Do you ever feel like: Your campaigns start from scratch? Every deck sounds like it came from a different company? Every piece of content fights for meaning? Move Your Story Further  fixes that. After years helping brands shape their stories—from conservation campaigns to university rebrands to national burger campaigns—we decided it was time to put what we’ve learned into a book. It’s not a book of theory. It’s a field manual for building a story system—one that connects your purpose to your product to your platform. A system your whole team can actually use. Why We Wrote This We kept seeing the same thing: talented teams with strong missions and great creative… but no unifying thread. Each platform sounded slightly different. Each team had a different take on what the brand really  stood for. This book is designed to help you build what we call a Unique Story Proposition —a narrative backbone that turns scattered ideas into a focused story system. We show you how to find it, shape it, and use it every day. Inside the Book You’ll find: A step-by-step framework for building your brand’s narrative spine Real-world examples from brands like Airbnb, Patagonia, and GE Tools for turning your story into modular, scalable communication Insights on tone, tension, and emotional memory Practical tips for briefing teams, pitching stakeholders, and creating story-led strategy across channels Whether you’re leading a marketing team, launching a startup, rethinking your brand architecture—or just trying to make your messaging make sense—this book was made to help. Where to Get It

Nike didn’t just sign Michael Jordan—they told his story. And in doing so, they reshaped their own. In the early 1980s, Nike wasn’t the cultural powerhouse it is today. It was a scrappy running shoe company struggling to find footing in the basketball world. Converse had the NBA stars. Adidas had the street cred. Nike had neither. Their basketball division was bleeding. And then came Michael Jordan. Enter Michael Jordan , a rookie from the University of North Carolina with rare talent and charisma. He was magnetic. He had swagger. And, he had a chip on his shoulder the size of the league. At the time, Jordan wanted to sign with Adidas. But Nike came with a bold vision, not just a contract. They didn’t just want to sponsor him. They wanted to build an entire brand around him. That brand— Air Jordan —would soon become a storytelling vehicle unlike anything the sports world had seen. The Origin Story: Creating Myth from Rebellion Nike’s decision to center a marketing campaign around a 21-year-old rookie was a massive gamble. But they leaned into narrative, not stats. The first Air Jordan 1  shoes debuted in 1985—and were promptly banned by the NBA  for violating uniform rules. Nike ran with it. “On October 15, Nike created a revolutionary new basketball shoe. On October 18, the NBA threw them out of the game. Fortunately, the NBA can’t stop you from wearing them.”— Original Air Jordan ad, 1985 With one ad, Nike positioned Jordan as a rule-breaker and visionary, and the Air Jordan as a symbol of defiance and individuality. It was marketing jiu-jitsu. They turned a rule into rocket fuel. And kids everywhere lined up to wear what the NBA couldn’t handle. For marketers, it was a masterclass: don’t just sell a product; frame it as the beginning of a legend. Michael Jordan as a Brand Archetype Nike didn’t market Jordan the athlete. They marketed his aura. He wasn’t just a basketball player—he became a symbol of excellence, clutch performance, and obsessive drive. Nike positioned Jordan as the embodiment of human potential pushed to its limits. Everything about his brand story was intentional: His fadeaway jumper? Iconic. His flu game? Heroic. His relentless trash talk? Legendary. His championships? The crown jewels. Nike translated these moments into narrative assets. Each shoe became a chapter: the Jordan III  marked the arrival of designer Tinker Hatfield and the Jumpman logo. The Jordan XI  was the comeback shoe. The Jordan XIII  was the “Black Cat” predator. The shoes weren’t just products—they were artifacts. And the storytelling made fans feel like owning a pair meant owning part of greatness. The Jumpman: From Logo to Transcendant Icon In 1988, the now-iconic Jumpman logo debuted. It wasn’t Jordan’s name. It wasn’t even his face. It was his pose —a silhouette suspended in air, legs splayed mid-dunk. That logo became a visual shorthand for everything Jordan represented: grace, power, flight, magic . More importantly, it was a brand within a brand. Nike eventually spun off Jordan Brand as its own entity. It still sits under the Nike umbrella, but with its own athletes, apparel, campaigns, and cultural capital. The Jumpman isn't just about basketball anymore. It’s appeared on suits, golf cleats, soccer kits, and runway collaborations with Dior. This is where the brand-building gets brilliant: Nike used Jordan to build a myth. Then it let the myth stand on its own. Narrative Consistency = Brand Power From day one, Nike has kept Jordan’s brand voice focused: Relentless excellence Competitive fire Style meets dominance Flight and transformation Even decades after his retirement, Jordan’s image is tightly controlled. The storytelling continues through new athlete signings (like Zion Williamson), anniversary reissues, social media content, and documentaries like The Last Dance , which reignited global Jordan fever. And yet, the core message remains: Michael Jordan defied gravity—and so can you. The Innovation Wasn’t Only the Shoe Everyone talks about Nike’s Air sole technology. But the lasting innovation was narrative. Nike wasn’t selling cushioning. They were selling aspiration. “It's gotta be the shoes!” wasn’t just Spike Lee being funny. It was satire that worked like gospel. It created a tension: we knew  it wasn’t just the shoes—but what if it was? That’s brand alchemy. That’s how myth works. What Marketers Should Take from This There’s no copy-pasting the Jordan playbook, but the principles behind it? Those are gold. 1. Create a Hero Narrative Build your brand around someone—or something—that people can believe in. Nike positioned Jordan not just as a player, but as a protagonist . His journey had stakes, conflict, rivals, and triumphs. That gave the brand story arc and momentum. 2. Build Symbols That Outlive the Product The Jumpman logo isn’t tied to a single season or stat. It’s a timeless symbol—recognizable across generations and cultures. That’s the power of great brand design. 3. Own the Origin Myth The “banned” Air Jordan 1 is one of the greatest brand origin stories in history. It turned a regulatory hiccup into global iconography. Good marketing finds narrative leverage in the moment. 4. Let the Brand Grow Into a Universe Jordan Brand didn’t stop with MJ. It built a roster, expanded into fashion, and even collaborated with luxury labels. Each move extended the story without breaking the myth. 5. Balance Control and Evolution Jordan’s image is carefully managed, but the brand still evolves with culture. Nostalgia fuels the retro releases; relevance powers the new collabs. That’s long-term brand health. Why It Still Works Jordan hasn’t played since 2003. He’s not on TikTok. And yet, in 2024, Jordan Brand pulled in over $6.6 billion. Because Nike didn’t just ride a moment. They built a story. A story that people still believe in. Narrative is the moat. The myth is the multiplier. And if you get it right, your brand doesn’t just stay relevant—it becomes timeless. Final Word “Be like Mike.”

The Arctic has a way of calling to you. It doesn’t shout—it whispers, through the cold and the stillness. For us, that call began in Churchill, Manitoba, where we filmed polar bears along Hudson Bay. But what kept drawing us back wasn’t just the wildlife—it was something deeper. It was the tension. The urgency. The sense that something critical was unfolding, and we needed to witness it firsthand. The Arctic isn’t just a vast expanse of ice and snow. It’s a cultural hub, a geopolitical fault line, and the fastest-changing region on Earth. You can’t fully grasp its complexity from afar. We didn’t want to watch from a distance. We wanted to be there—present, immersed, on board. The Spark We pitched something bold to Telefilm and ArcticNet : a feature-length documentary and a 360° immersive VR experience filmed aboard one of Canada’s most iconic ships—the CCGS Amundsen . You might recognize it from the $50 bill, but standing on its deck is something else entirely. It’s more than a ship; it’s a research lab, a lifeline, and a contradiction: cutting-edge tech carving through ancient ice. As CBC Manitoba reported , the Amundsen “explores the Arctic on iconic icebreaker,” offering a lens into climate change that ordinary documentaries can’t capture. And this isn’t academic theatre—this is ice, grit, and real risk. The Story Breaking Ice We joined the Amundsen’s crew in Kugluktuk, Nunavut, cameras rolling. For six weeks, we sailed the Northwest Passage with scientists, researchers, and Coast Guard personnel. We filmed through blizzards, captured search-and-rescue operations, and slept in cramped bunks while sonar pulsed beneath. But we didn’t shoot the postcard Arctic. We shot the pressure. Every experiment a race. Every crossing a gamble. Every data point could tip the scales between “not yet” and “too late.” Director Christopher Paetkau said it best: “It's really just a human struggle. They have to get somewhere, they have to do something, and things get in the way—and how do they react to that?" The stakes aren’t theoretical. As CBC noted in another feature, the icebreaker expedition is on the front line of climate research in the North, which “studying the effects of climate change up there.”—research that gets disrupted when the vessel loses time or a mission leg is cancelled. Paetkau summed it up: “The Amundsen is Canada's primary research vessel going into the high Arctic… when you lose a leg or you lose time or you lose anything, it has impacts not only on the science but on the scientists.” - Nunatsiaq News The Build This wasn’t just a film; it was a platform. We held pre-screenings for scientists, students, and northern communities. We partnered with ArcticNet to showcase it at major Arctic research summits in Quebec City. Additionally, we built a 360° VR experience of the Amundsen so anyone, anywhere, could step into the ice, the urgency, the future. As noted in CBC, this Manitoba-made documentary “explores the Arctic on iconic icebreaker” by blending traditional filmmaking with immersive tech. The VR experience puts viewers in bunk rooms and on the deck, letting them feel the cold biting and the hull crunching through ice floes. This approach breaks down the distance between an audience and a region most will never visit. Whether you’re in Winnipeg, Toronto, or Tokyo, you can now feel how every delay, every storm, every decision matters. The Outcome The film was picked up by CBC and Nunatsiaq News, and is available to watch through the National Film Board of Canada . Nunatsiaq previewed it, stating it’s “about the emotion behind the science” and noting the dramatic pivot when the expedition was scuttled due to ice conditions, disrupting a $17-million over-4-year Hudson Bay study led by the University of Manitoba. Screened at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and ArcticNet conferences, Breaking Ice brought northern voices into global conversations. The NFB’s online collection now features the film for broadcast and educational use. But beyond media pickups, the real outcome was opening a door—to a region that’s changing before our eyes, to the Inuit communities, the scientists, and the crew living that change, and to a story that is still unfolding. What We Learned Spending weeks engulfed in ice teaches you about rhythm, resilience, and relationship—both with the environment and with the people around you. It’s a lot like storytelling. You need patience, a steady course, and a tough hull. You need a crew that knows how to move forward, even when everything pushes back. That’s what we witnessed aboard the Amundsen. And it’s a lesson for anyone tackling a big story or a big project: craft matters. Integrity matters. Humanity matters. Why It Matters The Arctic isn’t a backstory—it’s the main event. It impacts sea-level rise, global weather patterns, Indigenous cultures, and international politics. This film and VR experience aren’t just another media project; they’re tools for connection and awareness. As CBC noted, this isn’t just another documentary—it’s a chance to explore climate change through direct immersion, through real risk and real people. Breaking Ice isn’t the final word on Arctic storytelling—it’s the opening chapter. It’s the moment when viewers stop watching and start feeling, when headlines become real, and science becomes survival. You can watch the documentary on the National Film Board of Canada site and explore the 360° experience online. Let this story be a reminder that climate isn’t distant—it’s up close, and we are all connected. But if you'd like to dive deeper into our case study, view below. Work With Us At Always Build Studios , we believe in stories that move people—and move the needle. If you're an organization, brand, or community looking to create impact-driven media or immersive experiences like this one, get in touch with us. Whether you're building awareness, launching a campaign, or reshaping a narrative—we can help bring it to life.

When you hear A&W , what comes to mind? The Burger Family. Root beer floats. That baritone tuba jingle that somehow lives in your head rent-free. Maybe even a craving for onion rings—because, let’s be honest, they’re some of the best in the game. But recently, A&W did something that took their brand to a whole new level. They didn’t just refresh a product. They created an experience. And we got to help build it. This is the story of Canada’s first Root Brewery , and what it taught us about the power of story-driven brands. The Setup Root Brewery A&W had a message they wanted to share: their iconic root beer was getting a major refresh. The new recipe would feature real cane sugar and all-natural flavours—no artificial ingredients, no shortcuts, just the good stuff. As reported by National Post , the formula includes “natural cane sugar and all-natural flavours, such as sarsaparilla root, licorice, birch bark, and anise.” These aren’t just marketing buzzwords—they’re a return to the roots (pun intended) of what root beer was always meant to be: a rich, flavourful drink brewed with recognizable ingredients that people can actually pronounce. Tom Newitt , A&W Canada’s Senior Director of Marketing and Brand Communications, explained: “Our customers told us that they want food and drink made with natural ingredients and we’re taking big steps to make it happen.” It was a big move for a brand steeped in nostalgia. After all, A&W root beer isn’t just a drink—it’s a Canadian icon. But announcing this change wasn’t enough. It’s one thing to update a classic. It’s another to get people emotionally invested in the reinvention of something so familiar. So A&W didn’t just tell Canadians their root beer was different. They showed them. Working on set at the pop-up Root Brewery. Saskia Hennecke photo. The Strategy Instead of launching a traditional ad campaign, A&W did something bold and unexpected: they opened a root beer brewery. Not in some big-market test city, but right in Winnipeg , the birthplace of A&W in Canada. This wasn’t a restaurant. It wasn’t a food truck or a flashy billboard. It was a fully functioning pop-up Root Brewery —custom built to immerse people in the story behind their newly crafted root beer. " This wasn’t a restaurant. It wasn’t a food truck or a flashy billboard." As Daily Hive described it, the brewery was more than a showcase—it was an invitation to see and taste the story behind the new brew. Guests were able to “see the ingredients for themselves, from real vanilla to licorice, birch bark, and more.” It was clever. It was nostalgic. And more than anything, it was grounded in a powerful truth: experience is story. And story is what people remember—and share. By making the product launch physical and immersive, A&W gave Canadians a chance to truly understand the craft and intention behind their new recipe. And that kind of connection goes beyond any tagline or commercial. " A&W gave Canadians a chance to truly understand the craft and intention behind their new recipe." The Build That’s where we came in. We secured an empty storefront on one of Winnipeg’s busiest streets and transformed it from the ground up. The production included set designers, fabricators, camera operators, makeup artists, producers—you name it. At one point, even a jazz trio was on the table. (We still kind of regret not going for it.) Over the course of several weeks, we brought the entire concept to life. But we weren’t just building a branded pop-up. We were building a moment . Every detail was considered—from the lighting to the layout, from signage to scent. We wanted it to feel as if you had stepped into the very heart of A&W’s new brewing process. Guests could stop in and try the new root beer. They could meet Allen—the beloved A&W spokesperson. They could snap a photo, post a Reel, and become part of the story themselves. The pop-up quickly became more than just a local attraction. It became a destination. People lined up to sip from frosty mugs, ask questions about the ingredients, and share their own nostalgic memories of root beer with friends and family. The space became a social hub and content generator, acting as the heartbeat of a national brand campaign. "They could meet Allen - the beloved A&W spokesperson." The Outcome The Root Brewery pop-up wasn’t just a hit—it was a full-blown success. In just two days, over 2,000 mugs of root beer were poured. The space became the set of a national TV commercial , and it generated a wide array of digital content, from social assets to short-form video. The campaign also earned media coverage near and far. National Post highlighted the event’s unique angle: “A&W’s Brew-Off introduced Canadians to a reimagined root beer made with ingredients you can actually pronounce.” Daily Hive called it a “craft brew experience like no other,” and emphasized that attendees were able to get up close and personal with the real ingredients—many of which they’d never seen before. This wasn’t just a marketing event—it was a sensory experience that connected people to the product on a deeper level. At the heart of all this was a single, compelling idea: Reinvented root beer, brewed like it matters. For a closer look at the campaign, check out the full Root Brewery case study : What We Learned Being a young company trusted with a build of this scale was equal parts exciting and humbling. It felt like a huge vote of confidence—and a clear challenge to deliver. What would we do differently next time? Maybe bring in that jazz trio after all. But all jokes aside, this was a campaign rooted in craftsmanship. The product was thoughtfully crafted. The story was intentionally crafted. And the execution? Every detail, from the signage to the storytelling, was designed to make people feel something. And that’s what the best brands do. They don’t just tell you what changed. They build something that makes you taste it. If you’re thinking about launching a product or refreshing your brand story, remember: a good idea is just the beginning. A great experience is what brings it to life. Want to chat about how to turn your next brand moment into something unforgettable? We’re ready when you are.