Digital agency Communicator hosted an evening discussion at the end of June exploring the disconnect between how brands increasingly describe themselves in human terms, and the tactics they use to attempt to build relationships – including those that succeed and those that continue to miss the mark.

Communicator recently conducted a research project that found – upon comparing neuroscience studies - that marketing activity which emulates human traits and communicates in a human tone, activates areas of the brain associated with actual human interaction, essentially making the brand human in the eyes of the consumer. This means consumers respond more emotionally, developing feelings of trust and loyalty with brands that are associated with a human connection.

Hosted by writer and editor Sonoo Singh, the panellists at the event drew on personal experiences to investigate why so many brands are focusing on building a community around purpose and values, how a human-first strategy can be reconciled with sales and technology, how marketers can create beloved human brands and whether creating a human brand should be a priority for every brand.

At the event, Communicator also launched its Top 50 Human Marketers report - a unique look at the most forward thinking and bravest marketers today who are doing work that seeks to engage people in a more human way.

SPEAKERS

Adam Morton, Managing Partner, UM
Alex Weller, Marketing Director, Patagonia
Andy Crysell, Managing Director, Crowd DNA
Charlotte Ashburner, Head of Marketing, Jack Daniel's
Richard Southon, Managing Director, Communicator

Key take outs:

• Know who you really are.
  What do you believe in and what’s your purpose? Brands that are confident in their identity, can form and communicate strong opinions and establish trust with their consumers. Charlotte Ashburner said that “Jack Daniel’s having had the same brand guidelines since 1956 has given us more creative freedom”. This gives Jack Daniel’s employees and agencies a great platform from which to explore new creative work and ideas in a confident manner. Ultimately, the brand is bigger than the marketer and it’s key that they help develop a brand that will live beyond their lifetime. As Andy Crysell said, “the biggest task for a marketer is making a brand culturally relevant in that moment”.
• Live your values.
  It’s one thing communicating that you have a set of values, it’s another thing implementing them. It’s imperative a business’ values are integrated throughout the front and back end of the business; not just in their marketing activation. Our consumer research found that the number one quality consumers value in a brand’s comms was trust. This means brands need to be transparent and truthful, and the only way it can do this is living and breathing its values. As Adam Morton said, “as soon as you’re trying to be authentic, you’re failing”.
• It's a journey.
  There’s no such thing as the perfect human and it takes actions as well as words to build trust. For a brand, being open and transparent about where you are on your journey will breed trust. Patagonia is open about giving away 1% of their sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment but are also transparent about how it continually strives to improve the footprint of their supply chain.
• You can do good, and sell.
  Business can be an effective tool for good. In the UK, where small music venues are shutting down at an alarming rate, Jack Daniel’s is supporting these venues both financially and in their marketing activity. Alex Weller paraphrased Patagonia's founder, Yvon Chouinard, and said, “I know it sounds crazy, but every time I have made a decision that is best for the planet, I have made money”.
• Is it essential to be human?
  It’s not essential, but it leads to a stronger, sustainable brand. There will always be brands that choose not to think human, using deceit to create an unsustainable emotional connection with their consumer. However, marketers have a responsibility to do better.

TOP 50 MARKETERS

Download the full report here

CONTACTS

Darren Smith, Group Growth and Innovation Director, Communicator, [email protected]