Tales from the Unexpected – Part 1
From toilet paper to techno: Inspiration for universities about brand storytelling.
In a world drowning in content, the brands that truly cut through aren’t necessarily the biggest – they’re the clearest about why they exist. Their storytelling isn’t an afterthought or a brand veneer. It’s their whole personality. Their values. Their reason for being.
Here are five beautifully unexpected brands that are masters at using storytelling to say something more profound than “look what we sell”. Their lessons offer real inspiration for university leaders ready to treat brand as a leadership tool, not just a marketing one.
1. Who Gives a Crap – Purpose that doesn’t take itself too seriously
What they sell: Toilet paper
What they really sell: A humorous but uncompromising fight for global sanitation
Why it works: Who Gives a Crap doesn’t just lead with purpose – they lead with personality. Their storytelling is punchy, joyful and mission-driven. They use packaging, copy, and campaigns to remind people of the serious reason they exist, without becoming earnest or self-righteous.
University provocation: Are you willing to show some personality in how you talk about your values? Can you communicate your purpose without sounding like a press release?
2. Ffern – A fragrance brand built on craft and constraint
What they sell: Seasonally released, small-batch organic perfumes
What they really sell: Slowness, scarcity, and a meaningful connection to nature
Why it works: Ffern doesn’t just sell perfume. It sells the idea that fewer, better things matter. You can’t even buy a bottle unless you're on the ledger. Their stories focus on soil, growers, craft and provenance – all told in beautifully considered language, materials, and design.
University provocation: Do you have stories of rigour, craft, or local roots that could create a deeper emotional connection with your community, not just an intellectual one?
3. Oatly – Disruption with a side of sarcasm
What they sell: Oat milk
What they really sell: A rebellion against big dairy, big branding, and bland corporate voices
Why it works: Oatly doesn’t try to sound polished, it tries to sound human. Its copy is often handwritten, self-aware, and slightly absurd. It doesn’t explain oat milk – it sells an attitude. A worldview.
University provocation: Can you be brave enough to adopt a bolder voice? To show your institution has opinions? To stop over-sanitising every story?
4. Ecosia – A search engine that plants trees
What they sell: Internet search
What they really sell: Environmental action baked into every click
Why it works: Ecosia's brand is powered by radical transparency. You know how much revenue goes to reforestation, where trees are planted, and how your behaviour makes a difference. It’s not just functional storytelling – it’s moral storytelling.
University provocation: Could you make your institution’s impact more visible, trackable, and tangible – and not just in a PDF buried on the website?
5. Bandcamp – Platforming music that doesn’t fit the mainstream
What they sell: Direct-to-fan music distribution
What they really sell: Artist-first values, community empowerment, and anti-corporate credibility
Why it works: Bandcamp doesn’t shout. It earns loyalty through consistent advocacy for underrepresented artists, transparent payment models, and events like “Bandcamp Fridays”, where 100% of proceeds go to creators. The storytelling isn’t flashy – it’s values-led and trusted.
University provocation: Is your institution seen as on the side of the people it serves — students, staff, society? Could your stories make that clearer?
Final word
None of these brands lead with product. They lead with principle.
Their storytelling is tight, true, and radically human. That’s what builds loyalty and longevity.
If universities took just a little more inspiration from these challenger brands, they might start telling stories not just about what they offer, but why they matter in the lives of the people they serve.