Why emotion is branding’s last unfair advantage.
There’s a particular kind of brand fatigue happening right now.
It’s not bad branding. (Though there’s plenty of that too.)
It’s not even boring branding. (Though, again… everywhere.)
It’s empty branding.
Perfectly polished. Meticulously strategised. Technically correct.
And yet… nothing. No pulse. No spark. No feeling.
Scroll. Swipe. Move on.
In a World Obsessed with Metrics, Feeling Is the Metric.
At the risk of sounding dramatic (which is kind of the point), branding today isn’t fighting for awareness, it’s fighting for aliveness.
Emotion isn’t just the cherry on top. It’s the engine under the hood.
According to Harvard Business Review (aka the patron saint of data-backed gut feelings), emotionally connected customers have a staggering 306% higher lifetime value. They don’t just buy from you, they swear by you. Recommend you. Tattoo your logo on their soul (or their Hydroflask, same thing).
Translation? Brands that make people feel win.
Brands that don’t? Well… they get left behind in the algorithmic dust.
Continue reading on our Substack, Public Opinion.
