By Django Weisz Blanchetta, Chief Executive Hero, SuperHeroes
When a new product drops, all you hear is the cascade of jargon. It’s all about the new features and how minor upgrades makes the former model seem practically medieval.
Sales teams chase quick conversions, so marketing focuses on the latest flashy product instead of building meaningful brand connections.
But where’s the ad that speaks to you? Where’s the why behind the brand, not just the what?
Consumer habits are changing fast. With new developments in ecommerce, consumers soon won’t have to browse websites and articles to find the top product.
To keep up, brands need to stop selling product specs and start speaking human. Clear, authentic, story-driven messaging isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a need-to-survive.
AI is leveling the playing field
AI is rapidly reshaping ecommerce. With ChatGPT having launched its shopper function, the impact on online-first categories like will be massive.
AI-powered agents will soon present consumers with smart product suggestions from a wide mix of brands.
So how do you ensure your product is chosen? Price and specs still count, but brand recognition is about to become a core filter.
If your brand doesn’t already live in a customer’s mind (and heart), you’ll be just another generic suggestion in a list. In an AI-driven shopping landscape, brand affinity isn’t just about loyalty, it’s your only chance at visibility.
Win hearts. Win minds. Win relevance.
To connect with consumers, you need to go beyond the product pitch. It’s about values, identity, and emotional resonance.
According to Attest, 62% of the biggest growing consumer base, Gen Z, are influenced in purchase decisions by a brands’ purpose and values. This generation doesn’t just want to know what you sell, they want to know what you stand for.
The product still matters. But without a brand built on clear values and real authenticity, your sleekest innovation could still be ignored by audiences with no emotional tie to you.
Lenovo Yoga created a digital art school, targeting young graphic designers, fostering creativity, and opening doors into the industry. It felt real, not opportunistic. That’s the difference. Slapping a cause onto a campaign for clout? Consumers see right through it.
The brands that win will be the ones embedded in culture, living their values, and speaking to what their audience cares about.
Put people first
You can’t humanise without humans.
WP Engine reported earlier this year that 82% of Gen Z trusts a company more if it uses images of real customers in its advertising. Not polished influencers. Real people.
This generation has a finely tuned radar for fake. User-generated content is proof of trust. For Gen Z, looking authentic isn’t enough. You must be authentic.
GoPro is a great example. Its Be a Hero challenge spotlighted customers engaged in conservation and community work. These stories weren’t just feel-good, they were from real people and aligned perfectly with the brand’s DNA. The result? Real resonance.
And now, platforms like TikTok are becoming where consumers discover brands. Not because of perfect product pages, but because of raw, honest, relatable content from actual users. That’s what breaks through the AI-filtered noise.
Prioritise earned-first
Authenticity is powerful and earned-first creativity is where it truly comes to life. It’s how you break through the boredom and earn attention in a saturated scroll. It’s how you get people not just to notice, but to stop, watch, share, and talk.
You need an earned-first approach. In a world drowning in ads that look, feel, and say the same things, earned-first content becomes the difference between getting lost and getting shared.
If you want to save the world from forgettable, boring advertising, make work that earns its place.
Cut the specs. Start the story.
The way young people shop has changed and the brands clinging to feature-first messaging risk becoming invisible.
AI tools and peer content are flattening the playing field. It’s no longer enough to be the fastest, sharpest, or lightest. You must be human. And you must earn the attention you get.
If your brand isn’t building real connections through values, people, and purpose, you’ll be forgotten, no matter how brilliant your product is.
