Brands Need To Be Different, And That Requires The Human Touch
Jay W. Richards wrote a recent opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal. His premise: automation will eliminate some jobs, but many consumers want (and are willing to pay for) the human touch.
Here’s a telling line:
As ever more goods become cheap commodities, the economic value of the human touch goes up.
Mr. Richards cites Starbucks baristas as an example:
You can make a decent cup of coffee at home for 20 cents… or get good coffee at the office Keurig for 50 cents. Or drink a bottomless cup with free half-and-half at your local diner for $1.50. Down the street, though, Starbucks baristas serve labor-intensive coffee experiences to a stream of customers for a lot more money.
He also cites the growing demand for organic and locally sourced products: craft beers, grass-fed beef, free-range chickens, farmers markets.
What does this trend mean for brands?
Some people– not everyone, but some– want more than a commodity. They want an experience, something truly unique.
Seth Godin observes that market disruption (automation, Amazon, crowdsourcing) is a huge threat to any merchant who merely creates a commodity. He also notes that cheap is the last refuge for the marketer who can’t figure out how to be better.
Jasmine Bina of The Concept Bureau would change “better” to “different.” She cautions against falling into the “better” trap. Saying you’re “better” does nothing to distinguish you from competitors. Everyone claims to be better. You get lost in the crowd. Being different is what matters.
You can’t create commodities and expect people to pay extra for them. Starbucks customers aren’t just buying coffee– they’re buying an experience, along with the attitude and the little things that come with it. They’re also buying a certain status, a certain set of perceived values. They’re making a statement about who they are.
Marketing professor Freddy Nager says that customers buy products and services for their own little stories— stories they hope will turn out well.
What’s the lesson for brands? Designer David Scott puts it this way:
In the end, it’s the brands who’ve figured out strategically how to make people feel good and give them some sort of differentiated value that end up on top. So it’s about the emotional coupled with the rational.
Quick recap:
1. If you only offer a commodity, it’s a race to the bottom– because there will always be someone willing to work more cheaply.
2. Many people want more than a commodity. They want an experience, and/or something personal that meets their needs– and they’re willing to pay for it.
3. Some people are making a values statement when they choose a brand. It becomes part of their identity.
4. Brands succeed when they make people feel good, and help them live out their own stories (how they see themselves, their hopes and dreams)
5. Brands don’t succeed by being louder, more intrusive, or “better.” They succeed by being different.
6. All the above applies equally to brand content. You can’t be different and promise unique value if your content looks like everyone else’s.
About Mark: I’m an illustrator specializing in humor, branding, social media, and content marketing. My images are different, like your brand needs to be.
You can view my portfolio, and connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Questions? Send me an email.
Mark, this is so informative! Thank you so much for these insights!
👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻
>
LikeLike
Glad you found it helpful, Mia! That human touch is certainly a part of all your own marketing efforts!! 👍
LikeLike
Well I wholeheartedly agree with the points you make here, keep in mind that one of the rationals for automation is…. quality. Which reinforces the idea of being different to compete.
LikeLike
Many thanks for your comment, and I apologize for this very late reply. It’ll be interesting to see how automation and AI ultimately play out. The idea seems to be that AI will track your browsing and shopping and social activity so closely, that a brand employing AI will be able to “personalize” their exchanges with you– send you offers and messages which reflect your interests as deduced from your online behavior. The idea makes a certain logical sense, but I can’t say it strikes me as very human. We shall see.
Re quality: that’s a tough question: is high-quality work/product/service enough to make a brand different? High quality work certainly gets one’s attention, and tends to foster customer loyalty, but then you run up against the situation where competing brands offer comparable high quality work– those brands need some other way to connect emotionally and thereby stand out as “different.” The business of “being different” is complex (at least in my mind), but essential– something every brand needs to think about.
Well, that was a rambling response! Many thanks for stopping by, and thanks again for your supportive comment!
LikeLike
Such a timely post!! Love the illustrations and also how you did the “recap.” That’s a great idea! I’ve never been to a Starbucks – out-of-a-jar store brand instant is my version of coffeee LOL – but WOW it’s so true that many people expect much more from brands than they used to. TERRIFIC!!
LikeLike
Many thanks, my dear RK! Yes, a recap is always a good idea– especially when your hat blows off!! I’ve only been to a Starbucks a few times, and always because someone else wanted to go there. Give me an old-fashioned diner with a pie display, greasy spoons, and buck-and-a-half urn coffee in a thick heavy cup with free refills!! Funny, tho: I’ve just described the little touches that reel me in, and I’m sure Starbucks fans feel the same way about their barista-related “perks.” (Hey– was that a coffee pun??) : )
LikeLike
Maybe one day you can tell us about the personal touch in graphics by a human being rather than by a robot… I’m certain someone out in big world is applying AI to illustrations….
LikeLike
Well, I found a robot drawing arm that draws on paper, and a tiny robot that draws on walls, but they only reproduce images that have been fed to them. I’m sure robots could be programmed to draw any object, from any angle, based on images stored in their memory; the big question: could a robot be taught to formulate a concept to express an idea or point of view? one that reflected his client’s objectives? Now that would require a human touch, more specifically, a leap of human imagination! Time will tell, I guess…
Many thanks, Jean, for your comment and support! : )
LikeLike
Have you pitched to…technology firms? Seriously…ones that may need a human angle as part of their product. Or the opposite, campaigns to use social media, Internet safely/in a critical eye manner? Do approach a large public library one day….
LikeLike
Thanks, Jean. I have pitched to tech firms, but I probably haven’t put sufficient stress on the importance of their having a human touch; that demonstrating warmth and humanity is especially critical for tech brands which can be seen as cold, remote, empirical. Thanks for an excellent suggestion. Re a large public library: I’m going to sneak into yours and drop my business card in the Suggestion box!! 👍😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think the motto should be “Anyone can make you coffee. Nobody will make you coffee quite like us.”
This was a very insightful post and really highlights the importance of the human touch and ultimately, it’s the difference we offer which makes us special. Not only an important lesson for brands but also for life 🙂
LikeLike
What a wonderful comment!!– that deserves a free grande supremo expresso latte with whipped cream, hot fudge, walnuts, and a cherry on top!! (you can probably tell I don’t speak barista and have no grasp of the niceties of coffee prep!!) I like your motto!– have you considered a career as a copywriter?? Your “it’s the difference we offer which makes us special” is a brilliant insight that applies to both coffee beans and human beans!! Thanks, Lily– for your ongoing support and emphatic human touch!! 👍😊
LikeLike