From Scroll-Stopping to Worldbuilding ~
Growing up, I thought marketing meant big words, bold fonts, and catchy jingles. It was about being loud, polished, persuasive. If you had something good to sell, you shouted about it. Welp, that doesn’t really work anymore…
We’re living in the age of oversaturation. Everyone’s selling. Everyone’s posting. The scroll never ends. And in that endless scroll, what actually makes someone stop?
A story.
Not a pitch. Not a flex. But a moment that feels real. Content that sparks curiosity or emotion – even if only for three seconds. Because attention today is emotional. People don’t remember taglines – they remember how something made them feel.
Lately, there’s been a lot of buzz around storytelling, narrative, and lore. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they’re not the same. Each one plays a distinct role in how brands worldbuild – turning products into places, brands into cultures, and audiences into participants. When they work together, that’s when the real magic happens.
TL;DR:
- Storytelling is how you communicate: it’s moment-to-moment, emotionally charged, relatable.
- Narrative is the throughline: the overarching message or theme that ties everything together.
- Lore is the depth: the worldbuilding, rituals, and inside jokes that make your brand feel alive and participatory.
- These are the layers of brand worldbuilding. Not just culture. Not just vibes. A fully immersive ecosystem people want to belong to.
Storytelling Is the Hook
The shortcut to connecting with our users is through storytelling. It’s how we empathize. How we learn. How we make sense of things. Stories help people see themselves in what you’re building, not just as customers, but as characters.
Look at Netflix trailers. They don’t just say “watch this show.” They pull you in with emotional tension: a secret, a betrayal, a what-would-you-do dilemma. It’s not about the visual effects, it’s about the story.
Important: Storytelling isn’t fluff – it’s the entry point into your brand’s world.
Narrative Is the Thread
If storytelling grabs attention, narrative sustains it. Narrative is the bigger picture. It’s the underlying belief or transformation your brand stands for – the “why” behind everything you say and do. It’s not tied to a single campaign or product; it’s the common thread running through all of them.
Gymshark didn’t just sell gym clothes, they built a narrative around transformation, discipline, and identity. The content wasn’t “Look at our leggings.” It was “Become a better version of yourself.” The product became the uniform for a deeper journey.
A clear narrative connects the dots between your products, your messaging, your mission. It helps people trust you. Because consistency builds belief, and belief builds fandom.
Lore Is the Immersion Layer
If storytelling gets attention, and narrative builds trust, lore builds obsession. Lore is where brands feel alive. It’s the rituals, inside jokes, symbols, slang, drama, chaos, community magic. It’s what turns casual buyers into die-hard fans.
Lore is often associated with video games and book series, but it’s also heavily embedded in brands’ histories, and even in music.
Taylor Swift, for example, is a master of building lore – each album is a new “era” with its own aesthetics, symbols, and emotional arcs. Fans decode clues, symbols, and hidden messages to be able to be the first at cracking the code and getting tickets to her tours. Her universe feels layered and alive, turning casual listeners into devoted lorekeepers.
Great brands today don’t just market, they worldbuild. They give people a universe to step into and a role to play in it.
Reminder: Don’t Skip Voice, Tone, or Language
Visuals aren’t the only piece of brand worldbuilding. Voice is just as crucial. Your tone is a storytelling device. The way you speak builds recognition and relationship, especially across fast-moving platforms.
💡 Ask yourself: Would someone recognize your brand without the logo?
Starface’s quirky self-awareness. Glossier’s whisper-soft minimalism. Wendy’s savage tweets. These aren’t just styles, they’re character traits.
Let Your Audience Write the Next Chapter
The most powerful worldbuilding move? Letting your community/target audience co-create.
Nike doesn’t just say “buy these shoes.” They say “Just do it” – and then show you doing it. Their customers become the main characters. Their stories fuel the brand.
The same applies to creator-led brands, community-first projects, and even SaaS teams that spotlight customer wins. The brands that thrive in 2025 don’t just tell stories, they hand the mic to their people.
How to Bring It All Together
If you’re looking to move from cold marketing to immersive worldbuilding, here’s where to start:
- Lead with a real moment – not a feature
Instead of “Our app helps with time management,” try:
“I was juggling 3 jobs, missing texts from friends, and couldn’t even make time for lunch – so we built something that could actually keep up.” - Put a face to the brand
Let people connect with a voice, a founder, a community member – someone they can see and trust. People follow people. Whether it’s Chamberlain Coffee or the chaotic brilliance of Tarte’s team, it works because it’s human. - Build a world, not just a product
What’s your visual language, tone, in-jokes, rituals? What values or aesthetics make your brand feel like a place to belong – not just something to buy from? - Use conflict and resolution
Every great story needs tension. What was broken? What did you struggle to solve? Let people feel the stakes.
“We noticed people weren’t completing onboarding” is boring.
“We watched 300 users rage quit the same screen. That broke us – so we rebuilt it from scratch” is compelling. - Let your community shape the lore
Share their wins. Celebrate their ideas. Let your audience become your co-authors.
Internal Storytelling Is Just As Important
You can’t build an immersive brand externally if your team isn’t aligned internally.
Your support team, your product leads, your leadership – they all carry the brand’s story. If the stories, narrative, and lore aren’t consistent across channels and roles, the world starts to crack. Users feel the disconnect.
Think of it as a brand stack:
- Storytelling → Attention
- Narrative → Trust
- Voice/Tone → Recognition
- Lore → Immersion
- Internal Alignment → Continuity
- Community Participation → Co-creation
The best brands aren’t built top-down. They’re built through a feedback loop – internally consistent, externally expressive, and deeply participatory.
Beware the Pitfalls
Misaligning storytelling, narrative, or lore – internally or externally – can fracture trust. Think forced memes, tone-deaf crisis comms, or features that break the user promise… yikes!
Also, beware of reusing strategies from others. While we can learn from each other, each worldbuilding should properly fit your target audience, preferably growing directly from your community and values.
This is why brand worldbuilding and its content isn’t just creative – it’s strategic.
Signs you’re building strong lore:
- Drop days feel like cultural events.
- Fans adopt your voice and symbols without being told to.
- The comment section reads like a group chat.
Final Thoughts
In a world full of pitches, the brands we remember are the ones that tell great stories. But the ones we join? They have a clear narrative. They build immersive worlds. They make us feel like part of something bigger.
While there’s a noticeable rise in purely focusing on lore – especially in Web3, as explained by DeFi Dave on X – I believe content strategy is at its most powerful when storytelling, narrative, and lore are thoughtfully woven together.
(Of course, to do so it helps to have a working product that has product-market fit, but that’s a topic for another day 😉)
If you’ve made it this far ~ thanks for sticking around. Hopefully something here sparked a new idea or gave you a fresh angle to bring into your marketing work.
Disclaimer, this is just my perspective shaped by years of building and running marketing across multiple industries. I’ve tested a lot, learned a ton, and earned some real wins through consistent, hands-on work. But the one thing I always come back to? Stay curious, keep sharing, and never stop listening.
I’d love to hear your take! Whether it’s a different pov, a question, or something this reminded you of. Find me on X or Linkedin. I’m always up for a good idea swap. Growing together beats going at it alone.