A Brand's Guide To Deepening Bonds With The ‘Always-On’ Consumer

Arjun Kolady Mar 07, 2024

We live in a world where culture is created every day. Consumers spend a large part of their day online, whether actively or passively engaged, accessing new information and content every minute. Consistent exposure shapes who they are, what they think and how they consume future content. This always-evolving environment poses a challenge for brands that are constantly trying to identify how they can fit into the lives of their audiences.

While all consumers have unique needs or wants, the core remains consistent – to be heard, understood and supported. That is the opportunity for brands to focus on messaging that is personalised and evocative, making the culture, passions and pursuits of consumers the focal point of a campaign. There are three ways that brands can build a deeper connection with the new-age consumers without losing authenticity.

Become an Ally in their Mood and Moments

Submerged in deadlines, chores and emotions, ‘Gen Online’ is always on the lookout for immersion and connection. While the world is increasingly becoming fragmented around them, they are craving an ally that understands their emotions and helps them ground themselves. Brands have the opportunity to blend into these consumers’ moods and Spotify’s recent ‘Culture Next’ report shows that the younger generation prefers audio as their respite to immerse in music and podcasts. Audio helps them navigate their mood and moments. Xiaomi recently created dynamic, contextual audio ads, for its users to discover the brand. Depending on the time of the day, device, moment and the playlist they were listening to, each user was exposed to different ads on their listening journey, keeping the elements variable and the ad would adapt itself to it and call out elements such as driving and fitness, making the message relevant for that mood and in that moment.

Make their Culture your Voice

Today’s generation is proud of how dynamic their outlook toward culture is. They are aware of what they want and parts of culture that they want to share with others and continuously evolve to stay relevant in conversations that take place both online and offline. The youth of our times are the most global-minded and seeking ways to assert their identities and subcultures. Brands have an opportunity to become a part of these cultures, mirroring the obsession and passion of their consumers. We all know that India loves love and Hershey’s tapped into that cultural moment by creating a microsite where couples could assign a Nutty Score based on how much they love each other and pick their favourite everyday moments, culminating in the creation of a personalised playlist.

Make them Feel Belonged

With the rise of the digital world, ‘Gen Online’ has become increasingly isolated and lonelier. It is a generation that craves depth and real connections that feel like a community and brands have the right opportunity here to create a feeling of tribe and extended community for these consumers. This is not a one-time campaign, but instead, a sustained effort to stay connected with the audience online and offline around values and messaging through creators and influential voices that matter to them. Puma did this well for their podcast - Let There Be Sport. To strengthen the consumer connection to the brand, Puma didn’t talk about its products but rather put the spotlight on the six voices that matter to the youth, including Virat Kohli, Harmanpreet Kaur and Mary Kom, among others. The podcast was only promoted to specific age groups that would find the content relatable and motivating.

There is too much content and too little time to absorb it. However, for brands choosing to engage with their audiences, the one thing they must focus on is personalisation. The one-campaign-for-all approach does not work in a world where several cultures exist, even in a single household or within each group of friends. The same product or service can have a different message, visual and call to action for different audiences.