Harnessing the power of brand culture and heritage

Image Credit: Adobe Stock/christina nwabugo.

A powerful way for businesses across all sectors to engage and connect with customers is through telling stories focused on their brand’s history and culture. Emphasizing a brand’s unique history and ties to community helps brands clearly differentiate themselves, build trust with consumers, and add authenticity to their offering. Adobe Stock works with contributors around the world as seen in this month’s curated collection to provide local and authentic still and motion imagery for brands to create powerful and authentic narratives around their culture, history and offering.

Heritage is more than history

Today’s heritage marketing often taps into contemporary consumers’ love of nostalgia. Presenting what is familiar helps people feel secure in this time of dramatic disruptions and creates a sense of consistency, shared experiences, and common community. Recent research by Hall & Partners among a representative sample of consumers in the UK and US highlights the effectiveness of heritage in marketing, whatever the occasion. 81 percent of British participants and 83 percent of Americans said they enjoy things that remind them of the past. The results were similar across all age groups in both countries.

Heritage marketing can be powerful in many contexts and builds effective messaging in industries where craftsmanship, tradition, or long-term reliability are valued, such as fashion, sportwear, luxury goods, food and beverage. However, innovative approaches to heritage can make it relevant in almost any industry. For example, a tech company can highlight its history of invention, commitment to quality, or longstanding leadership and ongoing innovations.

A brand does not need to be old to have heritage. Its cultural ties are its roots, the heritage upon which it builds and engages. Newer brands can tap into cultural heritage, connecting to meaningful narratives such as their culture and community, traditional craft techniques, or long-standing values that align with their brand ethos. Sandals Resorts launched an ad campaign in January with the tagline “Made of Caribbean”. The campaign is designed to showcase the company's deep Caribbean roots. Many people might think Sandals is only about honeymoons and weddings but the rebrand stresses that Sandals has more to offer in terms of local Caribbean experiences and culture which helps differentiate its resorts from many others.

Leaning into the past while looking toward the future

While heritage can be powerful, it can also lead to brands becoming stuck in the past and resistant to change. The key is to work with elements from a brand’s cultural roots or its past which remain relevant and meaningful to today’s consumers. Thoughtfully blending these elements with modern innovations is a powerful way to create messaging that feels both familiar and fresh.

Lloyd’s Bank’s recent rebrand brings past, present, and technological innovation together, presenting a wide range of British locals across ages and cultural backgrounds enjoying their daily life and using Lloyd’s Bank’s new app to easily make purchases. “Tonally, that sense of Britishness has been brought to the fore and with it a touch of humor,” says Wolff Olins’ senior creative director Tom Carey. “It’s still the Lloyds we know and love, but redesigned for the future: bolder, wilder and with a charming British twist.”

Authentic community connections

Brands that grow and gain significant advantage are the ones that connect people and culture. Their unique story differentiates them and creates emotional connections that build brand loyalty. Presenting their history in ways that are meaningful and relevant to today’s consumers connects customers to their offering and motivates ongoing purchases.

At this year’s Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas, Delta’s keynote presentation at The Sphere focused on the airline’s 100-year history as well as the company’s technological innovations. But the main message centered around the people who made it all possible: Delta employees past and present. The presentation connected so well with attendees that it made VML Intelligence’s top 10 CES roundup of over 4500 exhibitors. “Pushing the experience agenda to the fore, Delta showcases its superiority when envisioning the future of travel and putting people at the center,” VML wrote.

Many businesses are working hard to connect to Gen-Z, an age group that places immense value on community and belonging. In “ Gen Z and Communities — Why brands have to add value and not just show up”, the author writes, “For Gen Z, the self is a project that is always under construction and communities are vital to this process, offering an arena for experimentation. We are therefore a generation that is inherently invested in community yet has been deprived of it. It’s no wonder that in a post-pandemic world, we are furiously creating our own.”

Highlighting stories that connect with Gen Z’s sense of unity and collective identity, whether it’s through family, social causes or shared cultural experiences is a powerful way to engage this generation. Campaigns that show a genuine commitment to community support will resonate deeply if presented authentically.

Connecting to diverse customers and communities in an authentic manner requires avoiding superficial representations by delving deeper into the traditions, values, and symbols that resonate with the cultural communities you’re targeting. Some powerful approaches include partnering with influencers or community leaders who can bring authentic voices to your campaigns. Bring your brand, heritage and cultural messaging to social platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where cultural trends are created and shared. Make your brand’s presence resonate on these platforms by incorporating culturally relevant elements, leveraging both in-language content and culturally aligned visuals.

Get creating with Adobe Stock multi-asset subscriptions

Starting at just US$29.99/month, our multi-asset subscriptions are tailored to meet various creative needs, giving you access to millions of images, videos (now including 4K), music tracks, video and design templates, vectors, and more. All these assets are available in one place and easily accessible from within  Adobe Creative Cloud apps. Check out our Adobe Stock subscriptions and start creating today.