Brands And Empathy

A great brand is like a mirror wherein consumers want to see a reflection of themselves, something thats aligns with their aspirations. As humans we care about other humans, we communicate and interact with other humans. Similarly, we expect the same from our favourite brands.

Brands are trying to connect with consumers on an emotional level. Though brands are often connected to leader representing them. For instance when we think of Apple — we think of Steve Jobs or when we think of Tesla — Elon Musk comes to our mind. But at the same time people look for leaders whose values and beliefs aligns with theirs. They expect these leaders to bring positive changes in the environment while doing business. Consumers are looking for compassion and empathy in these leaders. They expect brands to display corporate social responsibility (CSR) and support social causes.

The millennia today is triggered by emotion. The marketing strategies should not only revolve around product qualities but also how the brand is affecting the nature, environment and human development. Also, Sustainability has become an important part of any business.

There are many examples out there where brands try to attract customers by showing compassion. Like MamaEarth- it claims to be cruelty free and to create a 100 percent transparency, they photograph every tree, together with its coordinates during the planting. Nihar Shanti Amla shows that if you consume the product, you are making a positive difference with your purchase- 5% of their profit is contributed towards the education of children. Brands like Tanishq, Cadbury, and Dove etc. also often come up with advertisements depicting a major social stigma.

What do you think? Should these practices be considered fair or are they just manipulating consumer emotions for the sake of sales?