• by Phil Dance , Columnist, May 25, 2018

There was a recent time when we thought that brands like Tom’s and Bombas had it all figured out — giving back in a clear way that consumers could understand, making those socially conscious Millennials feel good about their purchase. Even Patagonia, with its environmentally sound practices and zenith-level employee benefits (e.g., sabbaticals to do “good”) was held up as a conscious, cause-based pillar. But while these are definitely examples to which brands can aspire, it may not be enough anymore.

As individuals become increasingly isolated due to technology, shopping for the “greater good” is just a small drop in the bucket of needs. In fact, the General Social Survey found that the number of Americans with no close friends has tripled since 1985. Mostly a byproduct of technological advances as people move their personal interactions to the online sphere, this behavior can eventually isolate us and adversely affect any existing relationships. Brands who understand this loneliness and are facilitating connections — real-life connections — among their consumer base.

A recent article in Fast Company explored this phenomenon, illustrating through examples how brands are addressing the needs of the lonely consumer. “We have a crisis of belonging — and great brands will step into the vacuum created by social isolation.” These brands, like the Rapha Cycle Club, built around Rapha apparel where fans get together for cycling, are creating opportunities for people to belong and go far beyond just interacting with a brand. They are interacting with one another. 

If we had to liken this movement to some kind of recognizable, traditional nomenclature, perhaps “word of mouth” marketing might be the closest. And historically, this kind of “marketing” is outlandishly successful. Neilsen says that 92% of consumers trust referrals from people they know. Setting up these opportunities for interaction or belonging loosely falls into this category and it can be powerful from a marketing standpoint.

Our own research has shown that consumer behavior is changing so quickly that it is hard to get a handle on best practices. It’s most definitely true that consumers are not shopping the way they did in the past. Brand loyalty is the traditional sense is gone in the face of blatant consumer promiscuity — driven by the hunt for something new and interesting and supported by the wealth of information available for making decisions. Our studies have shown that brands must: 

• Avoid narcissism and bring the individual’s needs to the forefront

• Discover where the brand falls when it comes to aligning with these needs — going far beyond a set of hypothetical brand attributes

• Map where the brand falls within the multitude of opportunities to create a magnetic moment with the consumer

• Start to bring together consumer context, needs, and brand connection to capitalize on those opportunities

Clearly, consumers need much more than they have in the past from brands. Now, brands must start to tackle the isolation problem, finding a new way to loyalty by creating opportunities for true human-to-human interaction. 

Brands that are able to successfully navigate this shift from social consciousness to actually creating meaningful human interaction with customers have an opportunity not only to become an integral part of their customer’s life but also help them create meaningful human interaction. This connection has the power to transcend transactional loyalty to helping customers develop connections that can impact the very quality of their life.