What Magnetic Brands Know About Their Impact On Shareholder Value

TL;DR: A lack of comprehensive branding isn’t just a marketing problem—it’s a financial liability, because brands impact shareholder value.

So what do magnetic brands know that you might not? Many marketers, founders, and top-level executives delude themselves into thinking these brands are popular due to their ad spend.

Maybe. But, maybe not. Some research indicates their popularity is built on their brand strength and alignment to their audience?

It's important to take a look at our post about "what is a brand." Ultimately: everyone in your company impacts the brand—whether they want to be or not.

Environmental, Social, or Governance (ESG) decisions in your business? Bring in the brand team (and, like... maybe PR?). Acquisitions, company culture/HR issues, or sales challenges? Bring in the brand team. These are all items that can impact whether your customers decide to stick with you, and whether new customers will consider you.

Most startups, small-to-mid-sized businesses treat marketing and branding as "the pretty stuff." But, the most influential companies don’t treat “brand” as fluff. They treat it as infrastructure—take it as seriously as if the brand drives shareholder value. (Because it does!) They know their brand is the trust engine that drives loyalty, pricing power, resilience in crisis, and long-term growth.

Brands that align with audiences and identities win trust, gain virality, and sell more.

You can’t out-market a weak product, and you can't out-market with a message that doesn't create connect with your buyers.

That might sound harsh or maybe overly basic, but it’s the foundation of every thriving marketing strategy: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.

The best-performing brands in the world—from Patagonia to Chobani to Glossier—aren’t just lucky. They’re fluent in audience insights that go way beyond demographics. They don’t guess who their customers are; they know them. In some cases, they've been them.

Does that mean "my kids only like strawberry flavor, so that's what we're going to make"? No. (But, that's another conversation for another time.)

This is about real-world connection and community creation for the solution you provide—and that goes for both B2B and B2C/DTC.

And if your brand isn’t seeing the traction you hoped for: Is it your product? Your pricing? Maybe. More likely: It’s your understanding—or lack thereof—of your audience.

So let's unpack what top-performing brands deeply understand about their audiences, how they put that knowledge into practice, and how you can do the same to sharpen your brand strategy, unlock next-level growth, and increase shareholder value.

1. Magnetic Brands Know That Audience Insights Aren’t Demographics—They’re Desires

It’s tempting to build an audience profile around age, income, geography, and job title.

But the best brands dig deeper. They build around desires—not just data points.

Take Oatly. On paper, their core demographic might be urban millennials and Gen Zers. But their brand strategy doesn’t start with “we’re targeting 27-year-old women in Brooklyn.” Instead, they target...

People who believe that food is political, that planet-friendly choices should be delightful, and that personality belongs in the grocery aisle.

This subtle shift—from who someone is to what they believe or crave—is what gives brands an edge.

What You Can Do:

• Build psychographic profiles. What motivates your audience? What fears, values, or goals do they carry into your category?

• Run qualitative research. Interview 5–10 customers and ask about their experiences, frustrations, and dreams—not just their buying behavior.

• Map desire paths. Instead of asking “What did you buy?”, ask “What were you hoping this would solve?”

2. Magnetic Brands Speak Their Audience’s Language, Not Jargon

Every great brand sounds like someone—not something.

There’s a reason why brands like Dove, Happy Hues, Aldi, Fenty Beauty, and Duolingo feel human. They’ve nailed voice and tone. They’ve studied how their audience talks, jokes, reacts, and shares—and they’ve built that right into their product and communications strategy.

Meanwhile, less successful brands tend to fall back on safe, forgettable, jargon-filled language. They hide behind generic phrases like “streamlining solutions” or “trusted partners.” Unfortunately, no one builds emotional resonance with a B2B buzzword salad.

<—

Magnetic brands, by contrast, aren’t afraid to take a stance. They speak the way their audience thinks. They write the way their audience talks. They reflect and amplify their audience’s worldview—whether that’s snarky, sentimental, defiant, or deeply hopeful.

What You Can Do:

• Lurk in the same digital spaces as your audience: Reddit, Discord, niche newsletters, TikTok. What phrases do they use? What memes do they share? What inside jokes do they tell?

• Create a brand voice chart. Define your voice as if it were a person. Are you playful and direct like a best friend? Or poetic and thoughtful like a mentor?

• Rework your headlines. Rewrite three of your current marketing headlines in the tone your audience would use in a text to a friend. Compare the emotional impact.

3. Magnetic Brands Align On Identity, Not Just Product

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: People don’t always buy what’s “best.” They buy what reinforces how they see themselves—or how they want to be seen.

Apple understood this when they launched the “Think Different” campaign in 1997. They weren’t selling tech. They were selling rebellion, creativity, and belonging to a tribe of visionaries. For those who are unfamiliar, here's a transcription of their TV ad:

Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes...

The ones who see things differently – they’re not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo...

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things...

They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Modern DTC brands understand this too. You’re not just buying Allbirds—you’re broadcasting that you care about sustainability and design. You’re not just drinking Athletic Greens—you’re saying, “I invest in my future self.”

Great brands know that brand strategy is identity strategy. They don’t try to be everything to everyone. Instead, they’re a mirror. They help the right people see themselves more clearly.

What You Can Do:

• Ask: “What does choosing our brand say about a person?” Get clear on the signals your brand sends.

• Refine your positioning. Instead of “We make affordable cookware,” think: “We help first-time cooks feel like pros.” That’s identity-driven.

• Study your most passionate fans. What language do they use when they describe themselves after buying your product?

4. Magnetic Brands Don’t Chase Trends... They Tap Into Cultural Truths

Chasing trends is a race you’ll never win. They’re too fast, too fickle, and too crowded.

Great brands don’t obsess over the next TikTok dance or viral meme. Instead, they root their brand strategy in cultural truths—slow-burning, deeply felt shifts in values, identity, or social norms.

Take Patagonia. Their message hasn’t wavered in decades: Protect the planet. Repair what’s broken. Question consumption.

That’s not a trend—it’s a cultural undercurrent that’s only grown stronger. Roger Tseng did a great write-up on one of Patagonia's 2024 campaigns on LinkedIn. I recommend you check it out.

Meanwhile, mediocre brands might hop on Earth Day or slap a “green” badge on a product without backing it up.

The difference? One is a strategy. The other is a stunt and considered disingenuous—it drives customers away and hurts business value.

What You Can Do:

• Scan for signals. Read think-pieces, cultural trend reports, and read the media your audience reads, in order to understand what values are rising.

• Choose your hill. What’s the one belief your brand would go to the mat for—even if it’s not popular yet?

• Be consistent. Don’t just show up when it’s convenient. Show up when it’s hard. That’s how you earn trust.

5. Magnetic Brands Know That Listening Is a Growth Strategy

Most brands talk too much. Magnetic brands listen—with intent, frequency, and humility. They treat audience feedback like a gold mine, not a formality. They embed systems for continuous feedback: social listening, customer success insights, user-generated content, and NPS loops.

More importantly, they act on what they hear.

Consider how Glossier’s early growth was fueled by community feedback loops. The brand didn’t just launch products—it co-created them with its audience. Every shade, every formula, every piece of content was shaped by user needs and desires.

When your customers feel heard, they lean in. When they feel seen, they become loyalists.

What You Can Do:

• Set up regular listening rituals. Scan reviews, comments, or support tickets weekly. Share key themes with your whole team.

• Use open-ended prompts in surveys. “What was going on in your life when you found us?” yields better insights than “Rate this product.”

• Test and iterate. Use fast cycles to adapt your brand based on real feedback—not internal assumptions.

6. Magnetic Brands Don’t Just “Know” Their Audience—They Evolve With Them

Your audience is not a fixed persona in a slide deck. They grow. They change. They face new pressures, discover new priorities, and adopt new identities over time.

The best brands evolve with them.

Look at Nike. In the ‘90s, it focused heavily on performance and elite athleticism (image below, left). But today, it celebrates inner strength, diversity, and social justice (image below, right). Same swoosh, same DNA—but a very different emotional center of gravity.

The takeaway? Audience understanding is a practice, not a project. This is why branding requires regular re-evaluation.

New thing happened in the world? What's your brand's stance? Even if not publicized, the brand ethos should guide the decision.

If your brand sides with unethical practices...typically, the market finds out and your audiences turn away from your brand.

When brands re-design without re-focusing and tuning-in to their audience's modern mindset? This is why marketers get a bad rap on being a 'nice to have' within the business. Unfortunately, some of the decisions from visible marketers unwittingly brand the entire department as "make it pretty" teams.

If you’re still building your brand around who your audience used to be—you’re already behind.

What You Can Do:

• Refresh your audience research annually. Don’t assume that what worked in 2022 will work in 2025.

• Create space for your audience to grow with you. Launch content, products, or experiences that match their current aspirations.

• Let go of what no longer fits. Evolving doesn’t mean abandoning your roots—it means interpreting them for the moment you’re in.

Your Brand's Magnetism Is Only as Strong as Your Audience Insight

Audience insights are not a box to check—they’re the engine of relevance, resonance, and revenue. They're part of the value equation for any serious business:

Audience Alignment → Brand Loyalty → Revenue Stability → Shareholder Value

Let's Talk Metrics

Here's how marketing metrics translate to audience impact. Increases of the metrics on the left can easily be argued as increases in audience interest on the right:

• Impressions —> Attention

• Engagement —> Affinity

• Brand Affinity —> Market Share

• Market Share —> Profitability

Brand Impact On Shareholder Value

It comes down to: brands that align with audience identity win trust. Trust compounds. And compounding trust is where sales and shareholder value lives.

I'm not suggesting that Brand marketers go out and get a sarcastic tee or anything... buuut maybe?

In all seriousness: If you’re struggling to cut through the noise, it’s not about yelling louder. It’s about listening better. Seeing deeper. Speaking clearly.

Align your brand with something more profound than product features: the self-concept of the people you serve. Because at the end of the day, great marketing isn’t about manipulation. It’s about meaning.

(...and about the brand's impact on shareholder value. 😉 Kidding/not kidding.)

Need help? Let's join forces!