Discover how empathy transcends buzzwords in modern marketing, driving genuine connections and substantial returns by fusing logic, reason, and deep human understanding.
Empathy is a bit of a buzzword these days. As consumers, we claim to crave meaningful connections and humanity from the brands we support. As marketers, we try desperately to humanise multi-million-dollar corporations in an attempt to sell more products. But what does marketing with empathy entail? Is it all just sentimental platitudes, or is there logic and reason driving this movement?
The truth is that empathy has become a modern marketing necessity for good reason. Far from a fluffy feel-good experiment, embracing empathy can generate real returns for brands willing to invest the care and strategic thinking needed to get it right. The key is approaching empathy in marketing through an analytical, data-driven lens—grounding initiatives not just in emotions but in sound business logic.
Let’s start by clarifying the basic definition. Empathy involves the ability to understand and share the feelings and experiences of another. Think “walking a mile in their shoes.” Marketing with empathy means brands aim to comprehend and connect with their customers’ emotions, speak to them in a way that resonates, and ultimately foster relationships anchored in something more meaningful than transactions.
This has a solid scientific basis. Research shows humans are hardwired for emotional connections. Our brains contain mirror neurons that reflexively reproduce the emotions we witness in others, while neurotransmitters like oxytocin prime us for bonding. We literally feel what people around us feel. Brands able to tap into this tendency for emotional contagion can enhance loyalty and sales.
Studies also indicate empathy affects our decision-making. According to the theory of constructed preference, people don’t have pre-defined preferences but actively construct them during the decision process. Showcasing empathy alters the context in which choices are made, positively framing brand perceptions. This can sway choices in the brand’s favour.
Additionally, today’s consumers strongly value emotional experiences. In a recent consumer study, 50% of respondents said they would pay more to ensure the safe and ethical treatment of workers, while 70% were willing to pay extra for excellent customer service. Emotions inherently guide behaviour, and intelligent brands recognise this. They know an empathy-based approach is no longer just “nice to have” but a data-backed pathway to profits.
Empathy is often confused with sympathy, so we must distinguish between them. Sympathy means feeling sorrow or concern for the hardships facing someone else. It’s about pitying their problems. Empathy goes deeper - it’s about striving to share the same feelings and internal perceptions as another. Marketers should avoid sympathy-based approaches as they can inadvertently talk down to consumers or make broad assumptions about hardship. Empathy requires seeing a situation from the customer’s eyes and addressing their emotions at an individual level. It’s about understanding, not just feeling bad.
An empathy mindset allows brands to foster more authentic, meaningful relationships with consumers. Let’s explore some stellar examples of brands pioneering marketing with empathy and, in the process, driving measurable business success.
The sleep industry has traditionally focused marketing efforts on technical product specs and fear-based messaging urging people to avoid health issues from poor sleep. Mattress shopping tended to be a tedious, anxiety-inducing chore.
Challenger brand Casper flipped this disempowering narrative completely by injecting empathy, emotion, and empowerment into the mattress experience. It shifted away from talking at sleepy consumers to talking with them, understanding that modern lifestyles make quality sleep a struggle.
Casper’s breakthrough “Sleep for All” campaign focused on the shared human need for rest rather than singled-out health threats. The creative featured lighthearted visuals like cute puppies napping, conveying that sleep is natural and vital to well-being for all. Messaging invited consumers to join a movement thoughtfully engineered to make healthy rest effortless.
This favourable positioning extended Casper’s customer journey - from simplified product selection to “nap bars,” allowing public trial sleeps to bed-in-a-box delivery, removing the mattress store confusion. By analysing pain points at every touchpoint, Casper eased the way.
The result? A spacetime with $100 million in revenue and a middling industry has exploded into a projected $15 billion sector today, with Casper itself crossing $500 million valuations.
Their success underscores the commercial potential of thoughtful, empathetic marketing. By fundamentally understanding and connecting with how customers feel, Casper transformed buying a mattress from a frustrating chore into a delightful experience. In the process, they shook up and came to lead an entire industry.
Iconic ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's has woven empathy and social activism into its brand DNA. Founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield built their business on an ethical framework dubbed "linked prosperity", valuing community impact as much as profits. This guiding philosophy remains evident across their marketing even 45 years later.
Rather than just lip service to caring, Ben & Jerry's backs up its messaging by tackling some of society's thorniest issues—racial injustice, refugee rights, climate action—that resonate emotionally with its progressive customer base. Notably, the brand publicly supported Black Lives Matter during the 2020 protests, donating and calling on lawmakers to dismantle white supremacy.
While a controversial stance that drew conservative backlash, it cemented authentic connections with supporters. Fans responded by buying up Cherries for Peace flavour, and Change is Brewing packages, boosting sales.
Ben & Jerry's proves empathy marketing works when tied to a tangible purpose. By aligning its agenda with consumers' values around equality and inclusion, the brand earns trust and loyalty no competitor can replicate. This pays dividends, with Ben & Jerry's enjoying an industry-leading 84% customer retention rate.
So, Ben & Jerry’s stands out as another stellar case of marketing with empathy that drives real business ROI. Their long-running example can inspire other brands to fuse ethical stances with commercial success.
So, how can marketers incorporate empathy into their everyday strategies?
Here are five proven tips:
1. Immerse yourself in your customers’ world. Conduct in-depth interviews, read blogs or make real connections to understand motivations and emotions. Don’t assume you intuitively know their state of mind. Be willing to be surprised and influenced by what you discover.
2. Map detailed customer journey maps examining each physical and emotional touchpoint. Look for pain points and moments of delight to uncover accurate perceptions. Empathy takes dedication to seeing things from the consumer’s eyes.
3. Use data to segment your audience and tailor messaging to resonate. While empathy starts with qualitative insight, combine it with analytics on media usage, demographics, etc., to personalise creative. Think both art and science.
4. Tell compelling stories led by authentic consumer voices. Let real customers share vulnerable experiences and spotlight how your brand delivered emotional value for them. Stories grounded in empathy transform brand perceptions.
5. Ensure media partnerships, CSR efforts and internal policies all align with the consumer promise. Don’t claim you understand women if you don’t have female leadership. Consistency across the organisation drives believability.
Marketing with empathy is far from just virtue signalling. When done with strategic intent, it helps brands forge authentic connections that translate to measurable commercial success.
However, empathy in marketing cannot be superficial. It requires dedication to truly knowing your customers, crafting personalised creative centred on their emotions and consistently delivering across touchpoints. When brands invest wholeheartedly in empathy, they reap the rewards of building relationships rooted in mutual understanding rather than transactions.
In many ways, leading with empathy is the future of marketing. Brands that embrace this customer-centric mindset now will be perfectly positioned to own the hearts and minds of consumers heading into the next era defined by purpose over product.
