In what we here at Stanley & Co. like to refer to as ‘The Age of Human’, people value people. No jargon, no complex marketing terminology, no waffle. Just normal conversation and bright ideas.

Now more than ever, people need human interaction. They value authenticity. Knowing that at the other end of a chatbox on a website, a real person is typing away, answering their questions. That an actual human being with a personality is in charge of even the biggest of businesses’ social media accounts. That if something goes wrong, they can speak to someone who understands them, and doesn’t auto-respond in seconds with ‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand your request”. In a time when people are increasingly taking to social media to share their thoughts on their experiences with a brand, 92% of respondents in research by Twitter and Publicis said that they actively seek out feedback about products or services on social media, and 68% said their impression of a brand was changed as a result of seeing conversations about the company.

Social Media and online review platforms mean that brands and businesses can’t hide rubbish service or products anymore. So valuable are the views and interactions of other humans engaging with and using a brand’s products and services that we’ve seen both a huge increase in fake reviews from so-called ‘review farms’ (something that the government is planning to stamp out) and a staggering rise in the demand for dedicated content writers for brands' social feeds. This clearly demonstrates that genuine feedback and integrity is what counts.

Hanging out the ‘washing’

The current generation of both consumers and employees have much higher expectations of brands than their forebears - a staggering 94% of Gen-Z now think companies should address pressing social and environmental issues. They want the places they work and the brands they spend money with to be actively contributing to causes close to their hearts and their futures. We are living in a time where people are happy to engage with a brand if they have confidence that what they are buying into is legit. Is a brand truly ethical? Are they really planting a tree for every item they sell? Are they making progressive changes in one area but perpetuating old practices in others?

A perfect example is ‘greenwashing’ where companies purport to be environmentally conscious while still wreaking havoc on the planet with their business practices. Fast Fashion brands are currently making the headlines as their green claims are exposed as sneaky at best, brazen falsehoods at worst. The house of cards is beginning to fall, with research by the Changing Markets Foundation, finding that three major UK retailers were found to be perpetrators of greenwashing; 96% of one high-street fashion group's claims around the group’s ethical and sustainable practices were found to be ‘misleading’ and ‘unsubstantiated’. As recently as last week ASOS, Boohoo and ASDA, among other big names, came under fire with the announcement that they are to be investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over their eco-conscious claims.

But it’s not just the fashion industry that’s come into question; it’s all areas of business. Between Volkswagen using an engine that could detect emissions tests and alter the performance to effectively cheat on their emissions tests in 2015, and Global giant Coca-Cola being sued by the Earth Island Institute in 2021 for persistently advertising that they are a sustainable and eco-friendly company, despite it being the largest plastic polluter in the world two years on the trot, finding places to hide is becoming increasingly difficult.

As consumers get savvier to what they’re being sold, brands can no longer hide behind claims that don’t hold up to scrutiny. They have to be sincere, open and honest. And it doesn’t just stop with those that buy what we sell - it impacts on employees too. New research from global recruitment firm Robert Walters indicates 34% of U.K. office workers would refuse a job offer if a company’s stance on the environment didn’t align with their own. According to the same research, what a company's values are and what they stand for, matter more than ever to prospective employees.

These high expectations combined with a clear intolerance of skirting around key issues and values are a big indicator of the difficulties brands could potentially face if not alert to them. In bringing down the walls and being unafraid to let people see behind the curtain, demonstrating a more human side will strengthen your brand connections considerably in these times of increased scrutiny.

Glass doors and accountability

Good brands are accountable. They welcome you in so that you can interrogate their practices, and make more informed decisions. Transparency is a huge plus across the board. WeAreNetflix is a YouTube channel dedicated to Netflix’s staff experiences. They have playlists on all aspects of life at the company, from views on workplace culture and performance measures, through looking at diversity specifics in their animation department, and straight-up fun reaction videos of their employees watching Netflix content. It allows you an insight into one of the most recognisable and widely-used companies in the world; it achieves something incredible. It makes a commercial behemoth relatable.

Being human doesn’t mean being perfect - to be human is to have flaws, to respond to criticism and grow from it, in a positive way. We’ll all get it wrong sometimes, but responding personally can make all the difference, as demonstrated by Sheffield-based clothing brand Lucy & Yak, which is revered for its commitment to inclusivity and delivering sustainable products. When called out over a lack of plus-size garments, Chris Renwick and Lucy Greenwood, Lucy & Yak’s founders, responded directly with a video on their YouTube channel. Their response was a great example of the humans behind a brand listening and responding to real issues, in real time. As a result of the criticism they ended up extending their range up to a size 32. Responses like this are a clear example of what makes brands feel like friends. New customers are created because they’ve heard from the horse's mouth that their needs and wants are being heard, recognised and catered for.

So while brands face possibly more scrutiny than ever before, they also have a golden opportunity to come out from behind the company mask, and make deep connections with the people who choose to interact with them. They can do this simply by being what we all are. Human.