don't talk to consumers. talk to people.

Now we are in a world of endless content and constant noise. In this overwhelming landscape, a fundamental question emerges. And many professionals are looking for the answer of this particular question: What makes someone stop scrolling and actually watch, listen? Since we all know after some point we don’t even understand what we watch just doom scroll.

The answers are buried under layers of marketing jargon, optimization tricks, and performance metrics - measuring which message works better, AB tests, all for the sake of conversion.

Elliot Erwitt - A woman at automat circa 1990s

Somewhere along the way, the language of communication became the craving for conversion. Growth is what everybody is asking. People stopped being people for marketeers and sales people. They became “users,” “targets,” “segments.” Campaigns were no longer part of the conversations — they became engineering contents for efficiency. when you strip away the language of life, you lose the connection that gives a brand its meaning.

While trying to meet the targets and beat so called competition, companies and brands forget that behind every view, skip, or purchase is a human being — someone who laughs with friends, misses deadlines, gets anxious, feels joy, and sometimes falls in love with an idea. They aren’t just data points, they’re human begins with memories, feelings, ambitions, and dreams. 

On the contrary to assumptions, people don’t make decisions based only on logic or because they’ve been told to buy. They buy based on instinct, identity, story — and then rationalize it later. That’s not a flaw in the logic -it’s the human nature. Brands that talk only in facts, features, and benefits often find themselves ignored, no matter how “right” their messaging is. People are looking values that are shared.

Real connection doesn’t come from algorithms. It comes from storytelling. From saying something that feels authentic and can something be reflected on —designed to land in the shop cart not or approved by five departments. A message that makes someone smile, feel something, relate, seen, or nod in recognition. That’s the spark. That’s what makes a brand feel human.

There’s also fatigue — from being sold to, followed around the internet, and spoken to like a persona in a slide deck. People don’t want to be targeted. They want to be understood. They also want to tell stories about themselves and want to state who they are with their choices. And this can only achieved by empathy, understating, and craft.

The most memorable campaigns aren’t always the flashiest or most optimized. They’re the ones that feel like they were made with care coming from real feelings. The ones that sound like a familiar voice - a friend, a person who we know not tailored marketing messages. The ones that give something instead of demanding attention.

A brand’s tone of voice is more than just language. It’s an invitation. A moment of honesty in a landscape full of noise. When done right, it builds not just recognition, also resonance.

Because in the end, good branding doesn’t just talk at people. It talks with them. Creating together, removing the invisible line between companies and people.

And in that simple shift — from consumer to people — everything changes.