Creating a category-defining brand story for Crowdcube.

The back story

Frustrated by the lack of funding following the 2008 financial crash, the founders of Crowdcube – Darren Westlake and Luke Lang – embarked on a journey to democratise investment for entrepreneurs as well as giving ‘everyday’ people the chance to invest in companies they had an affinity with.

They started Crowdcube with just £12k in their bank account and an unshakeable belief about people who dream big and want to leave their mark.

It worked. Fast-forward to 2018, Crowdcube was the UK’s leading equity crowdfunding company having raised over £650million for brands including Monzo, Revolut, BrewDog and GoHenry. They are also proud to be the most successful method of equity financing for female-led businesses.

Growth doesn’t come easy

Success meant they were battling with increasingly complex audiences plus the emergence of competitors following the trail Crowdcube had blazed. Rather than doing the obvious – cut prices and drive revenue at any cost – they put their faith in the power of their purpose and engaged Rooster Punk to create a brand story that would help redefine the crowd funding category for a new generation.

The headline results speak for themselves.

How did we get there?

All great stories start with a hook – an insight or intriguing idea that opens us up to what follows. And Crowdcube’s story started with an intense period of research which uncovered the idea of ‘the belief economy’. A new way to think about crowdfunding and to connect with the real human and community reasons for its growth.

Who was the story for?

• Entrepreneurs – including founders working alone, to the leadership teams of businesses like Monzo
• Investors – from someone with £100 in their pocket, wanting to support a new craft beer venture, to an angel with millions to invest in fintech.
• Colleagues – Crowdcube care deeply about their employees, affectionately termed ‘Cubers’ – so we took them on the re-brand journey with us. A series of workshops, surveys, creative input and ideas integrated into the new brand so it didn’t just reflect them but was authentically co-developed with them.

Pretty diverse, huh? That’s why we needed an organising story that transcended their ‘roles’ and got to the heart of what common beliefs motivated them.  We shifted the conversation away from the features of the platform (price, commissions, ease of investment and raise) towards a positive and uplifting outcome that everybody felt a connection with.

Insights:

• Never try to appeal to everyone. We wanted the entrepreneurs who were fuelled by their desire to leave their mark on the world. For them it’s not about the money, it’s about the passion. By being a beacon for – and helping – these types of entrepreneurs we could create a virtuous spiral of impact and attract more investors, from diverse backgrounds and create long-term loyalty and advocacy.
• Investors have an innate desire to buy into a company’s potential and story. They don’t just want monetary return, but to feel part of something – a movement, positive change or a community. The more we emphasised community, the more we would accelerate the virtuous spiral of building an innovative, sustainable economy based on serving communities.

The organising story

How we brought the story to life:

• New logo.
• New corporate and visual identity.
• New Purpose, Mission and Vision.
• Updated values framework.
• Brand guidelines book.
• Complete website make-over
• Business Development (Sales) pack
• Channel material – for their partners
• Funding the Wonderful Story Book.
• Internal launch and founder videos.
• TEDx talk by Luke Lang.
• Funding the Wonderful Story Book.
• Internal launch and founder videos.
• TEDx talk by Luke Lang.
• Interviews on the BBC.

The full storynomics: