Have you ever wondered why marketing feels less personal and more mechanical than it used to?
For the last decade or so, many marketers have forgotten about two crucial ‘human’ elements on the three-legged marketing stool: Brand and Loyalty. The intense focus on performance marketing, while valuable for activation, has overshadowed the importance of emotional connection and customer loyalty. However, we’re now witnessing a resurgence that is set to make marketing more human again.
Performance is just one tool, not the whole toolbox.
Performance marketing, with its data-driven precision, has its place in driving conversions and immediate actions. Leaving all of the issues with fraud and bots to one side, its popularity has also sidelined the emotional and resonant aspects of brand marketing and building customer loyalty. As Byron Sharp suggests, gaining a share of mind through emotional engagement is essential for growth. Brands that tap into the human side of marketing create a deeper, more meaningful connection with their audience. Brands that fail to do so can see a dramatic decline in growth and value as seen by Nike recently.
Brand Building = Growth
Rediscovering brand marketing means understanding the emotions, values, and aspirations that drive consumer behaviour. It’s about crafting messages that resonate on a personal level, fostering a sense of belonging and identity among customers. This emotional connection is not just a feel-good strategy; it’s a powerful driver of growth.
When customers feel emotionally connected to a brand they remember it during the 99% of the time that they are not in the market to purchase from it and, crucially, for the 1% of the time that they do. This mindshare ensures that when a customer does need to get a job done, the brand is at the top of the list to get it done. They are more likely to choose it over competitors, leading to increased market share and long-term success. And, yes, the % will vary by category – but that’s for another blog post 😉.
The Power of Retention and Loyalty
Customers hire brands to fulfil their needs, from family nutrition to buying a new car. To build loyalty, brands must earn customer trust by understanding these needs and delivering on them consistently. This goes beyond mere transactions; it’s about building relationships based on trust and mutual benefit: an implicit and sustained positive exchange of value.
Loyalty has often been neglected, being seen as a tactical, transactional function. However, with the arrival of high-margin Commerce Media revenues, digital customer relationships can form a significant line item on the company balance sheet (Walmart will earn over $5Bn this year) and is suddenly highly strategic. Data is both the current that powers loyalty and the currency that builds value.
Customers are more willing to share personal data with brands they trust, especially if it enhances their experience and helps them to get their jobs done better. This Zero-Party Data, voluntarily shared by customers, allows brands to understand their needs better and serve them more effectively. By combining with PersonalAI and leveraging insights and signals, brands can tailor their offerings to meet specific customer needs, driving higher average revenue per user (ARPU), customer lifetime value (CLV), and retention rates.
Embracing More Human Marketing
To truly embrace the human side of marketing, brands must shift their focus from the sugar rush of short-term programmatic to building long-term relationships and sustained mutual value.
It’s about creating a marketing strategy that balances activation with engagement, performance with connection, and data with humanity. As Artificial Intelligence moves beyond the hype to solve tangible jobs for brands and their customers, the need for Human Intelligence comes back to the fore.
Utilising data to amplify the human narrative enables marketers to create a more holistic approach. One that drives growth and builds sustained relationships with customers. In doing so, they can make marketing human again, one meaningful connection at a time.
At DataSapien, we are passionate about providing the tools that enable brands to create these private, personal journeys. If you’d like to know more, drop us a line.