Seraj Bharwani is the Chief Strategy Officer at illumin, responsible for advancing the state of AI-enabled media and measurement.
After logging nearly four million miles with Delta over the past three decades, a simple, handwritten thank-you note left on my seat during a recent flight from Guatemala served as a powerful reminder of what separates an enduring brand from a mere business. For the modern business traveler, the journey is part of professional identity, and Delta, in my view, has masterfully woven its brand into that narrative.
I’m reminded of the times a Delta service agent found a quiet corner in the Sky Club for me to take an urgent call, preserving a crucial business moment. Or the time I was surprised with a car on the tarmac to ensure I made a tight connection—a gesture that didn’t just save time, but reinforced a feeling of efficiency and importance. For me, these weren’t just exceptional services; they were moments of human connection that showed me the Delta team understands the demands of professional life and knows how to turn business trips into seamless experiences. From my observations, this is how Delta has transcended its service category to become an identity-driven lifestyle brand. For the business traveler, I see Delta as representing more than just transportation; it’s an aspirational partner that facilitates productivity and success on the move.
Identity-driven lifestyle brands don’t merely sell a service; they build an emotional connection by reflecting the values and ambitions of their customers. In today’s hyper-competitive landscape, the strategic imperative for business-to-consumer (B2C) companies is to evolve from being feature-driven commodities into identity-driven lifestyle brands that become an integral part of their customers’ lives.
The Lifestyle Premium: Moving Beyond Commodity
In the modern B2C world, lifestyle brands operate beyond the traditional 4 P’s of marketing (product, price, place and promotion). They sell identity, turning their offerings into cultural symbols.
Consider Nike. The company sells athletic apparel, but its brand stands for the ethos of the athlete: empowerment, discipline and drive. Similarly, Apple sells consumer electronics, but its core promise is innovation and elegant design. Competitors in both sectors sell comparable products, yet, in my view, fail to evoke the same emotional resonance. These companies are often feature-driven commodity brands, competing on technical specifications and price points rather than on identity and emotional connection. They are locked in a race to the bottom, while lifestyle brands compete in a category of their own.
The ROI Of Emotion: A Business Case For Lifestyle Marketing
The argument for lifestyle marketing is not merely philosophical; it is rooted in financial and psychological data. According to Gallup, “about 70% of decisions are based on emotional factors and only 30% are based on rational factors.” In a study of a luxury hotel brand, Gallup researchers found that emotional factors, “such as feeling welcomed and valued,” were behind “65% to 70% of the variance in customer engagement.”
Furthermore, research published in the Harvard Business Review quantified the value of emotional connections consumers have with brands. The study found that while customer relationships “become more valuable at each step, there’s a dramatic increase at the final one: Across a sample of nine categories, fully connected customers are 52% more valuable, on average, than those who are just highly satisfied.” This is the premium that identity-driven marketing delivers.
The Playbook For Building A Lifestyle Brand
Any B2C brand, regardless of size, can adopt a lifestyle marketing approach by its marketing leaders adhering to four key principles:
1. Define The Brand’s North Star
A clear, unwavering brand identity is the foundation of building a lifestyle brand. When cultivated with care and consistency, this identity can become the primary driver of financial performance. A brand that stands for something more than its merchandise earns consumer trust, which translates directly to the bottom line.
2. Embrace Human-to-Human (H2H) Connection
Leaders must shift their mindset from B2C to H2H. Successful lifestyle brands understand the deep-seated desires and anxieties of their customers. They build relationships that transcend transactions by solving genuine problems and communicating with empathy.
3. Build A Community As A Competitive Moat
A competitor can replicate a product or undercut a price. What they cannot easily replicate is the shared identity and culture that consumers build around a brand. A strong community is a powerful and resilient competitive advantage.
4. Prioritize Authenticity And Consistency
A brand must live its stated values. Authenticity and consistency across all communications and service channels are what create and sustain the emotional connection with customers. Once you define a way of life, your brand must embody that code without compromise.
The Choice: Lifestyle Or Irrelevance
A B2C brand does not need the scale of Nike or Apple to embrace lifestyle marketing. However, any B2C brand that fails to do so leaves itself vulnerable to competitive threats, forcing it into a perpetual defensive posture. Products and services have life cycles; their relevance wanes. A brand built on identity, however, is timeless. The choice for B2C leaders today is clear: continue to compete on transient features, or build an enduring identity based on lifestyle that fosters a legacy of loyalty.
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