Expectations are high when it comes to brand empathy. Today’s customer is critical and looks towards brands to deliver a positive impact on their own customer journey and society at large. Humanity has enough to contend with, from fighting global warming to creating a more equal society, and people expect brands to play their part. Consumers want brands to mean what they say, understand what they need, make them feel heard, and make life better.
In short, brands need to MEAN IT, GET IT, FEEL IT, and DO IT if they want to foster the kind of connection that builds an authentic and lasting relationship with their customers. Our Empathy Value Index study (EVI) conducted in collaboration with market research company InSites Consulting, shows that each of these four pillars plays a role in establishing brand empathy. More importantly, the EVI details precisely how brands can achieve it.
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Are you who you say you are? Your slogan, your website, tv-commercial, key visual or presentation, do they match with your brand identity? Do they convey your added value? A successful brand shows real people and tells real stories. It has the courage to be vulnerable and to show how far it is willing to go, without overpromising. Authenticity is the first step towards believability in communication. It’s the basic condition in any empathic relationship.
Do you understand your audience? Successful brands do extensive research and reach out to their audience to find out how they can make a difference. They listen to their audience and are genuinely interested in and curious about their motives, interests and expectations. This is called cognitive empathy and is key to the next level of empathy.
Do you feel your audience? Do you understand how it feels and do you care? Your brand should have a real connection to the world in which your audience lives. Emotional empathy means the difference between communication that makes sense and one that truly resonates. Successful brands genuinely want what’s best for their audience. Both of them serve a higher purpose and share the same values. Ultimately, they find that they are part of the same adventure.
Do you put your money where your mouth is? Bold statements mean nothing if you don’t act accordingly. Don’t just virtually connect with your audience, but get out there and make physical contact. Prove that you have societal value to add. This is about storydoing, more so than storytelling. This is empathy in action, making it mean something in people’s lives, consistently bringing joy and igniting a fire of virtue inside of them.
EVI is the world’s first evidence-based research tool that maps the relationship between empathy and brands for actionable insights. Over 5,600 consumers ranked close to 200 leading brands in Belgium, France, and The Netherlands on 18 statements, helping us define the pillars that underpin brand empathy and build lasting relationships.
In this report, we share some of the most notable insights from our survey, both overall and for Belgium specifically, revealing which specific brands and sectors are the most empathic and why. We not only hope you enjoy the read, we hope it inspires you to embrace the Power of Empathy. In life and in business.
Curious to find out more about EVI and the four pillars of empathy? Where do the big brands stand and where does your brand fit in? How does The Oval Office use these figures to create unique and experience driven communication?
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