Opinion

Will the increasing use of AI in marketing be balanced out by an increasing need for human connection?

'Being human' is set to become a marketing and comms priority in 2024. But what does this look like? Rob Lowe, founder of Poem, explores.

BY ROB LOWE

January 30, 2024 7:00

Will the increasing use of AI in marketing be balanced out by an increasing need for human connection?

The more that we rely on artificial intelligence and the more prevalent it becomes in mainstream society, the greater the opportunity and importance there’ll be to look within ourselves, to the people around us and even to brands, to help us create deeper human connections and embrace our human values. The brands and people that help us do this, will gain a more meaningful and important place in our lives.

According to Mintel’s Global Consumer Trends forecast, 2024 will be the year that ‘being human’ becomes a marketing and comms priority. In fact every 2024 trends forecast I’ve seen so far talks to a similar theme.

But what will this mean in practical terms?

We’ll put greater value on a brand’s human impact

“We’re witnessing a transformative shift in the meaning of value. Consumers no longer make purchasing decisions based solely on the traditional considerations of price and quality.” – 2024 Google trends report.

Brand strategy, brand values, storytelling and brand comms will increasingly out weigh transactional content and pure paid performance. People will choose brands more for what they represent, how they relate to people and what they signal about our own personal values, not just their functional purpose or price.

Because of this, brands will need to reconsider how engaging the content they create is. Why is it of use or important to people? What does it make people feel and why? Correcting the balance between brand messaging, human interest and performance reach is going to be key.

Letting go of brand control will increase engagement

“Brands need to steer away from their sanitized portrayal of reality and adopt a more honest depiction.” – Mintel.

“Consumers also form a stronger emotional attachment to brands that have high levels of brand authenticity. Such an emotional attachment also facilitates the likelihood of spreading information about the brand through word of mouth.” – Psychology Today.

We’ll see less inauthentic branded influencer content and less polished and unrealistic advertising-led social content. Because if everything can be faked now, there’s greater value on what is real and often imperfect.

Overly prescriptive influencer briefs and short term sales focused only content, is not just an inefficient use of budget, it’s potentially damaging to brand perception. Brands need to let go of some control and create or cocreate authentic content in order to connect with people.

In terms of public relations, finding someone (a real person) that can talk on behalf of a brand in a ‘deeply human’ and relatable way, will be a huge brand advantage. But many brands are too risk adverse to their detriment. In a crisis situation, showing a human response and responding in a genuine and authentic way, is hopefully a given these days and yet there are still brands getting this wrong.

Brands that help people be better people, will earn more love

“Whether it’s creating reflective shopping moments or supporting customers through challenging circumstances (illness, mental fatigue, grief), brands will need to incorporate care into their offer. People are decluttering toxic things from their lives – don’t let your company be thrown into this mix.” – Worth Global Style Network Future Consumer 2024 report.

“Brands have taken a role of accelerating the personal development of consumers.” – Trend Hunter.

Brands that act as catalysts to help us to be better versions of ourselves, whether through use and efficiency or self realisation, will be valued more than others.

Post Covid, we’ve all looking for greater meaning, in ourselves and in our jobs. Those brands that can help us achieve this, whether it be through exercise, connection, travel, time management or any other personalised way, will earn a more meaningful and long term place in our lives.

The value of creativity in marketing will continue to increase

“Budget for innovation is usually one of the first cuts when times are tough, yet novelty drives excitement and emotional connection, and is a key differentiator in any market.” – Accenture 2024 Life Trends.

Algorithms and tech are creating ever more efficient ways of getting brands infront of people. But this is sometimes at the cost of creativity. Creativity and human insight are required to inspire an emotional response through imagination and human connection. Without this, marketing is just noise.

Those brands that continue to invest in creativity and innovation, despite the harder economical times, will separate themselves from those competitors that don’t.

We’ll see more branded experiential and immersive experiences

“Creating experiences that capture and engage customer attention in new ways will continue to be key to providing memorable experiences.” – Forbes 10 most important customer experience trends for 2024.

Whether it’s in real life, online or virtual (AR/VR), brands that can provide people with engaging experiences that add to their lives in some way, that inspire emotion by being entertaining, informative, novel or adding to their social status, will live in people’s memory and earn a place in their lives.

The huge success of agencies like Amplify and Akcelo in recent years, is testament to this. Last year, the Warner Brothers’ experiential campaign for Barbie was also a brilliant example, using Barbie Selfie apps, an innovative giant AR Barbie, signage campaigns around cities and plenty more, making the movie a cultural phenomenon, before it had even appeared.

Aside from our campaigns, marketers also have a job to do in being better human beings, not just for our brands and their consumers, but for each other. We need to be better bosses, better colleagues, better clients and better agencies. The most successful brands (and agencies) will have the best human beings working for them, who create the best relationships and have committed, enthusiastic teams working around them.

2024 is the year for brands and marketers to be more human and create deeper and more meaningful connections between each other and with their customers, something that (I’m hoping) AI won’t ever be able to do as well as humans.