That’s the question posed by our colleague, Laura Siegfried. The point is that brands may have succumbed so thoroughly to the seduction of the algorithm that the customer engagement we seek is in danger of morphing into mere manipulation. But isn’t it still important for our customers to feel like we’re treating them as humans, rather than data points?
Late in 2024, author and researcher Sohail Verma published an article titled, The Engagement Economy: A Faustian Bargain for Our Attention. It’s a thoughtful examination of how big data and emotional engineering enable brands to build connections with consumers. But he is shocked, shocked, to find that this engagement primarily serves “the business interests of the company.” It is not based on a true connection with mutual benefits for companies and consumers.
We have increasingly powerful technologies to influence and reinforce customer behavior, but the goal of marketing – to make the sale – hasn’t changed. And like I or not, playing on the emotions that drive human behavior, in love, war, and capitalism, have been fair game since the beginnings of modern advertising.
As Verma notes, “Platforms are designed to play on our insecurities, our desire for social validation, even our basest impulses.” I’m afraid that’s not news, and “platforms,” by which Verma means today’s data-and AI-driven apps, also include legacy media like newspapers, radio, TV, magazines, direct mail, email, and SMS, as well as Google, TikTok, and Instagram.
But that doesn’t mean we should accept that customer engagement must be mere manipulation. Many responsible brands really do seek to deliver value to customers in a reciprocal and responsible relationship. Whether it’s providing a truly delightful experience, helping to educate consumers to make better choices, actually giving back to the community with each sale, as companies like Bombas do, or living up to ethical standards, like Costco, marketers can and do build positive ties with customers.
Customers make decisions with their wallets and their hearts. It’s up to brands to offer a combination of material value and human values, if they seek to build meaningful relationships. Your thoughts?