Why humanising your brand is the right thing to do in digital communications
In a world dominated by tech, people value a human touch more than ever. Brands able to establish a meaningful connection with their customers or stakeholders have more chances to be successful in their journey.
It’s no secret that the world is more connected than ever with over 4.6 billion people using the internet in business and daily life. People access the world around themselves faster than ever in just a few taps, for work, family or leisure.
Such an interconnected world contributed to reduced relational distances and accelerated processes, but has also caused people to be overexposed to an increasing number of messages fighting for attention.
This scenario is particularly relevant for brands, which need to keep conversations active with their target audience and potentially connect with evolving demographics.
Communication is a vital step for any brand. The rules of engagement are evolving at a very fast pace, especially when considering younger generations and emerging communication trends in the digital space.
One of the most notable effects in the communication style deployed by brands – as a consequence of getting people closer together through technology – is definitely the humanisation of brands.
Communicating with a brand in the pre-internet era
Think how formal the relationship between a brand and a customer used to be.
In the pre-internet era, an offline ad pointed people to a retail or corporate space, where customers had the chance to briefly interact with the personnel and maybe follow-up with customer service at a later stage.
There was a certain distance between a brand and its audience.
Communicating with a brand in the in the digital age
Everything changed with the rise of digital technology.
Through technology, brands have entered the private space of customers, including their chats, social media, inbox, phones, watches, tablets. It’s a much more intimate environment where rules and triggers are different.
Brands realised that in order to be successful, they had to switch from being purely commercial to being more human.
Not only in terms of tone and messaging but also in terms of service structure (nowadays it is pretty common to use the same messaging app to communicate both with your family and with a brand).
And it’s no surprise that Gen Z (as well as digital natives more in general) expect exactly the same simple, direct and friendly approach when interacting with a friend, a brand, their employer or even with a public institution.
That’s the direct effect of a continuous exposure to digital experiences that are simplified and streamlined to resemble casual and friendly communication.
Relationships are being redefined and more and more are subject of analysis by end-users.
A people-focused digital communication campaign to attract new talent
This is exactly the angle our team presented to the HR department of a leading brand in the leisure and hospitality industry when we were asked to intervene on their communication.
As they were trying to attract the best possible talents to offer the highest quality standards within their properties, they felt they had to make their communication more effective to resonate with younger generations.
In an effort to position our client as one of the best possible options for potential candidates’ career path, we helped them redefine their communication style.
From being traditionally company-focused to being more people-focused, prioritising people’s career aspirations over company achievements in terms of messaging.
This strategy resulted in the creation of a new digital campaign, where career positions were presented through visual stories of work life, aiming at connecting with potential candidates more effectively and reducing the distance between the brand and its audience.
Adopting an effective communication style is a dynamic process where the ultimate goal for a brand is combining effective messages with brand personality traits.
A balanced mix of creativity and strategy defines how a brand is perceived in the marketplace.
Do you have the feeling that your digital communications strategy is not resonating with the needs and wants of your audience? Humanising your brand might be a step in the right direction. Get in touch to discover how we can help you.