Who needs relationship counselling?

The new consumer-brand connection.

A decade or more ago, the way brands and customers related was very, very different.

Brands would control consumer perception by creating miniature, magical universes and then invite customers to step inside, leaving ordinary life behind. Consumers were very happy with this arrangement, it seems.

More recently though, things have changed dramatically. Consumers have completely redefined the way they interact with brands. It’s now consumers who are in control, demanding much more of brands, and making choices based on a new way of thinking.

Light-speed truth.

Fake news, institutional corruption and misrepresentation by certain brands, combined with an explosion of social media and constantly accessible informative content, has completely changed the landscape. When a vulnerability or an untruth is uncovered, the news is across the entirety of the internet-connected world in the blink of an eye.

The new landscape.

This is the catalyst that has caused consumers to reinvent how they choose to relate to brands. Honesty, transparency and trust are premium attributes in this new landscape. With connectedness, consumers know they have a choice and every opportunity to search for the brands they feel they can align with.

Brands that develop real clarity of purpose, social responsibility and perceive customers as individuals rather than socio-economic groupings are the ones that will succeed. They are the ones that will cement strong consumer-brand relationships.