Brands are like friends.

I’ve often questioned why I work in advertising and contributing to what leads to consumption at the end of the day. But recently, I’ve identified the answer, and I want to take you through my thought process in this article.

The fact that we’re now living in an entirely different connected world thanks to the internet and digitalization is a fact and something we surely can’t deny. In this new landscape, physical markets are getting less relevant, and subcultures, communities, and behaviors are far more interesting to look at. We identify other like-minded people in this landscape regardless of where we live. When interests, experiences, things, and thoughts are easier to share beyond face-to-face, we can find friends and common grounds anywhere.

Indeed, our roots and unique experiences will still affect who we are and how we behave, but it’s more likely that we’re now influenced by and influencing others with our backgrounds in the digital world, which blur the borders between the countries.

Simultaneously, brands slowly start to shift the way they speak to consumers from a brand POV to a consumer POV. They are now becoming the common ground for people both online and offline, enabling people to feel a sense of belonging, like a friend introducing you to their friends. We’ve seen Nike working in this way for a while now, and brands like IKEA are exploring new ways to entertain their audiences with virtual festivals for everyone. Balmain is launching a TV series and the list goes on with innovative ways to connect with their audience.

Brands are like friends. They make you feel a sense of belonging and feel less lonely. They will introduce you to new like-minded friends, invite you to fun experiences, entertain you with how they behave and they will teach you new things. They will stand up for their values, and they will be there supporting yours.

For me, brands are becoming less about products and more about philosophy and lifestyle. This may sound like an excuse to continue doing what I do, and I understand that it’s about consumption and purchasing the brand’s products at the end of the day. But the actual value is also beyond product for consumers if brands adapt to communities and culture as they should today.

With modern marketing communication, increased personalization, and new ways to build relationships with their consumers, brands will be able to be that friend that will support you throughout your life, like any other friend. As a result, you will undoubtedly grow apart in some relationships and build more robust connections in others, as with many different relationships throughout life.

For me, thinking about brands in this way when spending ten hours a day for the past ten years working with brands and their strategies, I feel like I’m serving a good purpose.

We will certainly never stop consuming, but we can certainly continue to add value for each other in infinity.