It’s challenging for new brands, particularly to compete in the footwear industry. They have to do effective branding to make a name. At the same time, Allbirds, an American company starting in New Zealand, managed to differentiate its brand from strong competitors. How? Allbirds connected the dots and created a unique identity and perception of their company. It is a simple, comfortable, and sustainable shoe design.
Their wool shoes made them Silicon Valley’s favorite and a Gen Z fashion staple. We have broken down the critical aspects of Allbirds branding that help it become the talk of the town and a consumer favorite. Let’s go through with further delay.
Allbirds Brand Story Overview
Tim Brown, co-founder of Allbirds, analyzed the popular brands in the market that are loaded with flashy, over-designed athletic shoes that somehow miss comfort. He questioned the absence of sustainable resources in the footwear industry.
For this reason, he came up with the vision to create a simple, comfortable shoe made from merino wool instead of synthetic materials.
He knew the magical qualities of merino wool, and he ended up partnering with Joey Zwillinger, an engineer and renewables expert. In a nutshell, together, they crafted footwear made with wool that’s comfortable and sustainable.
His clear vision helped the branding agency to create reliable Allbirds branding elements such as logo, typeface, packaging design, and messaging.
1. Clear and eye-catching Visual brand identity
- As the footwear mainly sources its merino wool from New Zealand, the brand name reflects its natural environment. As New Zealand doesn’t have native land mammals, it’s the center of all birds. The brand name “Allbirds” becomes a powerful symbol of purity, sustainability, and harmony with nature.
- Red Antler created Allbird’s monochrome written logotype with a simple and minimal look. This logo makes them look sophisticated, approachable, modern, and connected to nature. The logo color is black with a white background. Meanwhile, pictured in black and white color gives the brand flexibility to make it go well in different formats.
- Allbirds primarily use white, gray, and black colors. The brand also incorporates inspired-by-nature colors, such as light green, pink, faded lemongrass, pacific blue, and dusty red, that align with its values.
2. Consistent messaging
Whether it’s their visual identity or brand messages, Allbirds branding remains consistent across every customer’s point of interaction.
The brand voice of Allbirds is playful, approachable, and environmentally conscious, which they consistently use on all their social media platforms.
Their brand slogan is “create better things in a better way.” Allbirds emphasizes that they provide “The world’s most comfortable shoes, made naturally and designed practically” and reflect it on every touchpoint.
3. Follows Core Values and mission
Allbirds positions its brand as a designer of sustainable, nevertheless stylish footwear. After all, 78% of consumers believe that sustainability is critical. With rising concerns about climate change, 78% of shoppers feel great when purchasing sustainable products.
Allbirds is a certified B Corp that takes its social and environmental responsibility seriously. Primarily, their brand identity is built on the following core values.
1. Great design with a subtle logo: Allbirds creates simple and minimalist footwear that avoids a flashy logo in the design. Unlike other footwear brands, Allbirds doesn’t place the logo in shoe design. You can only see the logo on the outsole of the shoe, not on the shoe design.
As the brand believes the shoes speak for the people to whom they belong, the brand doesn’t need to scream with a big logo.
2. Wear-All-Day Comfort: Allbirds believes in footwear that one can wear all day without pain. Good fit, great cushioning, and breathable materials make the most comfortable shoes.
3. Sustainability in Every Step: They utilize renewable materials, including wool, sugarcane, tree fibers, and castor bean oil. Allbirds understands the impact of carbon footprints greatly contributes to climate change and global warming.
As a business, Allbirds takes responsibility for reducing its carbon footprint and making it a world better place.
In fact, only the footwear industry emits approximately 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually worldwide. Therefore, Allbirds is on a brand mission to go carbon neutral on their entire supply chain.
Not only that, they are working on carbon offset projects to protect trees as they store carbon. Additionally, it generates wind energy and helps control the spread of dangerous greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Materials From The Earth
Allbirds uses sustainable materials from the Earth for their shoes. This empowers the brand to operate on 60% less energy than typical synthetic material. So, what is their hero material that makes sustainable and comfortable shoes?
- Merino wool (breathable, temperature-regulating, and moisture-absorbent).
- Trees from the forest (comfortable, breathable, and silky-smooth).
- Sugarcane (transformed to SweetFoam® for shoe soles to provide bouncy comfort to feet)
- Trino® (Tree + Merino wool) evolved to TrinoXO™ (for natural odor-reducing properties)
Allbirds works closely with the ZQ Merino organization and has also earned the Forest Stewardship Council® certification. Which means? They source materials that meet the standards to save forests, animals, and the people who depend on them.
Additionally, Allbirds made shoe packaging using 90% post-consumer recycled cardboard. They walk the talk and share reports annually to show the progress all birds have made in drawing carbon from the atmosphere.
You can learn more about the brand identity here: Creating a brand identity for small business: You must know.
4. Inspiring Storytelling
Allbirds does branding by perfectly telling its brand story and catching the audience’s attention while communicating the brand’s purpose and meaning.
The narrative not only encouraged people to buy the products but also inspired them to become part of creating a better world.
Apart from the brand story, Allbirds emphasizes sustainability, comfort, and simple design with no fluff. They just don’t tell; all birds show the exact steps on how shoes are made with wool, tree glider, and sugarcane.
For instance, the “Inspired by nature” series narrates how footwear is designed with sustainable materials and nature in mind. To make a deep connection, they collaborated with artists like Lalese Stamps, Kristen Kish, and Bryce Heyworth to show their creative process inspired by nature. Meanwhile, the brand invites people to join the effort for the planet.
This narrative helps them build unparalleled trust and attract customers that align with their brand values.
What your brand learn from Allbirds Branding?
- Simplify design, messaging, and choices—let quality speak louder than hype.
- Build a brand with a strong purpose that can help improve people’s lives.
- Integrate sustainability into your core product and operations—don’t just talk about it.
- Be authentic and clearly communicate with your audience, and share the facts about how you are making a difference in the environment.
- Use Storytelling to engage and build an emotional connection with your consumers.
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