As February draws to a close, we reflect on the ways we can show up for the people we care most about: romantic candle-lit dinners, bouquets of flowers, or even hand-written notes to express our gratitude. But once the rose-colored glasses come off, it’s worth asking which other relationships need the same intentional care and attention?
Brand-consumer relationships, just like any other, require consistent communication, meaningful experiences, and showing up in ways that matter to them. But if that is the case, why do so many consumers feel the need to shoulder-surf when choosing which brands to trust and stay loyal to? Today, as Part 1 of a two-part series, we will explore the top reasons why this happens, and then in Part 2, which will be released at a later stage, you’ll learn about the three strategic ways to create a deeper brand-consumer relationship!
Trust is difficult to build and easy to break
One of the most important qualities of a healthy, long-term relationship is transparency and authenticity. Yet, many brands aren’t fully open about their policies or business practices.
When information feels vague, such as unclear pricing structures, complicated terms and conditions, or an underemphasis on vision and mission statements, people tend to question a brand’s credibility. Consumer distrust can further be amplified when they come across as overly corporate or inhumane. This is usually caused by heavily automated or AI-driven messaging, inactive digital presence (social media, websites, Google Ads & SEO), and poor user experiences across key customer touchpoints.
Neglecting the human side of a brand (e.g., behind-the-scenes storytelling, maintaining a distinctive brand voice, and regular check-ins with your clients) might just cause the customer who is already on the fence to decide not interact with your brand. Over time, these small moments of disconnect pile up, making trust harder to earn and easier to lose.
Misalignment between communication and the audience
At some point, all of us have heard “It’s not what you say, but how you say it” in an argument with a significant other. The same principle applies to brand communication.
If brands don’t fully understand their target audience profiles (purchase behaviours, demographics, psychographics, and geographics), they can rarely communicate their products or services in a way that consumers can relate to.
Let’s look at a case study of Oreo. When they first entered the Chinese market in 1996, the sales were quite disappointing. For locals, the biscuit was too sweet, the texture too hard, and the packaging and pricing did not align with consumer expectations. Instead of giving up, the brand decided to conduct market research, set up audience profiles, and adapt its product to align with Chinese consumers. Oreo reformulated the classic biscuit so that the taste was less sweet, changed the packaging to be more colorful, and introduced a wafer-style biscuit to better suit the snacking habits. In later years, they also introduced more localised flavours and focused on family-oriented messaging.
This case study proves that when brands don’t fully understand all spheres of their target audience, they risk misalignment between communication and the audience. Even globally recognised brands can fail when they rely on assumed universality instead of cultural relevance. Ultimately, alignment between communication and the audience strengthens trust, improves relevance, and enables long-term brand growth, while misalignment risks disconnect, disengagement, and lost market potential.
Meaningful, long-term relationships are built and protected when both parties show up consistently for one another and communicate with intention and understanding. Stay tuned for part two, where we will uncover three strategic ways to create a deeper brand-consumer relationship, and how Clickwise Agency supports this process through thoughtful strategy, intentional execution, and a people-first approach to digital marketing.
