In today’s world, establishing physical and intimate connections has become increasingly challenging.
The rise of ‘Dopamine Culture’ (as identified by Ted Gioia) has seen our society change. From handwritten letters to telephone calls, from newspapers to blogs… and from ol’ fashioned ‘courting’ to swiping right.
As we become more dependent on technology — we become more disconnected as a result.
Financial strains on socialising. The pressure of work/life balance. There’s less opportunity now for in-person connection, so dating apps have become the go-to method for meeting people. With a third of us globally feeling a diminished sense of connection since the onset of the pandemic*, we know digital interactions can lack depth and authenticity…
*Genesys Human Connection In Crisis Report (2021)
Can brands play a role in helping people create deeper connections?
We think so! Lubricant brand KY Jelly has been around for over 120 years. Their product literally helps people to connect… but their clinical branding felt impersonal and wasn’t engaging consumers emotionally.
Bold and playful sex-positive brands have proliferated in recent years, but what if your sex life doesn’t resemble the ones you see in the media?
Despite emerging category codes focused around frequent, passionate and playful sex, for many couples their bedroom reality looked very different. We found people were quickly falling out of the habit of sex and intimacy due to the stress of everyday life.
How could KY Jelly help real couples struggling with intimacy to forge closer connections?
We helped create their new brand name, ‘Knect’ (can you see the theme here?!), alongside new packaging and a comms campaign. Knect now stands out proudly. A distinct presence against the extroverted — and sometimes unrealistic — branding that dominates the category.
Instead of focusing on getting consumers to connect with the Knect brand itself, we used it to encourage consumers to connect better with each other instead. Sometimes the best way for a brand to be part of the discourse is to help facilitate the conversation, rather than leading it themselves.
We’ve noticed a few brands doing this recently:
Heineken’s Boring Phone is a great PR piece that joins the cultural conversation by encouraging people to switch off the digital distractions holding them back from being ‘in the moment’.
Hinge’s platform of ‘Designed To Be Deleted’ shines a light on the end goal of the consumer at the ‘detriment’ of their product itself. A clever way to define their unique selling point in an increasingly crowded market.
AirBnb’s ‘stay together for less’ adverts show how booking one house while holidaying with friends (instead of 4 hotel rooms) both improves your experience (and saves you money too!).
So let’s hear it for the brands that stand for real human connection — instead of just fighting for our attention.