Tela’s Gabi Drew on the benefits of looking at brands through a lifestyle lens

The term ‘lifestyle brand’ is banded around quite a lot these days for all different types of IP. Talk me through your understanding of it – and its importance to a brand’s licensing opportunities.
Most of the projects we work on as a strategic and creative studio are labelled by the industry as ‘lifestyle’… Either brands that already sit in that space, or those looking to extend into lifestyle categories. We are creating and shaping lifestyle stories to resonate with final consumers.

At its essence, a lifestyle brand is one that aligns with the interests, values and attitudes of its audience. It goes beyond core DNA or product offerings… It becomes part of how people express who they are: how they spend their time, where they invest financially and emotionally.

So any brand be a lifestyle brand?
Yes, potentially any licensing story can become a lifestyle one – if it’s built on values that truly connect with people. It’s about creating products and experiences that make you feel part of a movement, a mindset or a way of life.

Digging into that, what are some brand attributes that lend themselves to that lifestyle story?
The ingredients of a lifestyle story are emotional connection, cultural and community relevance, and a sense of aspiration. Lifestyle brands help us tell our own stories, or the stories we want to belong to. Within the licensing landscape, they evolve through brand storytelling – through creative assets, product categories and marketing activations. They offer consumers a narrative that aligns with who they are, and how they desire to play out their everyday.

We’re working with automotive, confectionery, airline, video game, postal service and potato chip brands… We’re crafting stories about the emotions these brands bring to our lives. They might be sweet or playful moments, an adrenaline-fuelled experience, the joy of self-discovery and exploration, or simply a pause from the urban hustle.

In terms of successfully ‘activating’ a brand through impactful creative, let’s delve into the importance of consistency and community… How can both contribute to the success of a lifestyle brand?
When we talk about consistency, we refer to an alignment in values. So many licensed properties are still referring to Brand DNA… But DNA is the core identity of a brand. It’s static and doesn’t refer to how the brand interacts with consumers. Value-based narratives, reflecting on how brands interact with the audience, are built through continuity – when a brand shows up with solid values and a distinctive voice. Please don’t confuse consistency with ’the-same-old’! Within value consistency, the stories to be told are infinite.

Got it. I’m loving this! And community?
Within licensing, we’re extending brands across numerous product categories and targets – this drives a community dynamic by definition. When it becomes a story people can relate to and rely on emotionally, it translates into a sense of belonging. A lifestyle brand thrives when people don’t just consume it, but engage with, talk about, wear and share it. Community turns a brand into a movement. It becomes about identity and collective experience. We’re creating inclusive stories that invite people in; a space they identify with and a place they want to stay! We have a little mantra at Tela: creating for partaking.

Creating for partaking… Go on…
It’s the idea that everything we design – products, stories or strategies – is built with the audience in mind as participants, not just consumers. It’s about crafting brand experiences that invite people in, reflect their values, and become part of their daily lives. It’s how a brand moves from being seen to being felt. From being a representation of a corporation, to being emotionally co-owned by a community. In lifestyle branding and licensing, this means every touchpoint – from creative assets to product extensions – becomes a way for people to express identity, emotion and belonging.

Could you give us an example of work Tela has done in this space, where you’ve adopted this lifestyle lens?
We look at ALL the brands we work with through a lifestyle lens! It might be Peppa Pig that inspires healthy eating habits or PAC-MAN that makes a positive statement about having the ‘get-back-up attitude’ in facing challenges. For example, Jeep is a perfect example of how a brand can sell what it represents: adventure, exploration, wilderness. Through value-based storytelling, we can push a brand like Jeep to talk about importance of time spent with family, the role of nature in individual growth and personal wellness…

So brands align with people’s values, and the depth of these stories allows people to extend their own journey through brand interaction. It’s a powerful tool leveraged through connection. This year sees our studio celebrate 15 years of experience in trend research, product and IP development. I am confident in telling you today that there is nothing more ‘trendy’ than solid and cohesive brand storytelling that reflects what we can relate to as humans.