"Humanity Is the Killer App"

Brian Solis (author of a new book, What's the Future of Business?) recently made a comment that sounds simple yet has far-reaching implications:

In the age of machines,

humanity is the killer app.

Technology can help any marketer measure awareness, deliver personalized messages, and create user-friendly products. What sets the best marketers apart from the rest is their ability to connect on a human level...Connect via emotions, empathy, personality, and authenticity.

Brands become beloved because they connect with people on a human level. Take Twinkies, for instance. The iconic brand was part of daily life for tens of millions of U.S. boomers and Millennials. It had a high pop-culture profile and played a role in such major movies as WALL-E and Ghostbusters.

When Hostess declared bankruptcy in 2012, social and traditional media alike erupted with genuine consumer distress. People were really sorry to see Twinkies go.

Then when the brand was revived, the resulting hooray was equally emotional.

No amount of razzle-dazzle techno-stuff can substitute for the human connection that is clearly evident between Twinkies and Twinkie-lovers.

Other brands are just as beloved and have a solid place in the hearts of brand fans. And when a brand touches the heart, it stays in the mind and on the shopping list. That's how consumer behavior works.

In the words of Brian Solis: Humanity is the killer app.