CONSUMER CONNECTION
Optimizing Consumer
Connection: Humanize The
Brand
By Enock Wandera
we are highly social, we undergo cultural
evolution and we transmit ideas through
generations in the form of stories and
experiences.
The third point is that based on the
fact that we are the most advanced
intellectually, we are partly engaged in
shaping the future - for example using
technology, we can now manage our life
span, create new experiences through AI
and so and so forth.
But also, in shaping the future, we
paradoxically create new problems – loss
of jobs as AI applications kill traditional
professions, pollution - the list goes on
and on but to the subject at hand, the loss
of the real human connection - having
an authentic personality, having face to
face dialogue, being humble, likeable and
responsive.
L
et me start off with a few points
that could be obvious to anyone
in marketing – that the current
marketing environment has become
extremely challenging – sometimes so
aptly described in some texts as the
‘VUCA’ world – Volatile, Uncertain,
Complex and Ambiguous. Consumers
have become more and more informed,
are asking more questions about products
and services, are more distracted than ever,
are comparing experiences across local vs.
global brands, are going through several
cycles of political, economic, social and
technological volatility and so on and so
forth.
In this constantly evolving marketing
context, any marketer will confess that it
is becoming more and more challenging
to connect with consumers - in a way
that drives genuine desire for the brand
in the form of ‘brand love’ that eventually
makes the consumers pick the brand at the
point of sale (of course subject to other
in-market factors such as availability,
competitive activities and other relevant
barriers).
In the modern complex and ‘distracted’
world, pursuing and achieving real,
authentic,
heartwarming
human
relationships become a key goal - beyond
human to human into even relationships
with brands. The challenge is therefore
how to build brands that really connect
with consumers in the real ‘human’ way.
Some behavioral studies writers would
say true connection comes from ability to
empathize - and that empathy unlocks a
‘Humanized’ brands have the ability to
balance the rational and emotional ex-
pressions of themselves so that they are
able to evoke the deep feelings in a rel-
evant manner. Brands that can do this
and stay consistent reap the long-term
benefits of the deep connection.
22 MAL28/19 ISSUE
lot of success in leadership - including, I
would add, in brand leadership.
The list of characteristics that make us
‘human’ can go on and on - a review of
most texts around the subject would
reveal a lot but one thing is obvious - that
humans are unique and different from
other animals - because of a number of
characteristics - the length of the list
would depend on the material one reviews
- sociologists, biologists would have
different descriptors but all pointing to
the uniqueness of humans.
I bumped into a list of over seven
things that make us human at www.
thoughtco.com by Lisa Mardar. Out of
the characteristics listed, three stood out
for me; one, the fact that we as humans,
have uniquely stronger brain to body ratio
compared to other animals.
But beyond the brain (the tangible),
there is also the mind - the intangible
mix of thoughts, feelings, beliefs and
consciousness that make us able to
connect with other humans or other
beings in a deep way - and have valuable
relationships.
The second point was that we as humans
are ‘story-telling animals’ - very well put
by Suddendorf, that we have episodic
memory, we make sense of our existence,
Using the above as the context, the key
question would then be how brands can
optimize their connection with consumers
- how can brands be ‘human’ and play
a role in bringing the real/authentic
feelings, thoughts and beliefs to the way
they relate with consumers?
I am sure we all wonder why some
brands are able to extend their prices and
charge a premium without customers
complaining, have their customers talk so
positively about them and refuse to use
any substitutes - the power of the deep
In this constantly
evolving marketing
context, any market-
er will confess that
it is becoming more
and more challeng-
ing to connect with
consumers - in a way
that drives genuine
desire for the brand
in the form of ‘brand
love’ that eventually
makes the consum-
ers pick the brand at
the point of sale.
connection that many brands struggle to
build and sustain for long, to assure their
businesses of long term growth.
So then, how do ‘humanized’ brands
behave? - the obvious start is with
the ability to balance the rational and
emotional expressions of themselves
so that they are able to evoke the deep
feelings in a relevant manner. Brands that
can do this and stay consistent reap the
long-term benefits of the deep connection.
We all observe how iPhone die-hards
behave for example when new versions are
launched - the excitement, the lining up,
the upgrading - all despite the perceived
premium pricing.
Back to being human, executing a
consumer connection plan requires
creativity, and core to that creativity is a
set of fundamentals that need to be well
covered: have a clear personality around
the brand (if the brand were a person,
how would other humans describe him/
her, is there a character to the brand?),
connect with consumers through dialogue
(does the brand speak the same language?
A language that connects with them?),
be real (do consumers see the brand as
authentic and not ‘pretending’/acting?),
have clear purpose (do consumers see
a clear reason WHY the brand exists
beyond just making money? Do they see
a worthy intention in what the brand
does for them?), evolve with trends (do
consumers see the brand as moving with
what is in sync/setting trends or is seen
as old fashioned?), have empathy (do
consumers see the brand as being with
them across all seasons - bad and good
times? Does the brand ‘feel’ them?), treat
consumers as unique (does the brand
attempt to personalize how it connects
with them rather than generalize?),
contribute to a sustainable future (do
they think the brand is helping in shaping
the future through robust sustainability
programs? How do they perceive the
brands contribution to the betterment of
the world/society).
This list can go on and on and would
really depend on the space that a brand
chooses to build its ‘human-ness’ on, and
for sustainable growth, that space needs
to be unique and relevant, in other words,
give the brand an edge over competition.
I will close with a reminder that
connecting the human way will grow even
more challenging, so marketers need to
shift to understanding the new customer
journey (in view of the emergence of
digital/online touch-points) to uncover
opportunities of applying human-ness in
the digital world.
Enock Wandera currently serves as
the Chief Client Officer at Ipsos
Limited. You can commune with
him on this and related matters on
mail via: Enock.Wandera@ipsos.
com.