Look, we live online now. Face-to-face is nice and all, but most of the time, we’re scrolling, clicking, and DMing. Brands know this, obviously. The tricky part? Figuring out how to actually connect with us without coming off like that awkward relative trying way too hard at the family reunion.
It’s a minefield out there. The old ways of just shouting about how great your product is? Dead. Buried. We’ve got the internet, we can find out for ourselves, thanks. What works now is… well, it’s complicated. But some brands are actually nailing it, building real relationships that make people stick around, even when competitors are screaming for attention.
This isn’t about fluffy marketing bullshit. It’s about how companies, from the ones selling you vegan bacon to the software powering your work grind, are figuring out how to stop being just brands and start being something people actually care about. We’re diving into the strategies that actually work – the purpose-driven stuff, the creepy-but-cool personalization, the community vibes, and the brands that aren’t afraid to be real.
Let’s be real: the way brands talk at us versus with us is worlds apart from how it used to be. That old-school, one-way street where companies just blasted ads? It’s a dead end. Here’s why:
So yeah, just talking about product features? Snooze. Brands that get it know that building a relationship isn’t just nice-to-have, it’s how you survive.
Okay, so the old ways are dead. What’s working now? It’s not rocket science, but it does take more effort than just running some ads.
This whole “purpose-driven” thing sounds like corporate jargon, but it’s basically about brands having a reason to exist beyond just making cash. And guess what? People dig it. Deloitte Digital’s 2025 trend report basically says younger consumers especially want brands whose values match their own 1. Shocking, right?
It’s not just about slapping a rainbow flag on your logo in June. It’s about figuring out your why and weaving it into everything – how you make stuff, how you talk to people, how you treat your employees.
Take La Vie, the French company making plant-based bacon and lardons. Their mission? Make ditching meat easy and delicious, and maybe save some pigs along the way. They don’t preach, though. Their whole vibe is playful. Their mascot is literally a pig named Mr. Piggy who’s weirdly enthusiastic about their vegan products. Their ads are cheeky – like one on the London Underground riffing on the nursery rhyme: "This little piggy went to the market, so all the other piggies could stay home." 2 It lands the message (saving animals) without being a total downer.
La Vie proves you can have serious values but still have a laugh. They’re not hitting you over the head with guilt; they’re using humor to make their purpose stick. It works.
We expect stuff tailored to us now. That generic email? Straight to trash. Thanks to AI and the mountains of data we generate, brands can get freakishly accurate at predicting what we want 3.
But there’s a fine line. Good personalization feels helpful, like Netflix suggesting your next binge based on that weird documentary you watched at 3 AM 4. Bad personalization feels like that targeted ad for something you thought about once – creepy.
It’s not just about using someone’s first name. It’s about creating experiences that feel like they were made just for you, while also being upfront about how you’re using their data. Trust is key.
Even in the B2B world, where things are usually stiffer, personalization works. Clay, a software company, tailors its guides and tips based on what specific users are trying to achieve. It shows they actually get their customers’ problems, which builds way more loyalty than a generic sales pitch 5.
The trick, according to Denis Sinelnikov, CEO of Media Components, is using tech to help humans connect, not replace them.
"AI is an incredible tool, but it should never replace the genuine relationships... The goal isn’t just efficiency—it’s meaningful engagement." 3 Basically, let the robots do the grunt work, but keep a human touch.
Smart brands aren’t just selling stuff; they’re building communities. Places where people who like the same things can hang out, share ideas, and feel like they belong. It’s way more powerful than just having a bunch of individual customers.
What makes a good brand community?
Notion, the productivity app that’s basically digital Lego for your life, nails this. They have a huge gallery where users share custom templates they’ve built. It’s super useful, and it makes users feel like they’re part of this big, creative hive mind. They even doubled down on the community vibe with their quirky hand-drawn employee avatars on LinkedIn and let anyone make their own – genius, shareable marketing that felt fun, not forced 5.
Then there’s Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR). These guys basically let their fans define the brand. Instead of some slick ad campaign, they leaned into their rep as the cheap, no-frills beer beloved by dive bars, artists, and skaters. Their marketing was grassroots – local reps tailoring stuff to fit the scene. As one former PBR marketing guy put it, "We never, ever, told consumers what Pabst was. We let them decide that for themselves." 5 It created this authentic, almost anti-marketing vibe that people connected with way more than a Super Bowl ad.
We bounce between Instagram, TikTok, email, websites, maybe even actual stores (remember those?). Brands need to show up consistently wherever we are. That doesn’t just mean using the same logo.
It means the vibe feels the same. The way they talk, the stuff they care about – it should all line up, whether you’re seeing an ad, reading an email, or talking to customer service.
Disney is the undisputed master of this. Theme parks, streaming, merch – it all feels connected. Their MagicBands link your park visit to your digital profile, making everything smoother and letting them personalize your next interaction 6. Creepy? Maybe a little. Effective? Absolutely.
Even Notion does this well in the B2B space. Their hand-drawn style is everywhere – website, app, social media. It makes the whole experience feel cohesive 5.
Getting this right isn’t just about design; it’s about making sure all the behind-the-scenes tech talks to each other, so the brand actually knows who you are and what you’ve done across different channels. It makes the relationship feel continuous, not like you’re starting over every time you interact.
We’re drowning in fake news and data breaches. Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. Brands that are actually open and honest – about how they make stuff, how they use our data, even when they mess up – are the ones building real loyalty.
What does that look like?
Everlane, the clothing brand, built their whole identity around "radical transparency," breaking down the costs of making each garment 7. People who care about ethical production ate it up. It built massive trust.
In the B2B world, this is even more critical because the deals are bigger and the relationships longer. As Qwilr’s Brendan Connaughton says, it’s about partnership: "Both parties need to be invested in each other’s success." 8 You can’t fake that.
Let’s look at some brands actually pulling this off with regular consumers.
Plant-based food can feel preachy. La Vie flipped that script. They make vegan bacon, and their whole brand is built around being playful and slightly absurd. Remember Mr. Piggy, the mascot pig who’s weirdly stoked about not being eaten? That’s them.
They use humor everywhere. Their website FAQ ends with a random question about train schedules. Their ads are witty, like the London Underground one about piggies staying home 2. It’s all wrapped in this bright pink, cartoonish style.
It works because it’s unexpected. They’re tackling a serious issue (animal welfare, environment) but making it feel light and accessible. They’re not guilting you into buying vegan bacon; they’re making it seem fun. It shows purpose doesn’t have to be boring 5.
PBR is fascinating because their success wasn’t some master plan. They became cool almost by not trying. While big beer brands spent millions on slick ads, PBR stayed cheap, unpretentious, and just… there. In dive bars, at indie shows, wherever.
They let their fans define the brand. Artists, musicians, skaters – they adopted PBR as their beer. The company leaned into it, sponsoring local events and letting field reps connect with local scenes organically. No big corporate mandates, just letting the brand find its place.
During the late 2000s recession, this paid off big time. People were broke, and PBR was affordable. But it also had this built-in cultural cred. It felt authentic, scrappy, the underdog. As their former marketing guy said, "It was spontaneous and honest and never fake." 5
That iconic can didn’t hurt either – instantly recognizable, effortlessly cool. PBR proved you don’t need a billion-dollar ad budget to build a loyal following. Sometimes, just being real (and cheap) is enough.
Building relationships when your customer is another business sounds way less fun, right? Usually involves awkward LinkedIn messages and boring webinars. But some B2B brands are shaking things up.
Clay sells software to other businesses, usually a recipe for corporate blandness. But they went a different route. Instead of a traditional sales team, they focus on “educational partnerships,” basically getting real users to show how the product works. Smart.
But the wild part? They use memes. And witty social posts. For enterprise software. It sounds nuts, but it works. They inject personality into a space that’s usually drier than sawdust. It makes them stand out and shows they don’t take themselves too seriously.
This builds a community where users teach each other, making them advocates, not just customers. Their whole brand identity, from the name to the visuals (which actually look like clay!), is playful and consistent. Clay proves B2B doesn’t have to mean Boring2Boring 5.
Notion is that app everyone uses to organize their entire life/brain. It’s powerful, but it could easily feel cold and corporate. Instead, they’ve managed to build a brand that feels creative and human.
Their secret weapon? That quirky, hand-drawn visual style. It’s everywhere – employee profile pics, website illustrations, the app itself. It screams “ideas happen here.” They even let users make their own doodle avatars, turning branding into a fun, shareable activity.
Their messaging is super clear: “The happier workspace. Write. Plan. Collaborate. With a little help from AI.” No jargon, just straight-up what it does. They also lean heavily on their user community, showcasing templates and running video campaigns featuring real users talking about how they use Notion.
It’s this mix of clear communication, creative flair, and genuine community focus that makes Notion feel different. They’re not just selling software; they’re selling a way to be more organized and more creative, and they’ve built a loyal following because of it 5.
Technology is obviously a huge part of this whole digital relationship thing. But how brands use it makes all the difference.
AI is getting really good at knowing what we want. Those personalized recommendations? That’s AI. Chatbots that sound almost human? AI again. It lets brands tailor stuff to us on a massive scale.
But as Denis Sinelnikov warned, the goal isn’t just to be efficient; it’s to be meaningful 3. Good AI use feels like a helpful suggestion; bad AI use feels like surveillance. Brands need to use AI to support their human voice, not replace it. Let the bots handle the data crunching, but keep humans involved in the actual connection.
Brands like Liquid Death and CeraVe blew up because they treated social media as the core of their brand, not just another place to dump ads. Ogilvy calls this “Social-First Brand Building” 9.
It means realizing that attention is scattered, influencers (ugh) and communities hold the power, and you can’t just control the message anymore. You have to jump into the chaos, co-create with people, and figure out how to be relevant in their world, not just yours. It’s messy, requires letting go of some control, but it’s how brands are actually breaking through the noise now 9.
Augmented and Virtual Reality are still kinda niche, but they offer wild ways to connect. Think virtual try-ons for clothes or furniture using AR on your phone. Or VR experiences that transport you somewhere totally new – like a virtual concert or a tour of a house you might buy 3.
It’s about creating experiences that feel more real and emotional than just looking at a screen. As the tech gets better and cheaper, expect more brands to experiment with this stuff to build deeper connections.
So your brand is trying all this relationship stuff. How do you know if it’s working? Old metrics like ‘likes’ or ‘website hits’ don’t really cut it.
Smarter brands are looking at:
It’s about looking at the whole picture, not just quick wins.
Trying to build relationships online is risky. It’s easy to screw up and look clueless, or worse, manipulative.
Brands that win usually play the long game and aren’t afraid to admit when they mess up.
Looking ahead, things are only going to get weirder (and maybe better?):
For agencies, the job is shifting from just making ads to designing entire relationship systems for their clients.
So, yeah. Building brand relationships online is messy, complicated, and constantly changing. But the core idea is simple: stop treating people like targets on a spreadsheet and start treating them like, well, people.
The brands winning aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets; they’re the ones who are authentic, provide real value, build communities, and aren’t afraid to show some personality. They use tech smartly – to enhance human connection, not replace it.
It’s a long game. It requires listening more than talking. It means being transparent even when it’s uncomfortable. But the payoff? Loyalty that goes beyond the next discount code. People who actually care about your brand.
In a world saturated with noise, that kind of connection is priceless. So, maybe it’s time for brands to stop asking “How can we sell more?” and start asking, “How can we build a better relationship?”
