Why a Human-Centric Approach is Crucial for Brands

Consumer trust in brands is eroding. Social media and reviews mean brands must focus on people, not just profits. Research shows that shared values and transparency matter more to consumers than quality when choosing brands. 

A report by the World Economic Forum suggests that consumer brand preferences are driven by an alignment of their own values, including reducing environmental harm and standing up for social issues.

Between 2013 and 2021, the share of respondents in the UK and France who tended to buy based on shared personal and brand principles rose by 17 percentage points to around 60%.

Adopting human-centered practices is key for brands to thrive. This article explores why human-centricity is critical and how to implement it.

Brands can no longer view customers as passive recipients of products and marketing. Consumers want shared values and emotional connections with brands. Authenticity now trumps transactions. Brands must build trust and resonate emotionally through lived values and caring service.

Many brands adopt human-centered practices focused on customer needs. Research like ethnography provides empathy surpassing traditional market research. Human-centered design thinking iteratively brainstorms, prototypes, and tests with users to meet needs. Customer journey mapping reveals pain points and delights. Immersive customer experience centres offer insights missed by surveys alone. Chief Experience Officers ensure the customer perspective guides decisions.

The journey from traditional branding strategies, which often prioritise product features and corporate messaging, to a human-centric approach that places customer needs and values at the heart of every decision is not without its challenges. 

The transition involves a paradigm shift in how brands view their relationship with consumers, requiring a deeper understanding of customer experiences, emotions, and values. Here, we delve into the common pitfalls and obstacles brands may encounter in this transition and offer guidance on navigating these challenges successfully.

Internal resistance to change is one of the most significant barriers to adopting human-centric branding. Traditional branding methods are deeply ingrained in many organisations, and shifting to a new approach can be met with scepticism or reluctance.

How to Overcome:

A human-centered brand requires a deep understanding of its customers. Traditional methods may not offer the detailed understanding necessary to grasp customers’ emotional motivations and values.

How to Overcome:

Human-centered branding requires collaboration across the company to boost team performance. Traditional organisational structures with siloed departments can hinder the seamless integration of customer intelligence across the brand experience.

How to Overcome:

The impact of human-centered branding, particularly in terms of emotional connections and customer loyalty, can be challenging to measure with traditional metrics.

How to Overcome:

To personalise customer experiences, brands risk infringing on customer privacy, a sensitive issue that can erode trust if not handled carefully.

How to Overcome:

The transition to human-centered branding represents a significant shift in mindset and operations but is crucial for brands seeking to build deeper, more meaningful customer relationships. 

By understanding and addressing the challenges inherent in this transition, brands can successfully navigate the path to human-centricity, ensuring their values and practices align with their customers’ evolving expectations. Embracing this approach enhances customer loyalty and brand differentiation and sets a foundation for sustainable growth in the competitive landscape.

Industry: Health & Beauty 

Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign featured diverse women’s bodies, challenging beauty ideals. By banning photoshopping and emphasising diversity and self-esteem, Dove connected worldwide through human truths.

Industry: Toys/Entertainment 

LEGO has embraced co-creation through its Ideas platform, where fans submit their own designs for new LEGO sets. This approach not only engages the community but also leads to innovative products that reflect the desires and creativity of LEGO’s customer base, exemplifying successful co-creation.

Industry: Outdoor Apparel and Gear 

Patagonia’s commitment to environmental sustainability and ethical practices is at the core of its brand identity. The company’s “Worn Wear” program encourages customers to repair, share, and recycle their gear instead of buying new. This initiative strengthens the emotional connection with its customer base and aligns with their shared values of environmental conservation.

Industry: Hospitality/Travel 

Airbnb’s “Belong Anywhere” campaign focuses on creating a sense of belonging among its users. By highlighting real stories from hosts and travellers, Airbnb fosters a community-centric platform that values experiences and human connections over transactions, showcasing the power of empathy in branding.

Leading brands now tear down corporate walls, interact with customers directly, and focus on human needs instead of guesswork. Human-centricity allows resonant branding.

While it’s clear that shared values and transparency matter more to consumers than ever, the question remains: how can brands respond effectively? 

Each of the following practices plays a critical role in shaping a brand that survives and thrives by placing humans at the heart of its strategy. It’s about creating a brand people love, trust, and advocate for. By integrating these actionable steps into your business strategy, you can build stronger connections with your customers and foster long-term loyalty.

Empathy is the linchpin of customer-centricity. It’s about putting oneself in the customer’s shoes and truly understanding their needs, feelings, and pain points. When brands practice empathy, they go beyond mere transactions; they build relationships. It’s about listening, genuinely caring, and crafting solutions that resonate on a personal level. Empathy turns customers into loyal fans because they feel seen and valued.

Co-creation is a collaborative effort where brands and customers roll up their sleeves and work together. It’s a democratic approach to product development and service enhancement. By involving customers in the creation process, brands harness a wealth of ideas and foster a deep sense of belonging among their clientele. Co-creation turns customers from passive consumers into active participants, enhancing product relevance and customer satisfaction.

In today’s digital age, transparency is not just nice to have; it’s essential. It’s about being open about your processes, pricing, and policies. Transparency builds trust, and trust is the foundation of any lasting relationship. When transparent, brands communicate honesty and integrity, reassuring customers they have nothing to hide and can be relied upon.

Customer metrics are the compass that guides a brand towards true north. By measuring customer satisfaction, net promoter scores, and other relevant metrics, brands can get a clear picture of their performance through the eyes of their customers. This analytics-driven knowledge allows brands to identify areas of excellence and opportunities for improvement, ensuring they remain aligned with customer expectations.

Personalisation is the art of making the customer feel like the star of the show. It’s about tailoring experiences, communications, and offerings to meet individual needs and preferences. In a world where people are bombarded with generic messages, personalisation cuts through the noise, making them feel special and understood. It’s a powerful tool for enhancing engagement and loyalty.

Customer advocacy goes beyond customer service; it’s about championing the customer’s interests at every touchpoint. Advocacy involves proactively solving problems, exceeding expectations, and delivering value. When customers feel advocated for, they become brand ambassadors, spreading positive word-of-mouth and reinforcing the brand’s reputation.

In an ever-changing marketplace, agility is a brand’s superpower. It’s the ability to pivot quickly in response to market trends, customer feedback, and external challenges. Agile brands stay ahead of the curve, adapting their strategies, products, and services to meet evolving customer needs. Agility ensures relevance and resilience, keeping brands competitive and customer-centric.

An outside-in, customer-obsessed approach centred on human needs builds loyalty beyond marketing gimmicks. The key is organisation-wide empathy, transparency and advocacy.

Human-centered brands often report employee experience benefits, with improved workplace morale and engagement in the work environment, as employees feel more connected to the company’s mission and values.

By addressing customer pain points with empathy and transparency, brands can forge stronger emotional bonds, leading to higher loyalty and repeat purchases.

Focusing on human-centric practices can streamline operations and reduce inefficiencies, improving overall productivity.

Empathy, co-creation, and advocacy set human-centered brands apart in crowded markets, offering a unique value proposition that attracts consumers.

Consumers are willing to pay more for brands they feel emotionally connected to, allowing for premium pricing strategies.

Prioritising human values over transactions fosters enduring relationships, driving sustained value for the brand.

In today’s market, being human-centric is essential for maintaining relevance, building trust, and fostering growth.

Our firsthand experience with a property developer website overhaul exemplifies human-centric branding in action. By prioritising customer experience and insights into brand strategy, we helped Montreaux Homes transition from an online brochure to a platform that resonates with visitors on a much deeper level.

We redefined the site to communicate brand values and a commitment to quality. By integrating intuitive search functionality and delivering comprehensive information on each development, we ensure it not only meets user needs but also fosters a connection between people and properties.

Gone are the days when brands could rely solely on transactional approaches. Today, embracing human-centred methods like empathy and co-creation, which resonate with people’s values, has become crucial for success.

This shift necessitates prioritising human needs over corporate interests, a change that benefits society and strengthens the bond between brands and their communities.

Brands that embody their values are more likely to flourish, building stronger relationships with their customers. Embracing a human-centric approach marks a new era of brand engagement where authenticity and connection reign supreme.