Building brand stories that endure

There are numerous reasons why some brands endure over the years while others simply fade away and die.

Why do some brands need millions of dollars in advertising to keep themselves propped up while others thrive and prosper thanks to positive word of mouth by a growing community of fans?

Moleskine is such a brand.

(DISCLOSURE: I absolutely love Moleskine notepads!)

This, from the Moleskine website:

Moleskine was created as a brand in 1997, bringing back to life the legendary notebook used by artists and thinkers over the past two century: among them Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Bruce Chatwin. A trusted and handy travel companion, the nameless black notebook held invaluable sketches, notes, stories, and ideas that would one day become famous paintings or the pages of beloved books.

Moleskine doesn’t just bang on about their products but rather, the brand passionately extolls the virtues of jotting down notes, sketches, thoughts, ideas and stories; it celebrates the creativity of the likes of Hemingway, Picasso, van Gogh et al.

The brand is also big on fostering a community of Moleskine fans.

On its blog Molskinerie (which it cleverly acquired from Armand B. Frasco, a fan who established the blog) the brand features snapshots of its customers (pic above, John Nichols sourced from Moleskinerie); on its website, fans can submit artwork to the brand’s online gallery.

One of the ways Moleskine perpetuates the brand’s heritage and purpose is by telling stories.

As Joe Pulizzi (Junta42) says:

“Brand stories don’t just happen.  They are told…and spread.”

The video below, produced by Moleskine, showcases renowned English novelist and travel writer Bruce Chatwin and his love of Moleskine notebooks and why jotting down notes was so important to him.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqNhlN1FGOk]

The author Trevor Young with (one of) his beloved Moleskine notebooks.