The decisive action, consumer-right solution, and clear communication all reinforce Airbnb’s approach to meeting people where they are.
Attributes: Transparency, Trust, Ease.
Opting out of irrelevant occasions: Etsy
Etsy knows that not everyone celebrates every holiday and that some holidays can be difficult. Rather than blast emails and deals for every cultural moment, they offer consumers an opportunity to opt out of communication around holidays like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day, in an effort to show consumers they get it and will adapt to suit their needs.
Optionality as a form of personalization is a strong way to connect with consumers and by design confirms this brand is listening.
Attributes: Empathy, Relatability, Compassion.
Capturing the (real) moment: Google
Google Pixel 7 took a simple human gripe and turned it into a creative masterpiece.
There is nothing more frustrating than a photo bomb of any kind ruining what would otherwise be a perfect shot. They designed technology within the product that lets you remove anything from your picture that gets in the way, presented in a commercial that is entirely relatable and humorous.
As stated by Doja Cat, one of the celebrities featured in the campaign creative, “Pictures capture life. Just like life, pictures can be blurry. With Pixel’s new Photo Unblur feature, you can clean up a messy picture. Now, if Google could create the same button for life, that would be great.” Acknowledging that truth and building around that? That’s what it means to meet people where they are.
Attributes: Humor, Relatability, Functionality.
Tuning into TikTok: Chipotle
The Fajita Quesadilla is here and it’s because Chipotle listens to its consumers on TikTok, which is where the socially-forward brand finds it best to connect with one of its core audiences. What started as a secret menu hack has turned into a proper menu offering, credited to two creators who sparked the idea.
Chipotle menu hacks have garnered five billion views on TikTok and rather than dismiss that data point, Chipotle maximized the opportunity to connect with their audience and meet them where they are.
Attributes: Fun, Playful, Tangible.
Creating safe spaces: Pinterest
Pinterest is deeply aware of how burnt out and distraught people are over the toxic and harmful nature of social media. While their platform is technically social, they’re more anti-social media, offering a safe space for positivity, inspiration and engagement.
The brand has built safety features into their product, established a Creator Code and created a communications platform and campaign advocating for more social media safety across the industry. They recently launched a new set of features around protecting teens on their platform noting, “Teens have told us that they come to Pinterest to plan and manifest their futures without the fear of being judged. We believe it is important to protect this experience on the platform. That includes safety, of course, because it’s impossible to feel inspired if you don’t feel safe.”