If you’ve been online recently, you’ve surely heard of moonbeam ice cream and the backflipping, rising pop star Benson Boone. The singer, who has roots in our home state of Utah, has gained major traction and popularity ever since his debut on American Idol in 2021. Boone impressed the judges (and the world) with his voice, which has been compared to artists like Sam Smith and Lewis Capaldi, but has since been criticized and ridiculed for inconsistent choices when it comes to his image as an artist. Critics online have accused him of attempting to replicate the image and success of other popular or legendary artists, such as Harry Styles, Freddie Mercury, and Elton John.
As an artist rises to global success, they must learn to tell a cohesive story across every platform. The vibe should be similar across their music, music videos, album covers, live experiences (festival sets, concerts, tours), and even across their social platforms. Their audience should have a good feel for what to expect from the artist based on this vibe. In the marketing world, this is what we refer to as a brand image, which is part of a broader brand identity that should remain consistent across all platforms. The recent online hate surrounding Benson Boone offers a great lesson in what happens when your brand identity feels disjointed. A compelling brand story is essential for creating audience loyalty and recognition. Importantly, in effective brand storytelling, the audience or customer should be positioned as the main character in the narrative, making the story more relatable and emotionally engaging.
Brand storytelling is the art of conveying who you are through everything you put out into the world: visuals, video captions, music sound, etc. It’s the overall experience your audience has with your brand, and it influences how others talk about you when you’re not in the room. Brand storytelling is a powerful tool for building emotional connections and differentiating your brand from competitors. This concept applies to individuals and businesses alike, and it’s more important than you’d think. In today’s landscape, brand storytelling is a key component of digital marketing, helping brands connect with audiences online and maximize their impact across digital platforms.
What’s Off with Benson Boone’s Brand?
At the beginning of his career, Benson Boone released a few ballads that hit hard with his audiences, including “Ghost Town,” “In the Stars,” and “Before You.”
“Maybe you’d be happier with someone else, maybe loving me’s the reason you can’t love yourself. Before I turn your heart into a ghost town, show me everything we’ve built, so I can tear it all down.”
– Ghost Town, 2022
“I’m still holding on to everything that’s dead and gone. I don’t wanna say goodbye, ‘cause this one means forever. Now you’re in the stars, and six feet’s never felt so far. Here I am, alone between the heavens and the embers. It hurts so hard, for a million different reasons. You took the best of my heart, and left the rest in pieces.”
– In The Stars, 2022
“Darling, if you don’t mind, I’ll take your hand tonight. We could just slow down time, let me adore you. And from the moment I looked in those dark brown eyes, I can’t remember life before you.”
– Before You, 2022
Each of these songs had deep emotional meaning which resonated with listeners around the world. As the singer gained popularity for these songs, and as he released more music, he began using TikTok as a tool for marketing his music. On the app, Boone portrayed himself from a comedic lens, which was a direct juxtaposition of the tone and messaging of his music.
(Example: a more recent example of Benson Boone’s comedic use of TikTok for marketing purposes)
Despite the contrast in messaging, his popularity still began to rise.
In 2024, the singer released his hit single Beautiful Things, which quickly topped global music charts and became one of the most overplayed songs in recent years. The catchy nature of the song and the frequency at which it played online and in retail stores made it a polarizing topic in the music industry: you either hated the song, or you loved it.
This single led to Boone’s first Grammy nomination for “Best New Artist” in 2025, and the singer performed at the awards show wearing a tight, baby blue jumpsuit (á la the iconic, flambuoyant Freddie Mercury). Within the year, Benson Boone released another single, Mystical Magical, a song with nonsensical lyrics which seemed to play into the chaos of the image and reputation he was building. Alas, moonbeam ice cream was born. And his messaging, even within his music itself, is vastly different from the power ballads of just a couple years ago.
Every popular music artist has gone through an image transformation of sorts as they’ve progressed their career. In fact, artists need to continue to evolve to remain relevant in the industry. This might be what Benson Boone is trying to accomplish so he can move away from his original small-town image. However, the issue with Benson Boone’s “transformation” into a chaotic persona is that his audience is constantly confused at who and what he’s attempting to be.
For example, his most recent album, American Heart, donned an album cover that didn’t match the recent chaotic brand the singer has been establishing. With his world tour coming up, fans aren’t sure what kinds of outfits to wear to the show, which is a huge indicator that something in his brand image is off. There’s no established consistency, and if Boone is seeking continued success, brand storytelling is a skill he and his team need to master. Inconsistent branding like this can negatively impact the overall customer experience, leaving fans unsure of what to expect and less likely to engage deeply with the brand. They need to reevaluate and ask themselves: who is Benson Boone trying to be, is it landing with audiences, and how can he adjust his story accordingly?
When the audience is confused, it becomes difficult to build trust and loyalty. Sharing consistent stories helps customers feel more confident and connected to the brand, reinforcing a sense of reliability and authenticity.
To move forward, Boone and his team should identify and address the audience’s pain points—such as confusion about his image and messaging—to create a more resonant narrative that aligns with fan expectations.
As Boone and his team look to adjust their story, they should use social listening to gather feedback and insights from their audience, ensuring their messaging is relevant and responsive. Mastering brand storytelling also means developing a content strategy that aligns messaging across all platforms, fostering a cohesive and engaging brand presence.
The Power of Brand Storytelling
Brand storytelling involves more than just sticking to a color palette and slapping your logo on everything. But you can’t just use the same message with visual inconsistency, either. Good brand storytelling means aligning your messaging with your image and sticking to a few common messaging threads, sometimes referred to as brand pillars. It is connecting your voice, visuals, mission, and audience perception to tell a cohesive story about who you are. A compelling brand story includes essential elements such as characters, conflict, and resolution, which help forge emotional bonds with your audience. Empathy is a key element in successful brand storytelling, allowing your audience to connect emotionally with your narrative. Integrating storytelling into your overall marketing strategy ensures your message is consistent and impactful across all channels. This helps build trust, recognition, and emotional connection with anyone who comes across your messages, and also helps build brand awareness by making your brand more memorable and recognizable.
The more consistent the story you tell, the more consistently it will be retold by your audience. An effective brand story can drive audience engagement and foster loyalty, making your brand stand out and resonate more deeply.
Not only that, but in saturated markets (like the one we live in), typically the brand with the best story wins. Telling a good story is crucial for standing out in a crowded market. Want more sales? Tell a better story.
Why Brand Consistency Is Crucial
Sharing inconsistent brand messages with your audience creates confusion, and confusion breaks trust. If your audience doesn’t trust you, they won’t purchase from you, even if they do like your product. Consistent messaging elicits a stronger emotional response from your audience, helping to build trust and loyalty.
Consistency humanizes a brand and deepens connection with the audience, especially when it comes to personal brands, such as those of artists (Benson Boone) or business founders. Consistency also helps build emotional bonds with customers, fostering trust and a sense of shared purpose. When your messaging is chaotic, “trendy,” or just straight up bad… you almost have to accept that there will be polarizing opinions around your brand. Because Benson Boone doesn’t provide a consistent brand image, audiences are left confused at what he represents, and they don’t know if they resonate with who he is. When you can’t connect with an artist, it’s difficult to be all in on the road to fandom.
Businesses with inconsistent brands suffer from the same curse: people won’t buy from you if they don’t understand or relate to your story. A strong, consistent story contributes to higher brand equity by making your brand more memorable and trusted.
Every touchpoint is part of your brand’s story. It’s essential to create a cohesive narrative across all brand elements to ensure your audience receives a unified and authentic message. Consider the following in your business and whether they all convey the same message:
- Visuals: style, tone, colors, photography
- Voice: captions, content tone, emails, lyrics
- Platforms: website, social, YouTube, etc.
- Experience: customer service, product packaging, onboarding
Make sure your messaging is consistent across all marketing channels and is integrated within your overall marketing mix for maximum impact.
If you’re telling different stories with each of these elements, it’s time to reevaluate your brand.
How to Build a Consistent Brand Story Across Platforms
At Big Red Jelly, we follow a proven process to building consistent brands. Our team does it all the time! If you’re struggling with inconsistency and leaving your audience confused, here are some steps to help you fix your brand:
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Audit your existing content:
Like we talked about above, pull all content you’ve produced for your business (or for yourself if this is for a personal brand). This includes website content, social media content, videos, emails, etc. What message is each piece of content conveying? What messages have worked best with your audience? Does everything LOOK cohesive? What content feels out of place? As part of your audit, use narrative techniques to evaluate how effectively your current stories engage your audience and align with your brand’s values. Collect and analyze customer stories, testimonials, and user-generated content to identify authentic stories that resonate. Invite customers to share their own stories and experiences with your brand, and showcase success stories from real customers to build trust and credibility. Look for great examples of brand storytelling from well-known brands for inspiration. Monitor emerging trends and current events to ensure your content remains relevant and timely. Remember, storytelling is often more effective than traditional advertising in building meaningful connections with your audience.
2. Define your Brand DNA:
Brand DNA helps you outline the WHY behind your brand. This includes your brand positioning, purpose, archetype, and personality. To help decipher these, ask yourself: Who are you? What do you stand for? Why does your business exist (beyond surface level… of course it exists to make money)? Go to a deeper level to truly understand and communicate your brand’s purpose. Clearly define and communicate your brand’s values, and develop empathy for your audience to ensure your messaging is authentic and relatable.
3. Solidify your internal values (Brand Core):
Create guidelines as to what your brand stands for. This is also known as your “internal brand,” and helps everyone who works on or for your brand stay aligned. Your Brand Core will help you stay consistent as you grow, so you don’t have to constantly rebrand yourself as the years go by. This includes defining your core values, writing a mission statement & vision statement, and coming up with a brand promise. Demonstrate the positive impact your brand has on customers or society, and ensure your values are reflected in every aspect of your storytelling.
4. Craft your Brand Messaging:
Now that you know who you are and what you stand for, communicate that in a way your target audience will understand. Effective copywriting and brand messaging is crucial here. In this step, you should develop Unique Value Propositions (UVPs), a tagline, your brand voice, your “elevator pitch”, your brand story, and any relevant campaign slogans. This will define HOW you talk to your audience and WHAT you say to them to get them to interact with your brand. Brand storytellers play a key role in shaping and communicating your message across channels. Focus on one customer or a representative persona to create more relatable and personalized stories. Share authentic stories that reflect real experiences, and listen to and share hear stories from your customers to enhance authenticity. Invite customers to be active participants in your brand’s narrative by encouraging them to share their own stories and experiences. Use a storytelling approach that connects emotionally and inspires your audience—a great story can drive engagement and loyalty. Provide brand storytelling examples from successful brands as inspiration, and highlight great examples of brands that have built consistent, values-driven stories.
5. Develop a Visual Identity:
How your brand looks is about more than just looking aesthetically pleasing, or generating buzz. Take time in the design process to make sure the way you look aligns with your messaging and brand story. Use colors and fonts that communicate the same feeling your written messages convey. Let your logo represent more than just the product or service you provide; let it represent the heart of your brand. Consider using immersive experiences, such as virtual reality or augmented reality, to enhance your storytelling and create deeper engagement with your audience.
6. Create a Brand Guide & Evolve with Clarity:
To keep everything consistent, bring together all of your brand elements into a document that tells your brand’s story. When done right, your brand guide should serve your business for decades to come. It serves as a playbook, guide, resource library, asset folder, and guiding brand compass as you continue to grow and expand your reach. Ensure your brand’s narrative is unified and ties all elements together, and align all marketing efforts with your brand story. Digital marketers can leverage storytelling across digital platforms to maximize reach and engagement. Share your brand’s history as part of your storytelling process to humanize your brand and reinforce your identity. Foster meaningful connections with your audience by consistently delivering emotionally resonant content that reflects your brand’s values and adapts to emerging trends and current events.
Final Thoughts: What Benson Boone Could Do Better
Aligning your brand presence with your goals is a sure way to breed success for your business. If I could give Benson Boone a little help (and some Big Red Jelly magic), I would do the following to create a more consistent brand for him and his music:
- Messaging:Benson should fully commit to the “80’s punk heartthrob” vibe. He’s sprinkled this aesthetic throughout his brand image, more so recently, but not with enough consistency for fans to see a clearly defined story. He’s currently trying to be EVERY 80’s icon to exist, when he needs to dial in on his own personality and aesthetic. This image would allow him to be goofy and chaotic within a set framework, and would help his dramatic indie power ballads better fit his now-global presence. However, his chaos does need to lean more towards edgy punk behavior than goofy Disney Channel kid energy (what it feels like now).
- Visual Identity:The singer’s brand should stick more consistently to the red, white, and “electric blue” color palette, leaning more into the Americana aesthetic, but with a chaotic twist by using the lighter blue color. His promotional material, including tour posters, should use grainy film photography, and his music videos should utilize Super 8 film.
- Marketing Campaigns:To “launch” the visual identity in a way that makes sense with audiences, yes – he SHOULD dress up like all the 80s icons and do a photoshoot. However, it should be a one-time thing to show his direction, and then he should twist the 80s vibe to fit his own personality and roll with that for his continued marketing. That way, everyone knows very clearly what he is trying to do, and it seems less like he’s just randomly copying others because he doesn’t know who he is yet.
There are sprinklings of a good brand story within Benson Boone’s existing content, but consistency is key when it comes to getting a clear message across to connect with your audience. It’s always a good idea to step back, reevaluate your brand, and see where any inconsistencies or confusion may lie.
You don’t need to be a pop star to tell a powerful story. You just need to be consistent.
You can start realigning your brand story right now! Scan through your branded content, do a quick check, and make sure you are telling one cohesive story to your audience. If not, make some adjustments. Telling a consistent brand story is how you’ll build an emotional connection with potential customers, and that’s how you’ll get them to purchase from you.
Want to learn more about how to build a successful brand? Our team is full of experts with endless branding knowledge. Read about it on our website, or reach out to one of our team members today!
Want to learn more about how to build a successful brand? Our team is full of experts with endless branding knowledge. Read about it on our website, or reach out to one of our team members today!
