Do Brands Help Us Live Better Lives?

We Are Surrounded By Brands

Right from their inception, successful brands are built with proper evaluation, planning and strategy. Their branding and marketing teams invest time and resources on a regular basis to ensure they understand the customer’s needs and thought process. We live in a dynamic world, which means we need a proactive approach to branding and marketing.

With the rapid evolution of digital media over the past decade, we now have brands reaching out to us in many more ways, many more times a day.  From the time we wake up to the time we fall asleep, we are exposed to over 5000 brands and advertising campaigns.

Test it out for yourself; count all the brands and advertisements you interact with from the time you wake up. The first thing you look at might be your Apple or Android phone, then you hop out of your Koala bed covered in Sheraton sheets and head to your bathroom to pick up your OralB toothbrush and Colgate toothpaste. You shower with your Unilever products and dry off with your Bed, Bath & Beyond towel. You pop on your Country Road shirt, ZARA pants and slip into your favourite Hush Puppies. Of course, there’s your Nescafe or Nespresso coffee to start your day while you scroll through several brand messages on your Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn feeds. Think about it, all that’s just the first half an hour of your day!

Once you head out into the world the number of brands and advertisements you are exposed to skyrockets, doesn’t it?

Branding That Sticks

With so many brands trying to get our attention every single minute of the day, cutting through the noise and creating a long-lasting connection with us consumers has become the key focus for brands worldwide. Amongst the several brands you have been exposed to today, which ones can you remember the most and why? What did the brand’s message say to stick with you? Did they relate to something you care about? Did it speak to your goals and values? Or they may be induced warm fuzzy feelings?

We choose brands that make us feel good and connect with our values and beliefs. For this to happen, branding and marketing teams spend a lot of time and resources figuring out what you like and how you like it. They’re constantly looking for ways to differentiate themselves from the competition and stay top of mind as your preferred brand choice.

It gets to a point where our brain subconsciously starts becoming selective. We automatically ignore irrelevant brands and advertising messages to engage with the ones we have a personal connection with.

Amit Anil

We choose brands that make us feel good and connect with our values and beliefs. For this to happen, branding and marketing teams spend a lot of time and resources figuring out what you like and how you like it. They’re constantly looking for ways to differentiate themselves from the competition and stay top of mind as your preferred brand choice.

All of their efforts result in the split-second moment when we look at a brand and decide whether we hate it or love it.

Creating Need & Demand To Help You Live Better

The upside to the immense competition between brands is that we the consumers are offered a tailored plethora of brands, products and services to choose from. For all our needs we have options galore! And in many situations, the need and demand for products are created.

Look around your home or office and ask yourself, how many of these things do I need? The answer to that question is usually followed by justifications of why we need them, which in most cases is repeatedly drilled into us by the brands themselves. They say how their products or services will solve our problems or make our life easier. This is done through advertising that follows you everywhere you look, based on your behavioural data collected through all your devices and social media accounts.

If you’re wondering “What is behavioural data?” it’s essentially a collection of everything you like and dislike. Based on this information, algorithms of all platforms know to show you things that you’re likely to enjoy and engage with. Now, this might sound a tad creepy, but wouldn’t you say it improves your life by not showing you things you dislike but showing you more of the things you love and enjoy?!

A Better World For Consumers

When brands put in the effort to research us as consumers, understand our needs and cater to our wants, they help us make better choices and find solutions that fit our unique lifestyles. Our brand choices also provide a sense of belonging as we connect with like-minded people and build trustworthy relationships.

Embodying this profound feeling of trust, connection and community is the ultimate goal for every brand looking to succeed in our world.