The Human Brand

Customers everywhere describe their interactions with companies in a deeply personal way: We hate our banks, love our smartphones, and think the cable company is out to get us. What is actually going through our brains when we make these judgments?

Customer loyalty expert Chris Malone and top social psychologist Susan Fiske have discovered that our perceptions arise from spontaneous judgments on warmth and competence, the same two factors that also determine our impressions of people.

We see companies and brands – such as Hershey’s, Domino’s, Lululemon, Zappos, Amazon, Chobani, and Sprint – in the same manner that we inherently perceive, judge, and behave toward one another. As a result, to achieve sustained success in the future, companies must forge genuine relationships with their customers – ones that reflect warmth, competence, and worthy intentions. And as customers, we have a right to expect relational accountability from the companies and brands we support.

Drawing from original research and evaluating over 45 companies in the course of ten separate studies, The Human Brand is essential listening for understanding how and why we make the choices we do, as well as what it takes for companies and brands to earn and keep our loyalty in the digital age.