6 MIN READ

When’s the last time you stopped to think about your relationship with a brand? Maybe it’s a routine thought as you stroll through your local grocery store, deciding which type of coffee harvest process will create the best blend to use in your AeroPress. Maybe it’s a little less regular, reserved for when there’s a slight chill in the air and you’re on the hunt for a light-weight yet sustainable jacket. Or perhaps you only consider your relationships to brands in the context of political cycles, when this party or that seems to have the support of “your” brand…and you don’t know how to feel about it. 

Whether you’re aware of it or not, a portion of our self-expression and even our personality can be greatly influenced by brands. Brands that, in their effort to attract like-minded consumers, embody certain values, attitudes, or opinions. 

Say hello to the lifestyle brand.

This is not another blog post presuming to know more than you do. We are acutely aware of your familiarity with lifestyle brands. Whether it’s Patagonia, Glossier, or Apple, you no doubt know that these brands stand for something—be it environmental protection, human potential, or technological innovation. They all strive to reach an affluent consumer base by offering products, services, and values that, hopefully, will form a long-lasting connection with the customer in pursuit of making an impact in society. 

Affluent vs. Luxury

But there is a difference between “affluent” and “luxury” consumers and lifestyle brands. Luxury lifestyle brands cater to a very wealthy part of the population, often offering products that are unattainable to large groups of people—even more often, in service to simply providing luxury goods for the sake of status—think Gucci or Mercedes-Benz.

Affluent lifestyle brands appeal to a well-off consumer base, yes, but they do so by sharing the same values as their customer base. These brands embody “corporate responsibility” and empower their customers with the promise of a net-positive impact. 

As Millennials and Generation Z continue growing into positions of influence in our society, affluent lifestyle brands are becoming increasingly important as the corporate reflections of these age groups—with their ideals and aspirations. In fact, as the latest Edelman Trust Barometer reports, consumers continue to see government and media as divisive. Instead, they look to “big-b” Business to do more for societal problems.

Patagonia, a lifestyle brand, and Gucci, a luxury brand, tell two different stories through the subject matter they focus on in their social media posts. Gucci focuses on the celebrities who wear their clothes, while Patagonia tells the story of everyday people who embody the Patagonia brand.

Lifestyle Brand Trust

In Edelman’s report, 58% of respondents noted they “will buy or advocate for brands based on their beliefs and values,” while a resounding 80% “will invest based on their beliefs and values.” In the game of capitalism, modern consumers are no longer purchasing items haphazardly—they genuinely care about what those companies and brands are doing with their power of influence. 

Now more than ever before, businesses must first turn inward to not only identify what they stand for, but how they will stand for it. In order to build trust, brands must become comfortable showing their progress—and missteps—to the world. According to the Edelman report, this can look like “demonstrating tangible progress” to show that systems are in place and work is being done to create a better future. 

However, sharing this progress cannot be a one-off occurrence. Consumers want information they can trust on a consistent basis. These regular updates allow them to know that their feedback is being heard and taken into account as the brand continues to shape its future. It’s only through on-going, factual updates that distrust will begin to fade and allow trust to thrive. 

Marketing for Lifestyle Brands

When it comes to their marketing programs, lifestyle brands must embody their values in every step of the customer journey. There is little room for missteps when trying to create an inclusive online presence and affluent consumer experience. A failure to acknowledge a pressing social issue or provide tangible proof of action in response to such issues (no virtue-signaling here) can lead to an online backlash and severe fan declines.

There are several key elements within digital marketing that can establish lifestyle brands as the forces-for-good that they really are—or are striving to be, in the case of small, startup companies. Below are the most critical components that comprise a successful, lifestyle-brand marketing program. 

Community Building

An effective lifestyle brand is an active one. It’s not enough to have a presence on social media and publish enticing, educational content; you must also make a habit of engaging with your followers and other socially conscious brands and thought leaders. When building a social media program, these connections—made through liking, sharing, and following—are essential to creating and sustaining a long-term relationship with consumers. In turn, they will champion your brand and serve as ambassadors for your products or services. 

Diverse Representation 

Speaking of brand ambassadors, influencer programs are essential to the growth of a lifestyle brand. When working with content creators, businesses can connect with a new audience in a less formal yet more authentic space that makes the transition from potential follower to loyal fan that much smoother. The ideal influencers for your program should be a reflection of your brand and share the same values—even if they’re not directly connected to your industry. Furthermore, your chosen influencers should be representative of the world around us and include individuals with a variety of different lived experiences. By creating an inclusive, diverse program, you will both connect with a wider audience and amplify voices that are often underrepresented. 

Paid Strategies

You can say all the right things and package them in a way that’s pleasing, but if you don’t have a highly targeted paid strategy, you may end up talking into the void. It takes precision to reach the right affluent audience. Paid advertising is essential to grow your brand in general, yes, but, more importantly, growing your brand with the followers that represent and share your values and beliefs. 

Take for instance soon-to-be-author Karena Kilcoyne. Founder of the Rise Above the Story lifestyle brand, in which women are taught Karena’s formula for healing from past trauma. Thanks to a hyper-targeted paid campaign and regularly posted, emotionally-impactful content, her new Facebook page grew to 40,000 followers in less than 6 months—followers that engaged on levels far higher than industry standard.

Next Steps

So how do you start marketing your lifestyle brand? At Branch & Bramble, it’s our mission to help guide lifestyle brands to success, leveraging our team’s expertise and experience to allow you to reach new heights in the digital landscape. Because your lifestyle brand stands for something, and we’re here to find affluent audiences to stand with you. Every step of the way. 

To learn more about our services or set up a discovery call, reach out to us on our contact page.