Marketing

Newsletter #37 - 3 frameworks to engage your community through storytelling

Julie Cauville

October 11, 2024

Hello!

‍

What if a captivating story was the key to your brand’s success?

‍

Mastering the art of storytelling is a foolproof (and free) way to differentiate yourself and build a loyal and engaged customer base:

‍

68% of consumers are influenced by a brand’s story when making a purchase.
55% remember a story better than a list of facts.
92% prefer advertisements that tell a story.

But how do you tell great stories and unite your tribe around a memorable narrative?

‍

To help you structure your narrative, I’ll break down 3 popular storytelling frameworks and apply them to the journeys of Gymshark, Veja, and Horace ✍🏻

‍

1️. The Man in a Hole - Horace

One of the most beloved frameworks in cinema and literature, it's the basis of classics like "The Lord of the Rings" or "127 Hours" 🧙🏻‍♂️

‍

In a nutshell:

‍

Comfort Zone: The hero leads a stable, trouble-free life.
Trigger: An event disrupts this stability and leads to a crisis.Crisis: The hero is tested and must overcome several challenges.
Recovery: They eventually manage to overcome these obstacles...
Better Place: ...to find themselves in an even better situation.

*Diagram of the "Man in a Hole" framework*

‍

This is what it looks like for Horace 🧼

‍

Founded in 2015 by Marc Briant-Terlet and Kim Mazzilli, Horace is a French brand of natural and effective skincare for men.

‍

Comfort Zone: Unable to find clean skincare products suitable for their needs, Marc and Kim decide in 2015 to launch their own cosmetics brand.
Trigger: To stand out in the market, they decide to develop their own product formulas rather than distributing them under a white label. Problem: the lab that supports them tells them it will take more than a year and a half of development.
Crisis: Marc and Kim patiently wait and focus on the brand (especially its storytelling). Meanwhile, they distribute competitors' products to test the market. Despite everything, they managed to sell their first product: a toothbrush 🪥. Although the brand finds its target audience, they don’t have the means to finance production.
Recovery: Marc contacts business angels and secures his first round of funding. Demand grows quickly, thanks to a clear promise ("helping all men feel good"), effective marketing, and products developed with their community. Their sales skyrocket, and Horace goes through successive rounds of funding to expand their ranges, grow their team, and develop omnichannel.
Better Place: Today, Horace is recognised as a leading men's skincare brand in France. Their products are sold online (e-commerce and marketplace) and in retail (+20 own stores and hundreds of points of sale). The brand continues to expand internationally with a store opening in London at the end of 2023 and hopes to surpass the €100M revenue mark in a few years.

‍

‍^{🎤 For more details...}^{I was largely inspired by}^{an episode}^{of the French podcast Le Panier. In the same vein, I highly recommend listening to}^{the interview}^{with Anna Brightman, the founder of the amazing cosmetics brand Upcircle.}

‍

2️. No Easy Way - Veja

The ultimate rollercoaster story, a true ride of ups and downs. This framework is used in films like "Rocky" or "Slumdog Millionaire" 🥊

‍

In a nutshell:

‍

Problem: The hero identifies an initial challenge or problem to solve.
Early Success: Their early successes give them hope.
Setback: A major obstacle complicates their situation and leads to a crisis.
Crisis: The hero reaches the peak of their difficulties...
Recovery: ...and doubles down to overcome all obstacles.
Better Place: They ultimately triumph and find themselves in a stable, often much better, position.

*Diagram of the "No Easy Way" framework*

‍

This is what it looks like for Veja 👟

‍

Founded in 2004 by Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion, Veja has become, in 20 years, the French reference for responsible and ethical sneakers.

‍

As Sébastien explains in an interview with The Good Goods, "Veja was built over the long term, with patience. Nothing is linear."

‍

It is very difficult to summarise Veja's story in just 6 steps, but I'll try to give you a condensed version:

‍

Problem: In 2003, while auditing factories in China, Sébastien and François are struck by the contrast between catastrophic production conditions and the utopian marketing of brands. With only €5,000 in their pockets and no fashion experience, they decide to deconstruct and rethink sneaker production.
Early Success: They visit cotton and rubber factories and cooperatives in India, Brazil, and the Amazon. A first prototype is developed and presented at the Who's Next trade show in 2004. The success is immediate, and they sell over 5,000 pairs (mainly at Bon Marché and La Samaritaine)—which they still have to produce!
Setback: Since all the sneaker components need to be created and then assembled, their production time is over five months. The shoes finally arrive in stores and sell out in a week.
Crisis: To meet its commitments, the brand produces in 5 months, which quickly creates a shortage and raises a new challenge: educating consumers. Every day, the brand faces new production challenges, quality problems, and even the fire of all their cotton stock in 2008.
Recovery: Customers eventually receive their pairs and embrace the brand. Their notable achievement: managing to reach and unite a community 100% organically! Since 70% of the cost of a sneaker is usually spent on advertising, Veja chose to allocate this budget to its production costs.
Better Place: After launching its retail business with major distributors in 2005, Veja is globally recognised for its transparency and ethics. Its pairs are available online and in physical stores almost everywhere, and in 2023, the brand generated €300M in revenue.

‍

^{📖 For more details...}^{The brand is very aware of the importance of transparency, so it publishes everything about its journey and production stages on}^{its website}^.

‍

3️. Rags to Riches - Gymshark

The "Rags to Riches" framework is the perfect example of a success story. It can be found in works like "Cinderella" or "Billy Elliot" 🩰

‍

In a nutshell:

‍

Hidden value: The hero comes from a simple, modest background, with no particular predisposition for what they are about to experience.
Trigger: An idea or event changes everything.
Struggle: The hero redoubles their efforts to overcome the challenges they face to achieve their goal.
Success: Their efforts finally pay off...
Deserved recognition: ...and the hero receives the recognition they deserve.

*Diagram of the "Rags to Riches" framework*

‍

This is what it looks like for Gymshark 🦈

‍

Founded in 2012 by Ben Francis and now valued at over $1 billion (🤯), Gymshark is a leading brand in the sportswear industry.

‍

Hidden Value: At 17, Ben Francis gave up his dream of becoming a professional footballer and wasn't doing well in school. He decides to join a gym and becomes passionate about fitness. He spends his free time training, especially with YouTube videos, while studying informatics and working as a delivery driver at Pizza Hut.
Trigger: Unable to find functional and aesthetic fitness clothing, he quickly perceives a need. With a friend, they invest all their savings in a sewing machine and start making their own clothes in his parents' garage.
Struggle: The beginnings are tough - Ben juggles between his studies, his job, and developing his brand. To get it off the ground, he focuses on influencer communities and pays fitness YouTubers to promote his products in their videos.
Success: Gymshark's popularity and sales quickly explode thanks to its strong online presence and Ben's ability to unite his community, especially around recurring events like pop-ups or challenges. In 2018, Gymshark moved out of its parents' garage and opened its first office. That same year, he was named in Forbes' 30 Under 30 Europe list. Since then, their sales have grown by an average of 62% yearly.
Deserved Recognition: Today, Gymshark is a major player in the sportswear industry. Ben Francis has received numerous awards, including a prestigious MBE from Prince William in May 2023. The brand also opened its first flagship store in London in 2022.

‍

^{📖 For more details...}^{If you're interested in Ben Francis's journey, here's the link to his appearance on}^{Steven Bartlett's The Diary of a CEO podcast}^{. Very inspiring.}

‍

Thanks for reading this far!

‍

I hope these stories have inspired you and that these frameworks will help you (re)invent your brand story and connect deeply with your community 💬

‍

See you soon,

‍

Julie

E-commerce Expert @ Bigblue