In boardrooms, brainstorms and pitch meetings, I keep hearing the same question: How do we use AI? How do we keep up? But the better question, and the one that actually builds brands, is this: Do we still understand people?
Bibi Bonnecwe, Executive Creative Director at Brave Group looks at why in 2026 human truths matter more than marketing trends (Image supplied)
In an age where AI promises to revolutionise marketing, and CMOs race to deploy the latest technologies, I’ve watched many brands lose sight of what truly builds lasting value: fundamental human truths.
We’re witnessing an obsession with trends - agentic AI, hyper-personalisation, and whatever the latest optimisation acronym happens to be. But brands that chase trends without anchoring them in human truths are building castles on sand.
Trifles, trends and truths
Dave Duarte, founder of Treeshake, offers a framework I’ve found invaluable for separating signal from noise: distinguishing between trifles, trends and truths. Trifles are fleeting obsessions that burn bright and fade fast — what Duarte calls “the candyfloss of social media or technology.”
Consider BeReal, the photo-sharing app that promised authenticity by forcing users to post unfiltered snapshots at random times.
In 2022, I watched brands scramble to establish a presence, convinced this represented the future of genuine engagement. Today, the platform’s cultural relevance has largely evaporated.
We saw the same thing with the metaverse: massive hype, major investment, and very little lasting behaviour change once the novelty wore off. The trifle dissolved fast.
Trends endure
Trends, on the other hand, have staying power and demonstrably shape consumer behaviour.
The shift towards video-first social platforms, from TikTok’s explosive growth to Instagram. Reels reflects a genuine change in how people discover, consume and engage with content.
Social commerce is another real trend, with platforms integrating shopping into social experiences as part of a sustained shift in buying behaviour. But beneath every meaningful trend sits a deeper truth.
Truths are the enduring human realities that underpin sustainable change. The truth beneath social media’s success isn’t technological innovation, but humanity’s fundamental need for connection and community.
As Duarte notes, “People are collaborative animals living in a communal world where they desire to share experience.”
This truth existed long before Facebook or TikTok; technology simply enabled its expression at scale.
The power of human connection
In my own work, especially on brands rooted in food, finance and everyday South African life, I’ve seen how quickly audiences respond when they feel understood. Not targeted, but recognised.
Human truths like storytelling, belonging, dignity and meaning aren’t soft marketing concepts. They are engines of real business growth.
Empathy drives real connection
Research from Ipsos shows that advertising grounded in empathy and that reflects people’s identities, emotions and values, is 79% more likely to drive brand choice.
Consumers spend significantly more on brands they feel emotionally connected to. Empathy is what accelerates closeness.
Stories don’t just inform, they move us. When we hear a compelling story, our brains respond as if we’re a part of the experience. It is why stories stay with us long after product features are forgotten.
Emotional engagement creates trust, generosity and a loyalty that no algorithm can manufacture on its own.
The 2025 Titanium Lions winner, AXA’s Three Words campaign, succeeded not because of technological novelty, but because it created genuine emotional resonance.
The Cadbury’s Birthday campaign became part of people’s lives by embedding itself in everyday rituals. This is proof that meaningful cultural presence outperforms momentary innovation.
As Isabelle Fortin from Ipsos puts it: “Empathy isn’t merely a soft skill. It’s about action — delivering tangible solutions, showing genuine care, and supporting daily life.”
Truth builds valuable communities
Brands that understand human truths don’t just build customer bases; they build communities.
In the US, Fanatics has created a loyalty ecosystem rooted in a simple truth: sports fandom is about belonging. Its Fanatics ONE programme allows fans to earn and use rewards across merchandise, collectables, tickets and experiences. Customers don’t just buy — they participate in something bigger than a transaction.
Across Africa, we see powerful examples of brands growing through cultural understanding.
Castle Lager has built decades of brand equity around resilience, togetherness and optimism — values that remain constant even as executions evolve.
Its iconic 1998 Africa advertisement resonated so deeply because it tapped into the human truth of homecoming and collective pride.
Safaricom’s M-Pesa didn’t succeed because it was technologically impressive, but because it addressed a fundamental human need: financial dignity and the ability to support family. It now processes hundreds of billions of dollars annually because it solved real problems rooted in lived realities.
MTN’s success across the continent similarly reflects more than network coverage. For different generations, the brand represents freedom, reconnection and possibility. Same brand. Same human truth. Different expressions.
The business case for human truths
Brands built on authentic human truths are more resilient in times of change. They command loyalty, earn premium pricing, and remain relevant across shifting platforms.
Castle Lager has delivered some of South Africa’s most enduring brand stories for decades.
Dove’s Real Beauty platform continues into its third decade not because it followed trends, but because it tapped into a universal truth: people want to be seen as they are.
Advice for CMOs
For CMOs navigating 2026’s fast-moving landscape, my advice is simple: trends deserve attention, but truths deserve investment.
Before pursuing any new tool or platform, I ask three questions:
- Is this a trifle that will disappear once novelty fades?
- Is this a trend reflecting genuine behavioural change?
- Or does this connect to a human truth that will still matter in 10 years?
As leaders, we don’t just choose technologies — we choose what we prioritise. And if we prioritise speed over substance, we may build faster campaigns, but not stronger brands.
The brands that will endure are not those that adopt every innovation first, but those that use innovation to better understand and serve enduring human needs.
The more technology advances, the more essential it becomes to understand what makes us human.
That’s not a paradox. That’s our responsibility.
