Are you interested in a lifestyle brand? The North Face is one such example. Its clothing is designed to appeal to people who live an adventurous lifestyle. Its brand identity represents creative punk values, and people buy the brand because it makes them feel like an authentic part of that lifestyle. Similarly, a lifestyle brand builds on the consumer’s identity, making it hard to sell products and services that don’t fit their values.
A lifestyle brand might align itself with a social or political cause, such as environmental conservation. Volcom, for example, aims to represent youth against the “establishment.” Another source of lifestyle brands is national identity. In its initial branding efforts, Victoria’s Secret evoked the English upper class, while Burberry focuses on the hip London culture. While lifestyle brands often focus on individual values, others share common values.
The purpose of a lifestyle brand is to cater to a specific subculture and offer its customers a solution for those interests. A running shoe company, for example, does not necessarily need to invent the best shoes to create the perfect shoe, but instead, should offer a product that makes its customers better runners. And in the same way, lifestyle brands can make their customers feel like they’re in a clique.
