How Marketers Build Deeper Consumer Connections

Five Proven Creative Approaches

Connecting with Audiences

In an environment where attention is fragmented and brand switching is increasingly more likely, the ability to connect deeply with consumers has become a core driver of marketing effectiveness. Superficial awareness is not sufficient. And never was. Consumers expect brands to demonstrate relevance, authenticity, and a clear understanding of their realities. Campaigns that achieve this often outperform others not simply because of media investment or channel strategy, but because they resonate at a human level.

Analysis of successful campaigns over time reveals that the most effective work, regardless of sector, geography, or budget, shares distinct creative patterns. These patterns reflect how brands move beyond transactional communication to form emotional and cognitive bonds with audiences. Rather than relying solely on product features or functional messaging, these campaigns build meaning through cultural insight, narrative craft, and creative risk-taking.

Five creative approaches consistently emerge as especially effective in forging these deeper connections: bravery, drama, authenticity, consistency, and humour. Each approach offers a different pathway to relevance, whether by challenging norms, making complex issues tangible, mirroring real life, building memory through repetition, or simply making people laugh. When grounded in a clear audience understanding, these strategies help campaigns cut through noise, drive engagement, and ultimately influence behaviour meaningfully.

Connecting with Bravery

In marketing, bravery refers to deliberately defying expectations by breaking from category norms, challenging societal conventions, or disrupting a brand’s established way of communicating. It’s about choosing a path that might initially feel uncomfortable but is strategically sound because it reflects a deeper understanding of the audience and cultural context. Bravery is not provocative for its own sake; it’s about taking calculated, creative risks that enable a brand to stand apart and speak more directly to people’s values, concerns, or aspirations.

This kind of creative courage is rooted in insight. A campaign that diverges sharply from the norm only works when anchored in a truth that resonates with the audience. For example, addressing stigmatized topics, radically changing tone or format, or adopting an unfamiliar aesthetic can all be effective if they are connected to an actual consumer tension or unmet need. Bravery might involve using humour in a category that typically leans serious, humanizing a brand that has felt distant, or borrowing the codes of a completely different sector to reframe a message.

These strategies often challenge taboos, surface uncomfortable truths, or take stances on divisive issues. In doing so, they can generate strong emotional reactions and potentially invite public scrutiny or backlash. That’s the risk. However, with careful execution (ensuring the message is coherent, the tone is appropriate, and the audience's insight is sound), these risks can be managed. When done well, brave campaigns don’t just attract attention; they spark conversation, build trust, and signal to consumers that the brand is not afraid to align itself with challenging or meaningful issues.

Ultimately, bravery in marketing isn’t about being loud. It’s about being clear on what matters to people and having the conviction to communicate it in a way that might surprise and connect more deeply.

Connecting with Drama

Drama is a powerful marketing tool because it captures attention quickly and engages audiences emotionally. In a saturated media environment, campaigns that evoke strong feelings, whether through shock, tension, humour, or awe, are more likely to stand out and be remembered. Drama makes a message not just visible but felt. This emotional intensity helps embed the brand and its message in memory, making it more likely to influence attitudes and behaviour.

One of the most effective ways to introduce drama is through exaggeration or hyperbole. By amplifying a scenario, marketers can highlight a problem or benefit in a way that feels urgent, vivid, or culturally resonant. This might involve futuristic visual effects, heightened performances, or bold storytelling devices that exaggerate the stakes. When done with intention, these techniques are not distortions but clarifying tools: they help distill the essence of a message and deliver it in a form that is hard to ignore.

Striking visual craft, sound design, and narrative structure also play a central role in creating drama. A carefully constructed scene, a sudden tonal shift, or an unexpected perspective can all deepen the emotional impact. These elements turn campaigns into experiences rather than just communications. Importantly, dramatization helps make abstract or distant issues more tangible. For instance, a complex social issue might be made more relatable through a single, emotionally charged story, or a future risk could be visualized in present-day terms.

Drama is not confined to serious or sombre topics. It can also be used in humour, where exaggerated scenarios or characterizations entertain while reinforcing the message. The key is maintaining clarity of intent and coherence with the brand’s tone. Humorous drama can be as compelling as more intense emotional appeals when aligned with brand identity and audience expectations.

Used thoughtfully, drama can enhance both recall and persuasion. It elevates the narrative, creates emotional stakes, and transforms routine messaging into something with greater resonance. Whether through fear, hope, humour, or awe, campaigns that leverage drama well often leave a stronger, more lasting impression.

Connecting via Real Life

With increased polished aesthetics and curated personas in advertising and social media, authenticity offers a clear point of differentiation. More and more consumers (not all) are increasingly skeptical of idealized imagery and exaggerated claims. As a result, brands that present themselves candidly, unfiltered, often earn greater trust and engagement. Authenticity in marketing is not simply about appearing less polished: it’s about being more honest, more human, and more aligned with how people live.

“Realness” in this context refers to portraying relatable situations, genuine emotions, and unscripted interactions. It can mean using everyday language instead of brand jargon, showing imperfections rather than editing them, or featuring real people instead of actors. Campaigns that reflect the audience’s experiences (without embellishment) signal that the brand understands and respects their reality. This kind of storytelling fosters a sense of shared perspective, a key driver of emotional connection.

Trust plays a central role here. Consumers are more likely to engage with a brand they perceive as sincere and grounded. When a campaign reflects authentic experiences, it becomes more than a message; it becomes a mirror. This relevance encourages viewers to see themselves in the story and to feel that the brand is speaking to them, not at them. Whether addressing social pressures, everyday struggles, or overlooked communities, real-life narratives often carry more weight than highly stylized content.

Moreover, authenticity helps brands align with consumer values. Real-life storytelling can demonstrate this alignment more effectively than any formal statement when backed by genuine brand intent. It shows that the brand is observing culture from a distance and actively participating in it.

By embracing candidness, brands can build credibility and emotional proximity. In doing so, they create space for more meaningful interactions based not on aspiration but on recognition. This approach may not always be dramatic or flashy, but can be deeply persuasive. It reflects a shift in the role of marketing: from projecting ideals to engaging with reality.

Connecting Over Time

Consistency in creative strategy is essential for building and maintaining brand recognition. When core elements such as tone of voice, visual identity, characters, or narrative themes are used repeatedly over time, they help create strong memory structures. This familiarity allows consumers to quickly identify and recall the brand, making each campaign more efficient in delivering its message.

Repetition reduces the cognitive effort required for audiences to process information. Recognizable cues act as shortcuts, reinforcing brand associations and strengthening mental availability. In a media environment where many messages compete for attention, this clarity and familiarity allow a brand to cut through the noise. Even short exposures to a consistent visual or audio signal can reinforce brand presence and support long-term brand equity.

Maintaining a distinct and consistent creative identity over time creates a competitive advantage. Brands that project a clear and recognizable voice are more likely to stand out and be remembered. They become salient, more memorable. This consistency builds trust, as consumers become familiar with what the brand represents and learn to expect a coherent message across different touchpoints.

However, consistency must be managed to avoid fatigue. If messaging becomes too predictable, audiences can lose interest. The challenge is to evolve creative executions while preserving the core brand elements. This might involve changing formats, exploring new storylines, or responding to cultural shifts, all while keeping the brand recognizable.

The most effective brands use consistency as a foundation, not a limitation. They maintain continuity while introducing enough variation to stay relevant and engaging. This approach allows campaigns to remain fresh without losing the clarity and impact of a well-established identity.

Connecting Through Humour

Humour continues to be one of the most effective emotional tools in advertising because it creates immediate engagement and positive associations. In a crowded media environment, humour helps break through resistance by disarming audiences and making messages more approachable. When people laugh or smile at a campaign, they are likelier to remember, talk about, and feel positively toward the brand.

Humorous advertising is often more enjoyable to watch, which increases attention and viewing time. It also enhances message recall, as people tend to remember content that elicits a strong emotional response. A well-executed joke or unexpected twist can make a brand’s message more distinctive and easier to share, especially in digital and social contexts. But also more memorable.

Different styles of humour serve different strategic purposes. Self-deprecating humour can humanize a brand and build trust by showing it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Satirical humour is helpful when critiquing industry norms or highlighting contradictions in behaviour or culture. Absurdist humour, with its exaggerated or surreal qualities, can create standout moments that are especially effective with younger audiences who favour unpredictability and novelty.

The success of humour, however, depends heavily on cultural relevance. What resonates in one market or demographic may fall flat, or offend, in another. Understanding the audience’s sensibilities, references, and boundaries is essential. Tone is equally important. The humour must align with the brand’s identity and values. A brand that typically communicates thoughtfully or formally cannot quickly pivot to humour without risking credibility.

When used with precision and care, humour can do more than entertain. It can signal brand confidence, foster emotional closeness, and reinforce positioning in a way that feels effortless. While it may not suit every message or category, humour remains a highly effective way to connect with audiences and leave a lasting impression.

In conclusion

The five creative strategies (bravery, drama, authenticity, consistency, and humour) demonstrate how brands can build more profound, lasting connections with their audiences. Each approach offers a distinct pathway to relevance, whether by challenging norms, evoking emotion, reflecting real life, reinforcing brand identity, or creating shared enjoyment. Together, they represent a toolkit for marketers aiming to move beyond awareness and drive meaningful engagement.

What unites these strategies is not style but substance. They are most effective when grounded in a clear understanding of the audience: what they value, what they experience, and how they interpret the world around them. No matter how bold or subtle, creative expression must be informed by genuine insight to resonate and sustain attention.

As consumer expectations evolve and media habits shift, these approaches provide a flexible yet reliable foundation for effective communication. They allow brands to adapt creatively while staying focused on clarity, relevance, and impact. In a market defined by constant change, the ability to connect deeply and consistently remains one of the few enduring sources of brand strength.

Reference: Kantar Research on Advertising Effectiveness