What Is a Lifestyle Brand? A Farmer's Guide
The life of a farmer is a busy one. A lot needs to get done in a day and no two days will look the same. Because of this, it's easy to let certain things slide... like your wardrobe.
We're not trying to call you out here. We get it, really! That's why it's so important to find a brand that embodies the lifestyle you choose to lead, making it easy to upgrade your wardrobe and look the part.
But when it comes down to it, what does this even mean? What is a lifestyle brand? And what on earth could it possibly do to help you with your day-to-day concerns?
We want to talk to you about everything you need to know about lifestyle brands. Want to know how they can actually have a massive impact on your sense of identity, your community, and your life story? Then keep reading.
Defining and Lifestyle Brand
A lifestyle brand evokes, expresses, and lives up the emotions, values, goals, and identities of its customers. It walks the talk, as it were.
Beyond the product and beyond the fact that, at its core, a lifestyle brand is still trying to sell you something, it speaks solely to the human experience. It gives people the platform to express themselves and actively encourages them to become the person they want to be.
Earning Your Trust
The goal of a lifestyle brand is to grow a strong and sustainable relationship. They do this by earning your trust and respect and, in turn, giving you access to the lifestyle and look you're craving.
Lifestyle brands recognize that, for the most part, life can get pretty dull. We often want to make changes or grow into a person who is more adventurous, more put together, or even more socially conscious.
Whether it's food, products, or services, a lifestyle-focused business helps us connect with the ideal version of ourselves. When we connect ourselves to a particular brand, we believe it can help us become more like the people we were meant to be.
How does this work? It works by understanding who they are marketing to.
Sick of the Over-saturated, Over-hyped Market? Us Too
We're all sick of seeing overdone, overly enthusiastic ads and corporations that are not interested in who we are. No one wants to be "sold to." People want experiences and a business that just gets them.
A successful lifestyle brand shouldn't just compile its demographic data into one big lump of a user profile and start churning out content to fit. They study every facet of their customer until they understand exactly what makes them tick.
The days of luring people in with eye-catching displays and aggressive outbound marketing are long gone. The classic ad format is simply no longer appealing to today's consumers - and thank goodness for that.
We're all savvier now. We want to take part in experiences with the companies we choose to support and build an emotional resonance with them.
So beyond that, beyond the understanding of who you are and what you want, how does a lifestyle brand serve you?
A Focus on Community
A lifestyle brand is creating a community out of thin air. It doesn't create a lifestyle. It reflects and exalts one that is already being lived, every day, all day, by their community.
The goal of a lifestyle brand is to not only embody their community and give them a space where they feel seen and validated, but to empower them. To make them feel like they can do anything and be anyone.
Putting It Into Perspective
Let's set up an example to clarify this. Starbucks doesn't refer to its baristas as baristas - they're Starbucks partners. This little detail means that inclusion in the community is something felt by everyone, not just the customers coming in for a drink.
Let's stick with Starbucks a little longer - bear with us. Every season, Starbucks changes its cup designs to suit the mood and atmosphere of the surrounding environment. They set up hashtags for pumpkin spice latte's and their red cup contests, which engage people in a massive online community of support and enrichment.
When you buy a cup of coffee from Starbucks and get the famous red cup, you feel you are a part of something. They do this really well because they understand their customer. While Starbucks is a massive chain that perhaps doesn't inherently care about the individual, they have an excellent marketing team that understands the value of a lifestyle brand.
Lifestyle and Story
So with that in mind, we need to look at how this act of telling stories and creating a community works in the favor of a lifestyle brand.
The human brain is wired to respond to stories, and we've been telling stories since we lived in groups, moving from place to place and drawing on the walls of the caves where we took shelter.
A good lifestyle brand engages an instinctive part of the human brain and creates a compelling and distinctive story. This not only promotes the brand but draws people in who feel connected to that story.
This happens through a relatively simple process. Identify a problem and overcome the challenges that arise from the problem.
At YNOT, we know life is all about challenges. It's not always beautiful. We suffer and fight and keep working, no matter what. That is our story. And we know it resonates with a lot of you reading this.
Getting Personal
Lifestyle brands are social by nature. When we adopt a certain lifestyle, we are usually doing it because we want to show the rest of the world who we are. A company that represents a specific lifestyle is no different.
We are a lifestyle brand for farmers. That means we know what it means to be a farmer. We're not putting on a mask and pretending - we get it.
Our company's personality reflects that. Honesty and authenticity, all with the goal of making life a little easier.
Why Support a Brand that Embodies Your Lifestyle?
If the reasons above weren't enough, let's take a closer look at what supporting your local lifestyle brand can actually do for you. At the end of the day, we know that humans are instinctively driven to seek out like-minded people.
At the core of the topic, we just want to belong to something.
A Sense of Belonging
What exactly is a sense of belonging? We've been talking a lot about it but haven't dived into much about what it means. The desire to belong is an inherently social trait.
We want to be accepted by the people around us, by our friends and families. However, it implies more than a simple acquaintance. The concept of belonging is centered predominantly on acceptance and support.
What drives us to seek out specific groups or lifestyles? Well, because they resonate. Whether it's because we're involved in the same activities or share common interests, ideals, and sensibilities.
Some factors that drive people to look for like-minded people are:
- Interest in similar pop culture trends
- Religious beliefs
- Shared goals
- Social and economic status
We present ourselves in particular ways to show we belong to a certain group. We wanted to build a brand that reflects that - but it goes beyond visual identity.
Our goal is to refine what you already have. It's about giving you the room to focus on your personal goals while maintaining your sense of belonging with ease.
The Benefits to Supporting a Brand
Unless you're looking at massive companies like Starbucks and McDonalds, most lifestyle brands tend to be small businesses. The benefits of supporting small businesses are astonishing.
When you work with a home-grown business, you get excellent customer service and personalized care. You're also supporting your community as they work to support you.
It doesn't get better than that.
Except it does.
Supporting small businesses boosts the local economy and helps shape the community's identity. It also encourages future entrepreneurs, creates local jobs, and offers you unique products that you wouldn't find in big brand stores. Now we can say it doesn't get better than that.
Building a Lifestyle Aesthetic for the Modern Farmer
Personal style. Seems like a challenge to master. It doesn't have to be. Consider the last time you wore something that just felt right. Was it the cut, the style, or did it just work with what you did that day?
Personal style is arguably about more than being comfortable, though we understand the need for comfort and practicality more than anyone.
It's mostly about letting your inner self shine. It's about self-expression. And yes, it's about clothes - but it's also about more than that.
Clothes Are More Than Just Clothes
Trends come and go and the popularity of designers wanes and shifts as the desires of society change. What always remains is personal identity.
We've already established wearing certain colors, brands, and styles of clothing allows us to identify with our people, our tribes, as it were. However, did you know the clothes you choose to wear can actually have a significant impact on your performance?
Feel the Vibe
Professional actors will walk into rehearsals with a specific item of clothing to help them embody a character, whether it's a specific pair of shoes or a heavy skirt that gives them just the right level of swagger or grace.
Imagine what something as simple as the right shirt could do for your confidence? Building a wardrobe to suit your individual style isn't easy, although it doesn't have to be as difficult as you think.
Start with comfort, quality, and visual appeal.
Designing Your Ideal Self
We need to start simple here. Start with one thing you feel particularly drawn to. Maybe it's a style of hat or shoe that you want to use as the foundation of your style.
When you know the key thing you want to focus on, it gets much easier to grow organically from there.
Flaunt What You've Got
Don't worry about the rest, honestly. Embrace your body, embrace your flaws. Celebrate what you have as assets. Our bodies carry us through the tough times. They give us the strength to build new things, grow bountiful harvests, and run headfirst into new horizons.
Express Your Truth
This is what we're all about. And, as a lifestyle brand, it's what we want to support you with. Embolden yourself and show off who you are to the world. When you embrace your truth and own it, you're invincible.
Accessorize
The things you surround yourself with are almost as important as how you look. It could be something simple, like a particular bandana that gets you in the right headspace to work, or a sticker on your water bottle that reminds you of the good life.
As a brand for farmers, our goal is to develop a lifestyle with you, not just for you. While we're sure that part helps, know we're in this together.
Walk the Talk and Look the Part
Hopefully, after all that, you understand, as a lifestyle brand, we're not just trying to sell you a product. We want to build a community with you. We want you to feel seen and heard, and there is no better way to do that than to embrace who you are and own it.
We’ve built a clothing brand for farmers because we know that farmer clothes need to evolve and move beyond the fashions of old. We want to help you embrace your style in a way that feels authentic. Why not check out our bundles page to get you started?