The Brand-Building Playbook in 2025
The brands winning in 2025 aren’t chasing trends - they're building something bigger.
Read Time: 2 Minutes 34 Seconds
Hey - Robert here.
In today’s edition:
Why trend-chasing brands collapse
How the strongest brands in 2025 build movements
3 steps to create your own meta-narrative
Brand building has changed.
We’ve entered an era where people don’t just want quick dopamine hits.
They want something bigger, something with meaning.
A movement. A mission. A brand world they can belong to.
Because brands built on fleeting trends?
They disappear as fast as they blow up.
Remember Island boys? They went viral overnight and vanished just as quickly.
But brands built on stories and deeper messages?
They last decades and disrupt markets faster than anyone expects.
Take Mid-Day Squares.
Their main mission?
Disrupting the chocolate industry and becoming a leading "better-for-you" snacking brand.
They didn’t just sell chocolate.
They challenged the status quo and invited people to join their mission.
As a result, they are one of the fastest-growing chocolate companies in just 7 years.
Because they weren’t chasing quick wins, they were building a movement.
This is the real playbook in 2025.
It’s no longer about posting random content.
It’s about building a meta-narrative, the story behind the story.
A framework that makes people return again and again.
Not just to buy, but to belong.
So, let’s explore 3 steps to build a meta-narrative and examples of brands doing it right in 2025.
1. Define Your Meta-Narrative
Every great brand starts with a reason to care.
And that reason isn’t features, benefits, or ad spend.
It’s the unifying story that ties every piece of content together.
That’s your meta-narrative.
It’s not just what you sell.
It’s the big mission, the journey, and the core values that give your brand meaning.
To define it, answer these questions:
What’s the bigger story behind your business?
What makes your brand truly different?
What journey or mission could people follow?
Great examples:
O3Space: Creating a productivity cafe to replace Starbucks.
4Ocean: On a mission to end the ocean plastic crisis.
Joyride: On a mission to offer a healthier, better-tasting alternative to traditional sweets.
Notice a similar pattern?
All of these brands are creating stories that people actually want to follow.
They aren’t chasing trends, but they are creating them.
2. Build Tension Loops
The best brands don’t stop at one story.
They create ongoing narratives that pull people back in.
Think of it like a TV series.
No one watches just one episode. They binge-watch an entire season…
And then wait impatiently for the next drop.
That’s how you want your content to feel.
To do this right:
Build anticipation between content pieces
Post clues, teasers, and series elements
Create a brand world where people want to live in
Great example by Pick’em:
Video 1: Introduces the challenge + teases what’s coming next
Video 2: Continues the story + prompts people to return
Video 3: Final reveal + David Dobrik’s reaction + product promo
Remember, the best stories don’t just end.
They leave teasers for the next one.
3. Turn Viewers into Participants
The easiest way to make people care…
Is by turning viewers into participants, not just consumers.
Because when your audience feels part of the story,
it creates a movement, not just moments.
Here’s how to do it:
Give them small, actionable ways to join in
Ask them to share or co-create content
Build a sense of belonging and contribution
The best example in 2025 from KidWithCrocs:
Video 1: Asking his audience to come and sign Crocs in NYC parks
Video 2: Highlights of the event and clips of his audience signing Crocs
As a brand, the focus should never be on creating volume.
The focus should be on creating an impact.
And KidWithCrocs proves it…
They gained more than 700K followers with just 9 videos.
Yes, only 9 videos.
All because of a strong meta-narrative that connected with millions, not just thousands.
Brands that will win in 2025 aren’t the loudest.
They’re the ones with the most impact.
Because people don’t just buy products.
They buy the story they want to be part of.
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One step at a time. More strategies next week.
Talk soon,
Robert
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