Humanising the brand in a digital age

Abstract

As organisations grow bigger and their use of technology intensifies, it gets harder for those businesses to retain a sense of humanity for employees and customers. Yet the value of human connection cannot be overstated — as technology proliferates, and as the range of touch points available to brands increases, competitive advantage will go to those brands that bring a sense of humanity to their dealings with customers. Customer experience is at the centre of this. Although it is expensive and difficult, it is effective communication because it counts as a brand’s body language. As more decision-making gets outsourced to technology, brands can benefit from the opportunity to create digital interactions that are valuable, rather than perpetuate the dehumanising effect of many technological interventions. This paper argues that people and technology work better together, and will help readers understand some of the pitfalls of being too technology-led. It also sets out some initial questions that brands can ask themselves to help navigate digital technologies in a way that is right for them.