The strongest signal I see in digital marketing right now is intimacy. Messages that sound like a friend cut through noise faster than any clever slogan.
This feels like a product of feeds trained by direct messages, creators, and group chats. Vulnerability has become a native tone in the timeline.
What This Means For Marketers
For marketers, I do not think we are writing ads anymore. We are drafting the first line of a conversation.
I start with consent and context. Earn the right to be personal before you get personal.
I build formats that invite a reply. Short prompts, clear questions, and paths that lead to a human when it matters.
Shift from broadcast to small rooms. Segment tightly and speak to specific moments in a customer journey rather than a generic persona.
Calibrate emotional language with care. Avoid leaning on grief or longing unless you can offer real support or value.
Study parasocial dynamics so you can design with ethics. The APA has a useful primer on audience psychology in modern media, and it is a helpful place to start parasocial dynamics.
Update metrics. Trade some reach for depth, and measure saved threads, replies, and time spent in conversation.
Build voice governance. Give teams a shared vocabulary, example lines, and red lines so that intimacy stays respectful and on brand.
The brands that win will sound like people without pretending to be your best friend. Intimacy is a craft, not a trick.
Joshua Campbell
Director