Brands have always represented certain aspects of culture and groups of people that associate with them. So called “lifestyle brands” take this concept even further. These lifestyle brands represent not only products but the full feelings, values, aspirations, and passions of the people that enjoy them. Lifestyle brands are often heavily associated with certain trends and hobbies, and as people pour their time and energy into these areas, they become emotionally invested in the brand as a result.
Here are a few examples of lifestyle brands that help illustrate this concept.
Gymshark
Gymshark is a brand that essentially created a new type of apparel, comfortable and stylish clothing that is gym and fitness-oriented. You will often find Gymshark products adorning people at your local gym and showing off their muscles on social media like Instagram. Gymshark first launched in 2012 and has since become a major lifestyle brand that revolves around health and fitness.
The strength of Gymshark truly comes from it’s committed customers that have formed a community. The company is heavily invested in social media and encourages their customers to pose in their Gymshark apparel and share their pictures online. They also spend a lot of time interacting with their fans both on social media and in person through numerous events.
DraftKings
While on the surface DraftKings may seem like a simple online sportsbook, the fact is that it has evolved to become an integral part of life for many sports fans. Any given Sunday, a football fan may be with their friends watching the game and regularly refer to their DraftKings app for the latest NFL betting odds, or even their offers as featured on OddsChecker. DraftKings has become intertwined with the experience of live sports and fandom.
This is because DraftKings aspires to be much more than just a sportsbook or fantasy sports platform. The company understands first hand how sports, pop culture, and the fans that enjoy these things all intersect and has positioned itself to benefit accordingly. DraftKings regularly partners with other companies like Pepsi to offer contests for fans and other promotions that attract new users. They have numerous ways they engage with customers to ensure that DraftKings is always the first name you think of when it comes to sports entertainment.
GoPro
GoPro made their name with their “action cameras.” These small, mountable cameras finally gave adrenaline seekers a method to record their incredible feats and share these moments with the world. As a lifestyle brand, GoPro has become representative of these people that crave adventure and daring sports.
The strength of the GoPro company came from its vision. Founder Nick Woodman desired to have a practical camera he could use while surfing and skateboarding. He understands these sports, and the culture and community that surround them and he has brought this mentality with him in this company. However, what really established this company as a lifestyle brand is the user-generated content. Fans of GoPro’s cameras were constantly uploading the high-energy clips that showed them doing incredible stunts and activities and this is how GoPro first found fame as a brand.
Jeep
Jeep is yet another famous and successful lifestyle brand and it comes from an interesting industry. Vehicles have long been representative of your class and identity. The car you drive speaks volumes about you as a person such as what kind of person you are, what your career may be, and many other concepts. Sometimes it is due to practicality, like a pickup truck for blue collar workers. Other times this is due to decades of carefully curated branding efforts from the company.
Of all the different types of vehicles out there, perhaps none better represent a certain lifestyle then Jeep. The image of a topless 4×4 cascading through valleys and mountain tops instantly comes to mind when you see a Jeep parked somewhere. It’s not uncommon to see a Jeep loaded with surf boards and headed to the beach, or carrying bikes on its way to a natural bike trail. The Jeep brand has done an excellent job of creating a community identity around its products and driving a Jeep instantly places you in that community.
Charlie Hustle
Sports are one of the few activities that may bring people together and establish a strong community. Supporting your favorite team automatically brings you into contact with other die-hard fans, which is precisely what Charlie Hustle has done to build their brand community.
Customers can wear Kansas City-themed clothes from this sporty t-shirt company to demonstrate their hometown pride. To be successful, a brand community does not need to have members from all over the world; in fact, keeping it local can sometimes help you score big.
Customers adore Charlie Hustle because of the sense of belonging that each t-shirt exudes. Customers are clearly identifiable as members of the Charlie Hustle community when they wear their tee, thanks to their vintage-made-fresh aesthetic and the Kansas City branding on each piece of clothing.
Glow Recipe
The cosmetics industry is one of the most powerful community-building enterprises in the world. With beauty aficionados continuously looking for product recommendations and reviews, having brand champions on your side is critical.
Glow Recipe wants to make skincare fun for its customers by offering all-natural, fruit-inspired skincare products. Customers can find everything they need to know about their products on their website, including tutorial videos, user reviews, and skincare product recommendation quizzes. They’ve also included a Glowipedia so clients may learn how to recreate their preferred look. By providing clients with so much more than face masks and cleansers, this type of value-added content builds a strong brand community.
Itzy Ritzy
Parenting is emotionally fulfilling but sometimes complicated, so it’s no surprise that, because of the need to cling together, parenting communities are among the strongest and largest you’ll find. It’s no surprise that the brand community surrounding Itzy Ritzy is similar. They’ve become a go-to place for information on anything from diaper bags to teething tools, thanks to a value-add marketing strategy that includes various forms of content.
The parent biographies on their site exemplify their dedication to their community. These interview-style pieces detail not only what their most devoted consumers enjoy about the company, but also their own parenting experiences. This type of genuine user-generated content encourages new consumers to join the Itzy Ritzy community to continue receiving the aid they require.
After a certain point, a company that properly understands the lifestyle brand concept almost stops selling its products or services. It doesn’t matter what they have; it’s who they are that matters. Even if you aren’t actively using a product or service, you are considering it or living the lifestyle because you believe it represents you and the people you want to associate with.
In a nutshell, it creates a social community. People who regard the outdoors as a source of liberation or who enjoy jumping off of things in their spare time. Successful lifestyle brands provide added value to their fans. The most essential thing is to know your audience, to understand what they want and like, and to assist them in receiving it in a way that fosters a long-term relationship—both between your business and your customer and between your consumer and the rest of your audience.