Introducing FRAME, the podcast.

Hosted by Andrew Lewis, Managing Director at TRA – The Research Agency, the podcast explores some of the latest findings from the world of market research.  

Each episode features thought leaders representing different human science disciplines. By layering their unique perspectives, Andrew searches for new truths in the data. The uncommon truths. 

Episode 1 of FRAME explores our latest research on Connection.

Connection is a hard-wired, universal feeling. It’s an innately human experience, driven by evolution. Connection enables us to live together, to communicate with each other and to express ourselves.

It impacts every aspect of our lives.

For brands and organisations, connection is a way of building long-term relationships with audiences. It fosters trust, emotional connection, affinity and retention.  

So how well are brands doing? Recent research by TRA found an opportunity for brands in every industry to build deepen connections with people.  

To unpack the findings, Andrew is joined by Laura Mulcahy, Head of Cultural Practice – TRA and Carl Sarney, Head of Strategy – TRA, who were both involved in conducting the research.  

Episode Transcript

Andrew: Brands want to connect with people. But are they?

Hello and welcome to Frame, a podcast dedicated to the art of knowing people. I'm your host, Andrew Lewis, Managing Director at TRA, The Research Agency. Each week, we'll be exploring the theme of connection with thought leaders from different human science disciplines. By layering their unique perspectives on this topic, we're going to search for the truths others don't. The uncommon truths.

Andrew: In today's episode, we'll explore how the changing nature of human connection is impacting the world of marketing and communications, and how brands go about the job of connecting with us.

I'm joined by Laura Mulcahy, Head of Cultural Practice, and Carl Sarney, Head of Strategy at TRA, who were both involved in conducting our latest research on connection. Hello to you both.

Laura: Hey, Andrew.

Carl: Hi, Andrew.

Andrew: Laura, let's start at the beginning. Can you explain what the study is all about?

Laura: This was a conversation that was bubbling up around the tables at TRA. This idea that how we're connecting is changing, but we couldn't quite put our finger on what or how, or what it might mean. We know that online, connecting with anyone and everyone is easier than ever before. But offline, we've got more ways to avoid connection if we want to. So, we're kind of shortcutting a lot of the small talk and getting straight to who we connect with and who we like. We see global movements flaring up from disparate sparks, yet political apathy is growing. And we can't go online without being reminded of how big of an issue loneliness is. We wanted to spend some time in this space, to know what was happening with humans and how this could be impacting brands.

So, as you mentioned, we did a quantitative study to get into the weeds of these questions and hypotheses.

We had some really interesting topline stats. For example, people who post more on social media feel around 1.8 times more connected in life than those who don't post, which is kind of interesting, right? You wouldn't necessarily think there'd be a correlation between your online activity and your overall feeling of being more connected or less if you post or not.

Carl: Yeah, it challenges the idea that people who are very online are introverted and unconnected. Actually, they're the ones who feel more connected, the ones who are more active online.

Andrew: Well, exactly. And also, does just the act of connecting make you feel more connected?

Laura: The action of connecting fuels that feeling of connection, so there's a nugget in there. Also, we found that only one in five people felt connected to their preferred political party. This points back to the apathy in the political spectrum. But people feel connected to their country.

When we asked if they felt connected to their country or community, there was a much stronger sense of connection compared to the political spectrum.

Carl: I thought it was also interesting that people were more likely to feel connected to their favourite sports team than to their preferred political party.

Andrew: That doesn't say a lot of positive things about politics.

Carl: I think there's a lesson for brands in how sports teams cultivate fandom. They use all media, especially social media, to keep conversations going, allow participation and help people feel that sense of belonging to their team. Many of those techniques can be applied to brands as well.

Laura: Exactly. And on one end, you've got an idea of dividing people, but in sport, it's about uniting people. I think that's the theme we're coming across in this connection work: it's about what connects us.

After family and friends, which you can imagine are the groups people feel the biggest connection with, the third most rewarding connection was with groups that share a common interest. Our research found that our desire to be connected was greater than our actual feeling of connection. Especially since people are often spread out from their family and friends, finding people with a common interest becomes vital.

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Carl: Yes, and as well as that desire to connect with people, the data shows there's an invitation for most people for brands to connect with them more as well.

Andrew: Okay.

Carl: Yes, people wanted to feel more connected to brands than they currently do.

Laura: We've got some thoughts on what that means for brands. The job for brand marketers is to start seeing their customers through their interests and how they connect, not just demographics.

Andrew: We're still seeking connection as humans, which isn't too much of a surprise, but the way we're going about it is changing, between the online and offline worlds.

Carl: That's right.

Andrew: The idea of interests being the glue that binds us to different people and groups is what's growing.

Carl: Yes.

Andrew: We're seeking more connection than we're actually receiving. Both from people and brands.

Carl: Therefore, there's a big opportunity to think about how your brand can help people connect and feel a greater sense of belonging.

Andrew: Brands need to evolve to match the way human connections and our approach to human connection are changing over time. Carl, what was the most surprising thing you learned when you first saw the findings?

Carl: There was a number that stood out to me: only 2% of people we surveyed felt that brands that personalised their communications – like addressing you by name – actually deepened their connection with the brand.

It’s not that personalisation isn’t important, it’s just not the key to deepening connection. Personalisation could be your starting point, but connecting with people based on their common interests might be better.

For example, saying, "Hey, Andrew, as a Formula One fan, have we got a great deal for you this weekend." We see other brands starting to play in that space as well. Retailers might address their audiences as "small spenders" or "bargain hunters," while FMCG brands might talk to "chocolate lovers." It's about personalising while also addressing people as part of a group.

Andrew: What impact do these findings have on brands and organisations and how they should think about connection?

Carl: We've talked about addressing people as connected humans rather than just individuals. So, instead of just saying, "Hey, Laura," or "Hey, Andrew," it’s about addressing groups like "Formula One fans," "chocolate lovers," or "bargain hunters."

This signals that the brand gets you, that they share a common interest with you. It reflects how humans connect with each other. When you meet someone at a party, you connect by talking about shared interests, like recommending a sports team, a movie, or a podcast. Brands can borrow from this approach.

Andrew: Yeah, it’s like that adage about relationships. It’s not necessarily what you like, but what you like creates connections with people, right?

Carl: Yes, exactly.

Laura: And that’s what I think the party conversation is about. With our ability to minimise small talk in our daily lives, we want to get to conversations that engage us and light us up. It’s not to say that mass communication channels aren’t necessary, but what makes us feel connected is talking about shared interests.

Andrew: It’s about tapping into relevance and a sense of belonging, which is a great learning.

Carl: Yes, that combination of relevance, belonging and emotional connection is key.

Andrew: Laura, how can marketers and communicators bring a level of cultural analysis into this, in terms of how they think about their audiences?

Laura: This is the hard part. When culture comes in, it gets messy. Traditional segmentation is a top-down approach, where a brand cuts up its audience into pieces to be efficient in making products, refining communications, and creating CX.

As a cultural researcher, I have the advantage of not being tied to a brand or category. My job involves sensing and connecting dots in culture. Marketers can’t spend all their time doing what cultural researchers do, so we need shortcuts to get to the meaty stuff. In our qualitative research, we tested the hypothesis that who you follow says more about you than who follows you.

We asked people to send us five accounts they follow, explain why, describe their hero and antihero, and associate a brand with that. We also asked for their popular and unpopular opinions. These responses created a rich picture of who they were, revealing their interests without needing to know their name, age, or location. These questions can be used in voice-of-consumer programmes for brand marketers to dig deeper.

Andrew: The competitive advantage of understanding people on another level and connecting in a different way is gold. It’s the uncommon truth we’re seeking.

Laura: We also talk about red flags and green flags. The tone of voice, messages, and alignments of a brand are assessed like humans. If a brand taps into something beyond just the product, addressing you in a different way, it makes you stop and think they get it.

Andrew: Yeah, it's interesting when a brand gets it unexpectedly.

Carl: Yes, and the audience sees that shared interest and feels more connected to the brand.

Andrew: Let’s build on that. We talked about Kathmandu. Do you have other examples of where this is happening well?

Carl: Yes, there are some high-profile examples. McDonald's recognised that younger people needed to see them as relevant. They noticed that anime was a big interest among Gen Z, and that in many anime stories, there’s a fast-food joint called WcDonald’s with the M turned upside down.

McDonald's rebranded whole stores to WcDonald’s and created meals and packaging around it. This resonated with the audience and created a buzz, strengthening their connection with the brand.

Andrew: How can marketers approach this strategically? Is there a framework for thinking about these outcomes?

Laura: It’s about changing the thinking from us vs. the audience to putting your brand in the mix of culture and finding overlaps. Cultural research combined with digital marketing can reveal these overlaps.

The questions we developed in our qualitative research act as a blueprint for getting below the surface. Asking these questions on a larger scale can reveal themes and interconnections, becoming a discovery map for brands to explore and test.

Andrew: Understanding these different areas and what they mean is crucial.

Laura: Exactly. Combining cultural research with brand and digital marketing explains how we collect interests online and relate to people and brands.

Carl: Brands should emulate how humans connect. People stalk potential dates online to see who they follow, looking for green and red flags. Brand marketers could do the same, understanding who their followers follow to find relevant and surprising connection points.

Andrew: This has been a fascinating conversation. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to go deeper, but we’ll build on these topics in future episodes. To wrap up, humans want more connection than they’re getting, both from people and brands. We’re looking for relevance and belonging in our connections.

Laura: We’re looking for people who get us, and that includes brands.

Andrew:

Brands need to connect with people by demonstrating relevance and belonging, being part of their network of groups and interests.

Carl: Yes and helping each individual in their customer base feel a greater sense of belonging.

Andrew: Thank you both for the fascinating discussion, and thank you listeners for tuning in to Frame, a podcast by TRA dedicated to the art of knowing people.

TRA is an insight agency. By layering perspectives from the science of human understanding, we see things others don’t—the uncommon truths. To explore more of our thinking on connection, visit theresearchagency.com/connection. See you next time.

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