Traditional forms of communication are breaking down as consumers continue to shy away from mass marketing and homogenous targeting. Today's consumer is looking to both people and brands to afford them the opportunity for touch, intimacy, and individual expression. In this climate, welcoming your customer into your brand collective and knowing your consumer on a personal level are now crucial for a brand's survival. We are not talking about just lightly touching the surface but finding new, more innovative and integrated ways to honestly and personally connect with and touch the consumer as an individual. How do brands truly get up close and personal? What is the role of design and creativity?

Mental touch
Traditional marketing tactics, such as market research or using brand promotion representatives, are by their very nature conducted at one step removed and tend to foster rather than remove a "them" and "us" mentality. Levi's was once thought to be pioneering in its approach to new and innovative forms of consumer communication, but Levi's, along with brands such as Campbells and Bud, has become generic "wallpaper" with no personality or point of differentiation for potential buyers to associate with. In contrast, some of the newer and more entrepreneurial brands, particularly within the technology- and internet-based sectors, are successfully bringing their community of users together. Craigslist, eBay, and Myspace.com are all good examples of brands harnessing a sense of "mental" touch by using the brand personality and architecture to appeal to human need and sensibility.

Human touch
So is it easier for smaller brands to get up close and personal? Not necessarily. Essentially, it comes down to a shift in thinking, a shift to close the gap—to first and foremost get to know the consumer and to look carefully at how resources are being used. Brand owners need to start realizing that no company ultimately controls its brand. Its community of users do. A collective approach underlines integrity and authenticity, and focuses on the genuine need of users rather than a push strategy of sell, sell, sell.

Brands who inhabit the same tribes as their consumers assume the persona of the customer they wish to attract, and take the time to relate person to person. These brand owners always strive to create something they would buy into themselves, and the end result is inevitably a more intimate and personal offer. Brands such as Nixon and Patagonia are testament to a different way of thinking and doing, and recent brand growth and recognition speaks for itself.

Similarly, brands such as Nike iD and Vans allow users to self-create or customize their purchase so that the purchase is part imbued with the personality of the end user to make it individual and desirable.

Physical touch
Essentially, for consumers to pick up the product, to buy the brand, the brand needs to touch them on all levels, but particularly on a physical one. Brands must not underestimate the power of design, and in this environment the power of packaging design and point of purchase (POP)—in creating consumer desire to ensure that the brand benefit is integrated across all points of consumer interaction and POP materials as a visual representation of a truly integrated brand message. Cosmetics brand Hard Candy deserved the awards bestowed upon them towards the end of last year for their innovative eye, lip, and nail POP, which resemble a candy was unique, fun, functional, true to the heart of the brand, and engaging for the consumer.

We want brands, where appropriate, to interact with us, but we want them to be useful and not intrusive—to be fun and helpful rather than just a dressed-up way of conferring sponsorship or product placement. From the design of new products to the design of innovative experiences that are not just a "fun" brand extension but a way to responsibly involve and include the consumer, brands need to develop creative ideas and solutions that will allow people to exchange (interact with each other) and express (explore and share creative opportunities). Yes, this is about brands developing a sense of civic-mindedness but it also just comes down to satisfying a real need by providing the unexpected or the unusual to stand out from the clutter.

The role of design and creativity
The global giants can still work with a global audience, but they need to look at ways of harnessing mass sensibilities and adopting a more intimate way of working. They need to consider investing more in the creative process at the start and look at the individual first and the product second—maximizing the opportunities with, as we have said, the brand microenvironment and also with POP or packaging. These, rather than marketing campaigns, are the key points of connection where the brand can both physically and mentally touch the consumer. The different tactics will, of course, depend on the brand personality, the geography, and the target, but brands should not be afraid to take control of retail space where possible, to mix mediums to provide a different point of view, or allow the consumer to be involved in the expression and personality of the brand.

A few forward-thinking brands are already looking at taking this one stage further. For example, Adobe is currently using "real designers" in its advertising—a creative, inclusive, and personal communication, but one which is entirely relevant.

So, is your brand really able to reach out and touch the consumer? If brands start to honestly address the human need for connection, the distinction between social action and business disappears, and a more personal relationship evolves. Brands need to be aware of their behavior in everything they say, do, and deliver, and look at ways to use the power of creativity and design to express a different point of view, to stand out from the crowd, and to forge an honest connection. Is your brand ready to get up close and personal?

About the author
Jonathan Ford is designer and co-founder of Pearlfisher, a future-focused design consultancy in London and New York.

This article was originally published in the March/April 2006 issue of STEP inside design magazine.

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