3X BRANDS GETTING UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL 

Dating apps are dead, AI chat is getting increasingly terrifying, and even if you don’t speak Gen Z, everyone knows what it means to be touch-starved. 

It’s not news that people are looking for human connection wherever they can find it. But when that’s the insight behind every campaign, showing unrealistic groups of good-looking friends enjoying rooftop drinks isn’t going to cut it anymore. 

Now, campaigns are becoming more intimate. From goosebumps and pores to tears and fingerprints, brands are trying to make things feel more human than ever before. Here are three leading the way:

FEEL THE MUSIC WITH SPOTIFY 

Belting Adele in the car, crying to Prince in the shower, happy dancing with your housemates in the kitchen – music has all kinds of effects on the body. And when you’re in the thick of that final chorus, the last thing you want to hear is an ad break. 

Spotify jumped on this idea for their latest premium push, highlighting the physical effects of music, in all its tear-jerking, hair-raising glory. Putting small pauses in each visual to show the difference interruption can make, the campaign uses human storytelling to convey just how powerful a premium subscription can be. 

FEEL SELFISH WITH KFC 

Earlier this month, KFC launched their new Bucket for One by playing on the insight that 7 in 10 Swedish people hate sharing their food. If you’re too polite to admit that you’re in that 7, there’s a lot of other ways to keep your bucket to yourself – KFC’s campaign is here to provide some inspo.  

Showing people claiming their bucket with a cough or proving the chicken really is that finger licking good, the OOH images are as gross as they are gripping. Bold, brilliant, boneless, the campaign prioritises human honesty over taste appeal, showing how good being greedy can feel.

FEELS LIKE HOME WITH AER LINGUS 

Ask anyone their favourite part of Love Actually and a lot will say the airport scene right at the end. The only one that wasn’t scripted, it shows all the real love that fills arrivals, touching mainly because of how relatable it is. Aer Lingus played on this truth for their new campaign that marked 90 years since their first plane took flight. 

Underpinned by the simple line ‘bringing you home for 90 years’, close-up imagery captures the emotions behind homecomings – faces being held, hands intertwined. Featuring real members of the Aer Lingus crew, the series takes what may feel like a familiar idea and pushes it further, making it feel beautifully simple and entirely new. 

To rebel against a crisis of connection, brands are focusing on the feelings behind their offering. Inspiring genuine connection with their audience and making their emotional pay off unmissable.

Words by Caitlin Coyle, Copywriter.

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