Relevance and Connection:
Making Your Brand Matter to Someone

Is your brand being noticed but not needed? Are your campaigns generating attention without creating loyalty? Clarity and purpose set the foundation, but relevance and connection make your brand matter. Let’s explore how some of the world’s most recognizable brands stayed relevant and built trust – and learn from those that lost both.

Did you miss the first part of this three-part series? Click here to read about building the foundation of a resilient brand.

Even with clarity and purpose, brands fail if they are not relevant. Relevance is not about being seen everywhere – it’s about mattering deeply somewhere and to someone. It is resonance, not presence. It answers the question: does your strategy actually solve the problems that matter to your audience?
 
Executives often confuse activity with impact. They pour resources into visibility – chasing likes, impressions and media coverage – mistaking attention for significance. But attention without resonance is noise – and that won’t sustain a business. True relevance requires understanding your audience at a granular level and making bold decisions to align – and connect – with them.
 
Netflix offers a masterclass in relevance, connection and evolution. The company’s focus was entertainment-on-demand, while its purpose was centered on providing control to people on how they watch. Its relevance came from relentless audience insight – shifting from DVDs in the mailbox, to streaming on demand, to original content that matched consumer behaviors. Each move was data-driven, audience-led and purposeful. 
 
Blockbuster, however, provides the cautionary tale. While it started with clarity (video rental) and purpose (entertainment access), it lost relevance. As consumer behavior shifted to embrace streaming, it clung to an outdated model. Ultimately, it lost its audience and the business. We’re not the only ones to make this stark industry comparison – you can read the Cato Institute’s take on this here.
 
But relevance alone is insufficient. Attention without trust is fleeting. Connection is what turns attention into loyalty. Connection is built on trust, and trust is harder to earn – and easier to lose – than ever.
 
Delta Airlines illustrates this well – though recent months have proven tough for the airline giant. Years of reliability issues eroded consumer trust. No amount of marketing could rebuild what operational failures had destroyed. It was only when leadership doubled down on operational performance and customer experience that Delta began to recover. Once trust was restored, connection followed, creating loyalty that survived beyond price wars and promotional campaigns. Will they rebound again? Only time will tell.
 
The takeaway: Relevance earns attention. Connection transforms it into loyalty. Without both, brands can be noticed but not needed – visible, yet disposable.
 
Building relevance drives connection – but what do you do after garnering attention and loyalty? In our next post, we’ll explore how brands can nurture – and sustain – real community beyond the metrics. Learn how some of the most recognizable brands intentionally built community to anchor relevance, deepen connection and turn loyalty into advocacy.

What’s your take? Email clarity@creativeinferno.com to spark discussion.