Founded in 1868, pre-independent India by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, it gave India its first five-star hotel in 1903. Later on, it was expanded to steel (1907), electricity (1910), education (1911), consumer goods (1917), and aviation (1932) by Sir Dorab TATA.

Currently, the TATA group is being run by Ratan Tata and is one of the most renowned brands in the world with their latest acquisition of Air India, which was initially founded by the Tata family in 1932.”

Examples of Brand Values

While building a brand story entails the story of a company’s inception, and what it has been doing so far, brand values establish the core values that the company wishes to provide via its products. 

Some examples of brand values are:

1. American Express

• We back our customers
• We make it great
• We do what’s right
• We respect people

2. Starbucks

• Creating a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome
• Delivering our very best in all we do, holding ourselves accountable for results
• Acting with courage, challenging the status quo, and finding new ways to grow our company and each other
• Being present, connecting with transparency, dignity, and respect

3. Adidas

• Performance
• Passion
• Integrity
• Diversity

How to Write a Brand Story? - Brand Story Template

In order to create a brand story concise and clear, there are certain steps or brand story template that can be followed. It is less about the writing (as it can be fixed later on) but more about the value. Creating a brand story consists of the following steps:

Step 1: Identifying the goal of your brand

• Identify 2 or 3 of your major goals, and write them down.
• Identify existing products or services that are already helping the world to bring out your values.

Step 2: Talk about your history

Start from the beginning. Begin from where your company has started and where it has reached. Also, try to involve some interesting facts about your company to increase interest.

Step 3: Share the protagonist's journey

In every story, there is a protagonist and an antagonist. Be a protagonist, and talk about the hardship you had to face to turn your product into reality.

Step 4: Inculcate Brand Personality

Depending upon the scale of the company and the market you are catering to i.e. B2B or B2C, the brand personality is created. Think from the perspective of the target audience. Once done, identify the language of your brand and its tonality. For instance, a company serving GenZ would have upbeat language while for an established large business it needs to be formal.

Step 5: Define the value and brand purpose

Create two sections that talk about the brand value and brand purpose. Write them down, and be ready to integrate them.

Step 6: Write it up!

Once all the necessary data has been laid out, now, it is time to create the brand story. Write down a piece of not more than 300 words and integrate all the elements mentioned above. Review it thrice, and once satisfied publish it.

Wrapping Up!

There is no predisposition to the thought that conveying your brand story can be tricky for some people. However, if done skillfully can be endeared by people, inspire them, and even turn them into loyal customers. With this article, we have tried to provide you with the best brand story examples. Each of the examples mentioned has its own uniqueness, and that is how your brand story should be. It should be authentic, concise, and should come straight from the heart.