The Power of Love: How Brands Can Help Make the World a Happier Place

Brands should consider how to create space for love in a time where it feels like we are living in a backdrop of constant division and polarisation. The great celebration of (romantic) love on Valentine's Day - the meal deals, cuddly heart gifts and bunches of flowers -  are great for sales. But if brands are in it for the long haul to create brand love, then they should be thinking about love in its most existential form for their consumers. That love that drives us as human beings feels in short supply in the world right now. News, media feeds and conversations feel polarised and ever more divided. It even feels like people are creating hate for others to feel better about themselves - if we can't have the basics that we want as humans - let alone the luxuries - there's too much chat about not wanting others to have it either. Every interaction seems to make us feel worse rather than better. And that anticipation isn't good if yours is the next interaction. Unless you can bring the love. 

Bear with me, while I explain why this is not cynical, and how brands can avoid the exploitation of the thing we are all craving most in its purest most unadulterated form: love. First up, brands must have a heightened sense they are not solving the world. 

Advertising has always had a whiff of the escapist - a world that is a bit like ours, but nicer, where problems are solved, teeth have a twinkle from toothpaste, and your kitchen somehow is always miraculously clean. We should lean into that to create a space for love, a place our audiences can escape into and remind themselves to feel love, express love, go out and show love. 

Love in all its multifaceted forms, love for the different audiences and backgrounds (you can show some love for DE&I, equalities and women while you're at it. All in extremely short supply at the moment.)

Love by brands is showing that you know and love your audiences. And while both parties know this is a commercial relationship it nonetheless says something about who you are as a brand and about having some emotion about your consumers. And also remembering that consumers have emotions and that those positive emotions need to be nourished.

Henry Ford famously doubled the pay of his workers to $5. People differ about whether this was so they would have more money to spend on his products, to produce efficiency, to stop staff turnover or just for good headlines. Whatever the reason it worked.

Today's shortfall is love. The thing we need as humans in order to function, to expend energy and of course to share. Love is the ultimate global language we could all do with hearing and speaking a little more of.