Enough with the B2C, it’s time for H2H - Human to Human approach
Thanks to the rise of authenticity, social media phenomena and other reasons, many brands stopped selling products and turned toward a human approach in an attempt to connect with customers or followers.
There’s a lot of reasons why your company, digital agency (or you personally) should embrace authenticity as part of your branding. Here’re just a few:
1. Customers are more sceptical of institutions and brands than ever before.
That’s why they prefer companies that value openness, honesty, and empathy as the study discussed in the HBR shows. Additionally, they appreciate brands that support their values — especially millennials and Gen Z.
2. Brand authenticity can positively impact consumers’ attitudinal and behavioral responses toward brands.
Experts found how plus-sized models result in more positive consumer attitudes and purchase intentions. And positive consumer attitudes can lead to positive brand attitude, brand trust, brand loyalty, and positive word of mouth.
3. There’s no correlation between production value and brand engagement.
That fact gives you more space to experiment with low-budget production and with content that seems spontaneous and raw, like the Old Spice video “Men Have Skin Too”.
4. People love it when brands are just as vulnerable as themselves.
A great example of that - Burger King’s “Burning Stores” campaign which five years ago won the Grand Prix at Cannes in the Print category.
5. Genuine brand communication drives customers' purchase decisions.
An example of that is Gymshark’s campaign “Sweaty Selfies” in which their fans shared, you guessed it, sweaty workout selfies. The campaign raised £180,000 for Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital charity. Speaking of Gymshark, their recent campaign “Look Good, Lift Ugly” also celebrates authenticity by using photos of fitness influencers with their real workout faces instead of fake smiles which can be seen in almost every fitness ad.
6. Fairy tales are not useful for employer branding. Authenticity is.
When companies paint a false picture of their culture, employees are bound to feel disappointed at some point. That’s why we at Human Interaction Company are giving our best to show our realness, such as my messy desk and gluteus maximus on the Privacy Policy page. That level of transparency and boldness helped us attract more creative talent, people who don't always play by the book, a trait that leads to more innovative solutions. It also leads to a better atmosphere in the workplace. Win-win.