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Today’s market is crowded, and brands are finding it harder than ever to hold on to their audience. Around 70% of online shoppers don’t finish checking out, with research pointing to content overload and too much choice as the main reasons.
After comparing more than seven to nine options, customer satisfaction drops and so does the likelihood of a purchase. At the same time, 91% of users say they see too many ads on social media, 37% block specific adverts, 35% unfollow brands, and nearly one-third of global internet users downloaded ad-blockers.
So, simply “selling” is no longer enough — it’s time to spark emotions and build lasting relationships. This is when brandship comes in. In this article, I share six tips for creating an emotional connection between a brand and its customers.
1. Feel your audience
To beat the marketing fatigue that affects 67% of consumers, brands should go deeper than demographic segmentation. By understanding what truly motivates and triggers your audience, you can create communications and offers that resonate on a much deeper level.
Alo Yoga is an activewear brand, but they’ve chosen to sell a lifestyle rooted in wellness, self-expression and mindfulness. The brand chose health-conscious women aged 25-40, who value sustainability and quality, as its main target audience, and aligned its strategy in accordance with their aspirations.
It collaborates with yoga instructors, uses empowering taglines, prioritises user-generated content and positions its products as part of a confident, healthy lifestyle. This emotional strategy makes the brand feel relatable and trustworthy, not just aspirational.
2. Tell stories
According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust recommendations and feedback from real people more than advertising. Meanwhile, exactly that kind of content that sparks emotions increases the likelihood of purchase by 23%.
Better talk about your customers’ challenges and how your brand helps overcome them. Show a transformation by creating a dialogue from pain to solution, from doubt to confidence. Thus, your audience feels seen and understood.
Glossier taps into the Millennial and Gen Z rejection of overly idealised beauty standards. By mixing UGC with long-form personal stories, the brand emphasises “beauty in imperfection”, turning customers into both the face and the voice of the brand.
Related: How User-Generated Content Helps You Build Trust and Credibility
3. Bet on community
Sprout Social reports that brands with active communities have a 53% higher retention rate. Instead of a one-way street of “brand to customer”, create an ecosystem where clients become active participants, sharing their experiences and results, inspiring each other and co-creating content.
Whoop, the biometric health trackers brand, built its community around elite athletes and serious fitness enthusiasts rather than targeting a wide audience. The device itself is positioned as more than just a tracker; it’s a status symbol within a dedicated community where members compete, connect and inspire one another. Moreover, the brand collaborates with sports icons like Michael Phelps and Cristiano Ronaldo to celebrate the power of self-improvement.
Related: Forget Follower Counts — Influence Is Now About Engagement and Community
4. Become part of daily routines
People love personal rituals, and that’s their response to stress and the fast pace of everyday duties. And for 72% of consumers, these daily routines are associated with specific brands. Think morning workout with a favorite app, Friday beer and crisps, a game or a book before bed. For brands, it’s a great chance to foster positive emotional associations and a sense of stability.
Duolingo is a master of this. They turned language learning into a daily habit through streak rewards, short lessons, playful mascots and quite a pushy tone of voice. By making learning feel light and part of a personal ritual, Duolingo transforms user interaction into an emotional commitment.
5. Create together
McKinsey found that products developed with direct customer involvement are 20% more likely to succeed. When customers co-create products, designs or campaigns, they glue to the brand emotionally. Turn real customer feedback into an active approach: this might be UGC or customised offers.
UNIQLO’s UTme service lets customers design their own T-shirts, hoodies and bags — from adding personal photos to licensed character art and printing them in-store in minutes. This whole idea transforms a simple purchase into a personal and creative experience.
Related: 4 Ways To Come Up With Creative Campaigns
6. Be honest
Consumers always seek authenticity, with 81% of them seeing trust in a brand before making a purchase as a key factor, and 87% willing to pay more for brands they believe in. Mistakes and crises are inevitable, and honesty and vulnerability stand out as strategic tools for building long-term connections.
When KFC in the UK faced a supply crisis that closed over 750 restaurants, it issued a humorous public apology with the headline “A chicken restaurant without chicken. Not ideal”. The light-hearted, transparent tone softened backlash and rebuilt trust quickly.
We are moving from an attention economy to a connection economy. The winners will be brands that build relationships rather than chase impressions. Brandship is not a short-term tactic but a long-term strategy, and the sooner you adopt it, the stronger your position in the years ahead.
Today’s market is crowded, and brands are finding it harder than ever to hold on to their audience. Around 70% of online shoppers don’t finish checking out, with research pointing to content overload and too much choice as the main reasons.
After comparing more than seven to nine options, customer satisfaction drops and so does the likelihood of a purchase. At the same time, 91% of users say they see too many ads on social media, 37% block specific adverts, 35% unfollow brands, and nearly one-third of global internet users downloaded ad-blockers.
So, simply “selling” is no longer enough — it’s time to spark emotions and build lasting relationships. This is when brandship comes in. In this article, I share six tips for creating an emotional connection between a brand and its customers.
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