The average person is subjected to thousands of sales messages every single day. Whether we know it or not, we're all experts at filtering — rejecting most of it before we've even realized it's there. Cutting through the static isn't easy. But a brand that really, truly understands the story it has to tell and the audience that's listening can draw a direct line between the two.
Up until 100 years ago, everyone who ever bought anything did the transaction face-to-face, with a "brand" (IE, person) they knew well. Consumers still crave these connections their grandparents had with the people they did business with. Brands that can close this gap will win the battle for their customers' hearts and minds (and wallets).
For a long time, traditional media was the exclusive home to the experts people turned to: Dear Abby for relationship trouble, Car and Driver for a set of wheels, Playboy for… airbrushing techniques. These traditional influencers are still important, but the internet and social media have given rise to thousands of competitors for the title of expert in any one field. This gives brands an opportunity to cut out the middleman and lead their fields by sharing their greatest asset: knowledge.
The era of exclusively one-way marketing communication is coming to a close. Traditional advertising and its mediums will be around for a long time to come, but even the best ad will soon fall flat without a real community and conversation to back it up. Successful campaigns in this new paradigm will be about inspiring consumers to engage, both with a brand and with each other.
Integrate mindfulness & sustainability into the business itself.
Does your brand care? Because your customers want to give their money to a business that cares about something. When a brand has real core values and communicates them well, it gives its audience something human to latch onto, indentify with, and brag about to their peers. But throwing money at a charity here or there isn't enough. Your audience will see through that. You have to make caring part of what you do every day.