A consistent brand, coherent in what it says and does, with a strong identity that reflects values such as ethics, social and environmental responsibility, or the creation of development opportunities, is not the finish line but the starting point of the journey.
That is the concept of Top of Heart: to combine all of the above elements with a unique, close, and emotional experience for everyone interacting with a brand, whether they are customers, suppliers, business partners, or talent.
In contrast to the idea of Top of Mind, which was prevalent in the last decades, marketing no longer positions brands in the consumer's mind. The challenge is now deeper.
The challenge now is to generate an emotional association, where loyalty to the brand is not based on market concerns (such as the wage for a potential employee or the price of a solution for a prospective client) but on emotional values.
Building the Top of Heart requires, first of all, a people-centric vision. Every decision taken by the organization must be focused on people. Thus, the organization's progress is based on individual progress.
Humanizing the Relationship
It's all about humanizing the relationship. This means, on the customer's side, generating a deep understanding of their needs to offer them exactly what they need in a timely manner and, often, providing a vision beyond their needs. This is to provide real value.
From the talent's perspective, thinking about the relationship based on well-being, investing in "emotional salary," offering them everything beyond money to develop their professional career while finding balance with personal purposes. In the context of a corporate culture that fosters trust, respect, autonomy, active listening, diversity, and collaboration.
A positive social impact is generated with every single action, supported by transparent and genuine communication. None of this should be theoretical statements but somewhat measurable and demonstrable actions.
When all this comes about, the virtuous circle is triggered, and the people become true ambassadors of the brand to help promote the "top of heart" model, everyone from their perspective.
Answering the question in the title: creating emotional connections with customers and employees is not only possible but a key step to achieving unprecedented levels of satisfaction and loyalty, reducing turnover, maintaining relevance, and, above all, leading the organization to success.