Three timeless practices for achieving brand longevity

Brand leaders feel the pressure to be everything everywhere all at once, to borrow the title—and the vibes—of the 2022 Oscar film. It can feel like we’re being pulled to perform in new universes, constantly chasing conversations across every platform. Like the main character who navigates a multiverse of competing realities, we traverse the media landscape, following ever-evolving trends. 

The reality is, you don’t need to be omnipresent, but you do need to be useful to the audiences you’re trying to reach. How you do that involves focusing on quality over quantity and ensuring your content is genuinely valuable—and ultimately lifts up your brand. Today’s consumers are more selective about where to point their attention and more proactive about managing their privacy settings, guarding access to their sought-after feeds.  

The pressure to deliver immediate results can be overwhelming. Brands are lured by the promise of “growth hacking” their way into people’s attention stream with superficial, short-term tactics. This method may deliver the vanity metrics that look good in a monthly report, but chasing clicks at the expense of long-term brand-building is risky.

Just ask Nike. In a recent LinkedIn post, a former marketing leader for the swoosh brand delivered a thorough critique of the company’s recent strategy pivot, which he argued damaged Nike’s brand equity—and bottom line. In his viral post, Massimo Giunco revealed how Nike favored strictly “data-driven” tactics that prioritized its e-commerce business while abandoning its famous brand-building practices like storytelling and in-store experiences that made the brand so iconic. 

By chasing short-term gains, Nike just became another part of the commoditized noise on social media. This approach ultimately backfired, leading to their lowest share price since 2018.

Giunco encapsulated succinctly what many of us know to be true about the art and science of brand storytelling: “Nike invested a material amount of dollars (billions) into something that was less effective but easier to be measured vs something that was more effective but less easy to be measured.”

This cautionary tale underscores the fundamental practice of brand-building through high-quality, useful content, crafted in a way that makes audiences take notice.  

There will always be new platforms for brands to show up on and new conversations they must follow. But there are also timelessly effective methods that brands should apply that will help them achieve longevity and maintain relevance. Here are three enduring non-trends that we love. 

1. Lead with utility

Content that is useful meets a need in the course of someone’s busy life. Think about it: an insightful post on your homepage could help a business leader look at a problem differently. Likewise, an inspiring video on Instagram could give a would-be customer a much-needed break from the news cycle. Each of those scenarios serves a distinct purpose.  

By providing valuable insights, practical advice, or simply a moment of inspiration (arguably a practice Nike helped define, as seen in this 1997 ad), brands create meaningful engagement that goes beyond a single transaction. This way of storytelling fosters loyalty and encourages repeat interactions, ultimately leading to a stronger, more resilient brand.

As we saw in the Nike case study, you can’t neglect purposeful, useful storytelling in favor of content created solely for acquisition. While leaders measured early success in its e-commerce strategy, ultimately, Giunco says, “The proverbial ability of Nike to leverage the power of the brand to sell sneakers at 200$ began to be threatened.” Fierce online competition and supply chain issues eroded Nike’s ability to maintain high margins. With the lack of a brand storytelling strategy, Nike risks losing customers who no longer feel an affinity to the brand, something that newer brands like On and Hoka have been happy to exploit.     

But there are plenty of examples of brands that do invest in their audience relationships in meaningful ways. For instance, HubSpot’s acquisition of The Hustle exemplifies this approach. By investing in a newsletter that serves millions of subscribers, HubSpot consistently provides value to its audiences—not only through its daily hot takes on everything from Mark Zuckerberg to the Savannah Bananas, it also offers resource content like AI templates and entrepreneurs’ playbooks. Clearly the newsletter isn’t just a promotional vehicle for HubSpot. It’s an engaging way to cultivate a community of informed and empowered readers, positioning HubSpot as a trusted resource and thought leader in the industry.

Similarly, we helped our client Intact Technology reach audiences with practical lessons for the industry on how to build outcomes-driven businesses. A fast-growing IT consultancy, Intact regularly shares its philosophy for driving outcomes and achieving measurable success for its customers. For example, a recent LinkedIn post from the brand offered a step-by-step guide to its unique methodology, providing valuable insights and reinforcing the brand’s core values. And articles on its website feature refreshing perspectives on hiring for emotional intelligence and surprising ways to manage customer relationships with empathy.

By consistently sharing valuable, actionable content, Intact not only establishes itself as a thought leader but also builds trust among its audience—an invaluable tool in an industry where relationships are paramount. 

2. Amaze your audience with high-quality experiences

In a world dominated by algorithms that dictate content consumption and endless digital distractions, there’s an opportunity to offer something truly memorable—and tangible. 

A recent New York Times Magazine article highlighted a resurgence of high-quality print magazines serving outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers. The tactile sensation of 70-pound paper stock offers a unique and satisfying experience that digital media simply cannot replicate. Liz Lapp, owner of Hi-Desert Times, a magazine shop in Twentynine Palms, California, compares it to the renewed interest in vinyl records. She told the reporter John Branch, “It’s kind of the same audience, people coming back to magazines, people new to magazines, people who just don’t want to be on their phones anymore.”

Print isn’t just a nostalgic throwback; it’s a strategic move that acknowledges people’s need for meaningful experiences away from their screens. In fact, a recent Morning Consult report shows that younger people are more inclined to embrace “dumb phones,” than older generations, perhaps as a backlash to the always-online culture they were born into.  

Salesforce embraced this trend, too. In 2019, we partnered with them to launch a limited-series print magazine called Vantage Point. Competing for the finite attention of influential business leaders, Salesforce needed a way to deliver value in a meaningful way. These leaders face complex problems that can’t be answered with a quick Google search.

Vantage Point addressed these complex issues head-on, with features on customers’ evolving privacy expectations and advice from fellow business leaders on managing digital transformation. By providing this high-quality, thoughtful content in a print format, Salesforce not only captures the attention of its target audience but also reinforces its brand as a provider of valuable and enduring insights.

3. Make it easy for audiences to spend more time with you 

We’re in a new era. The decline of third-party cookies and the increasing focus on privacy mean that publishers can no longer rely on traditional search traffic optimization. (Also, solely relying on SEO is a really bad way to cultivate a loyal audience.) Plus, people are exhausted by the internet’s avalanche of content. Especially post-COVID, we crave more meaningful, high-quality experiences. 

It’s within this context that we’re seeing a reinvestment into experiences, including on the homepage. In a recent piece in The New Yorker titled, The Revenge of the Homepage, Kyle Chayka wrote, “If Twitter was once a sprawling Home Depot of content, going to specific sites is more like shopping from a series of specialized boutiques.”

Chayka said homepages are “a way to get a controlled, curated look at what a publication offers, and a chance to actually connect with what its identity is. That’s the opposite of how social media worked, totally dissociating content from its origins.” 

Publishers like Polygon are recognizing the importance of creating a memorable experience. In an interview with our former colleague Mikhail Klimentov, Polygon executive editor Matt Patches said the gaming culture site is getting a refresh. The new site will be “optimized for perusing and discovery and engagement, and hopefully it’ll feel more like a page that people on the internet are spending their time on right now.”

Investing in your homepage and other owned channels ensures that you create a consistent brand experience that builds trust and loyalty. This focus on direct engagement and high-quality content will help your brand stand out and thrive in an ever-changing digital landscape.

This is a timeless exercise that prioritizes the cultivation of a dedicated community over transient social media interactions. As social media becomes less reliable for genuine engagement, the value of a well-crafted homepage experience becomes even more evident.

Embracing these timeless practices of being useful and delighting people with high-quality experiences will not only meet the immediate needs of your audience but also lay the foundation for sustained growth and relevance in an ever-evolving digital world.

Remember, you don’t have to perform in every new universe to make a lasting impact. Focus on what truly matters, and let your brand’s unique story shine through. This strategic, thoughtful approach will ensure your brand remains strong, admired, and enduring.