When was the final time a model didn’t simply catch your eye, however moved you—made you’re feeling one thing actual?
Right now, AI can produce logos, taglines, and campaigns at lightning velocity. Algorithms can replicate types, check headlines, even mimic tone. However as branding turns into extra automated, a deeper query emerges: Can machines actually join with human expertise? Or does significant branding nonetheless depend upon uniquely human feelings like empathy, instinct, and lived understanding?
After 15 years of constructing manufacturers throughout continents and causes, I’ve discovered that probably the most highly effective branding isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. Once we present up—actually hear, have interaction, and perceive—branding turns into a bridge to transformation.
Empathy isn’t programmable
Contemplate Sonia, a single mom in Delhi, India, who handcrafts stunning baggage. Her ability was plain, however her work was invisible to the market. She didn’t want a brand new product to draw clients—she wanted a platform. We helped craft Saffron, a model that honored her artistry and gave her a spot within the dialog. What adopted wasn’t simply industrial development; it was a private awakening. Branding turned her story into energy.
AI can’t try this. It doesn’t ask how somebody feels, or why their work issues. It optimizes—but it surely doesn’t perceive.
Instinct creates belonging
In Hanoi, Vietnam, a small café run by current graduates struggled to remain open. That they had high quality espresso and a noble mission—offering jobs for youth—however no clear identification. We repositioned the house as Mates Espresso Roasters, a reputation that invited connection and heat. The transformation was speedy. Prospects confirmed up, evaluations surged, and the café grew to become a neighborhood favourite on TripAdvisor.
A brand new identify didn’t simply save a enterprise—it saved a dream. Branding didn’t simply describe what they offered; it mirrored who they had been changing into.
Tradition shouldn’t be common
Expertise can scan traits, however it will probably’t reside inside a tradition. That issues—as a result of branding with out context can flatten identification as a substitute of elevating it.
Within the Villa Rica area of Peru, the Yanesha tribe cultivates natural espresso to fund group growth. But promoting unbranded bulk beans stored them trapped in poverty. Working with the tribe, we codeveloped Tierra Fuerte, a model rooted in resilience and sovereignty. With it got here extra than simply packaging—it introduced pricing energy, dignity, and visibility.
An identical problem arose in Mongolia, the place restricted entry to contemporary produce was impacting well being. Partnering with native stakeholders, we created Sensible Berry to introduce strawberries grown in high-tech sensible farm. The model grew to become greater than a product—it sparked a nationwide dialog about wellness, youth aspiration, and trendy agriculture.
In each circumstances, cultural perception—not code—was the true catalyst.
Remaining ideas
These experiences remind us: Whereas AI is a instrument, human intelligence is the soul of branding. The power to learn between the strains, to really feel the emotional undercurrent, to design not only for markets however for that means—these are nonetheless human strengths.
When branding is approached with care, it will probably uplift. It could possibly construct native economies, assist social missions, and shift narratives. It doesn’t simply promote—it serves.
And in a time when design instruments are more and more automated, what units a model aside isn’t how shortly it’s constructed—however how deeply it connects.
Sooyoung Cho is CEO of the bread and butter model consulting LLC.
