"How do you create brand meaning that's algorithm-proof? By creating moments so meaningful that when the customer's need returns, the brand does too, without any algorithmic assistance. I call it appreciated generosity. In a marketing world increasingly optimized by AI, personalization engines and predictive systems, it's tempting to believe relevance can be engineered entirely through data. But the brands people default to, the ones they don't search for, compare or ask AI to recommend, are built through small, generous brand acts."
"I once stayed at a DoubleTree hotel nearly 20 years ago. Of all the details of that trip, I remember only one thing with surprising clarity: I was handed a warm, genuinely delicious chocolate chip cookie when I checked in. That cookie wasn't part of a loyalty program. It didn't unlock a discount. It wasn't personalized or tracked. It was simply an unexpected gesture of welcome."
"From a financial perspective, it's easy to imagine that cookie budget getting cut. It has a unit cost and doesn't show up in attribution reports. There's no quantifiable ROI. Eliminating the cookie would prove the famous Oscar Wilde quote: knowing the "cost of everything and the value of nothing." Because decades later, that cookie still brings that brand back to me in a meaningful way. Not because it was clever."
Create moments so meaningful that when a customer's need returns, the brand returns too, without algorithmic assistance. AI and personalization engines can optimize discovery but cannot ensure memory or default choice. Small, generous acts—often labeled as 'nice-to-haves' because they lack immediate conversion metrics—eliminate reconsideration by locking in brand choice. Unexpected gestures at moments of becoming a customer make people feel cared for and endure beyond campaigns. Fiscal reports and attribution models often fail to capture the long-term value of these gestures. Budgeting and strategy should account for appreciated generosity to sustain brand meaning despite algorithmic optimization.
Read at MarTech
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