In today’s day and age, audiences connect with real people doing real things. One study found that viewers watch documentary-style branded content 3-5 times longer than traditional ads. What does that mean for you? Here are some ideas for how you could bring your story to life:
An “Aftermovie” Event Film
The Founder Story
An Adventure Film
The Customer’s Story
The Craftsmen Story
1. An “Aftermovie” Event Film
What is it actually like to be at one of your events? Who turns up, and why should anyone else care?
“Show, don’t tell.” Capture the highlights, the lowlights, and the real people behind the brand, and let them show how it truly feels to be there.
2. The Founder Story
Who are the people behind the brand, and what do they believe in?
Show audiences where your brand came from and who built it. If people believe in your mission and trust the people driving it, they’re far more likely to buy into it.
3. An Adventure Film
What does your brand look like in real life, used by genuine people?
This is one of our favourites because it distils a brand’s essence into a single story. Follow real people on an adventure and capture your brand in action, whether that’s a piece of kit, a place, or a community.
The surf brand Need Essentials uses this technique really well, with one episode (44 minutes) of Torren Martyn surfing in West Africa reaching over 1M views on YouTube.
Another great example which is one of my favourite documentary series is the YouTube series DIRT by the men’s outdoor clothing brand Huckberry, where their episode on an Ireland Food Road Trip has got over 2.7M views.
4. The Customer’s Story
Who are the people who use your product or service, and why?
This could be similar to the Aftermovie film capturing customer stories during an event, or it could be a more focused profile of one or two people and what your brand means to them.
5. The Craftsmen Story
Who are the makers behind your brand, and what drives them? What makes their work unique?
In the outdoors world, that might be the people who source your materials, make your kit, or plan and guide your events. For example, the Product Designer who both makes and tests the kit.
For food and drink, it could be the gardener who grows the produce, the fisherman who catches it, the chef who prepares it, or the waiter who passionately shares their knowledge with customers.
Roo Smith, an outdoor filmmaker based in Colorado and all-round legend created a lovely example of this for Patagonia where with a mini-documentary about Katie Lamb, a Patagonia Climbing Ambassador who sews her own clothes.
Tell the Story Only You Can Tell
Brands like Need Essentials, Patagonia, and Huckberry have built deep connections with their audiences by leading with real stories, ones that resonate and make people want to be part of something. Whichever format you choose, the principle is the same: show the real people, places, and moments behind your brand.
Ready to find the story your brand is waiting to tell? Get in touch and let’s talk about it.
