How brands are unlocking consumer loyalty in 2024

From tapping into the comforting pull of nostalgia to leading innovative, AI-driven personalization, today’s marketers are navigating a dynamic landscape where emotional connection meets technological advancements. Whether evoking warm memories with retro campaigns, crafting hyper-personalized experiences that make customers feel seen or delivering moments of surprise and delight through experiential marketing, brands are rethinking how to resonate in a crowded marketplace.

We sat down with Kellogg marketing faculty to discuss the trends that shaped the past year and highlight brands that won hearts in 2024. 

The power of nostalgia in marketing

Jake Teeny is an assistant professor of marketing and specializes in the study of consumer behavior. He points out that brands often evoke specific emotions in their advertisements, and that nostalgia was a powerful marketing driver in 2024.  

“Nostalgia is that warm feeling toward recollected experiences, people or objects from a person’s youth or even before they were born,” Teeny explains. “This could be as simple as rerunning an ad that resonated with consumers years earlier, or it could be creating a new ad with the style and design of a bygone era.”  

Although these kinds of ads can be effective, Teeny points out an important caveat, “Importantly, nostalgic ads often elicit self-focused thoughts — meaning that consumers often pay more attention to these ads,” he shares. “So, if an advertiser doesn’t include a compelling claim with the nostalgic ad, it could backfire as consumers will be more aware of any weaknesses in the advertisement.” 

Nostalgia in action via Chili's and M&M

Teeny points to Chili's throwback concept BurgerTime, an online video game, as a powerful example of nostalgia marketing. The campaign, inspired by ’80s videogames, captures a time before “overpriced fast food.” He notes how nostalgia can be an effective way of connecting with consumers prompting them to revisit simpler times. “Nostalgic ads can be particularly appealing in turbulent times (e.g. when grocery prices are high, during a national election) because it evokes pleasant feelings — which can then transfer to the brand,” he explains. “This is particularly true when the nostalgia is tied to ‘bump years’ — years in a consumer’s life that they reflect on with some frequency.”  

M&Ms is another brand that has leaned into nostalgia as a marketing tool with their classic Halloween and Christmas ads that personify M&M characters. 

Advertising moments in modern branding

A brand that is executing marketing extremely well is the canned water company Liquid Death, Teeny notes. “Known for eschewing traditional media and pursuing content marketing, Liquid Death consistently takes advantage of events and partnerships that are relevant to their consumer segments,” he says. “Notably, when a lot of brands try to jump on a specific, popular event, sometimes, it can help you stand out more to tie an ad to more traditional consumer moments.” 

Liquid Death taps into Halloween 

One of Liquid Death’s 2024 campaigns came in the lead-up to the spooky season, where they partnered with the brand YETI to create a life-sized casket cooler. They only made one and auctioned it off — and the winning bid came in at $68,000. “The marketing stunt was completely in line with their brand voice,” Teeny says, noting the macabre yet playful tagline, “Murder your thirst.” “It gained a lot of attention from the media and helped bring to mind Liquid Death as another drink people should have on hand as autumn begins and Halloween creeps around the corner.” 

Technology and personalization in marketing

Recognized marketing expert Jim Lecinski has more than 30 years of experience throughout the industry.  A clinical professor of marketing, he teaches popular Kellogg courses including Marketing Strategy and Omnichannel Marketing. He shares how brands can harness AI to supercharge personalized marketing to create more meaningful and relevant experiences for consumers.  

How brands are implementing AI in marketing

With AI fundamentally shifting how brands understand, interact with and market to their audiences, Lecinski believes that AI is a critical element in the marketer’s toolkit. 

“By analyzing massive datasets in real-time, AI-driven systems can segment audiences not just by demographics but by real-time behavioral cues — anticipating what customers need before they even realize it themselves,” says Lecinski. Chatbots and conversational AI can enhance customer service by providing instant responses, he notes, while natural language processing enables more intuitive interactions. AI-powered tools can also optimize ad spend and channel allocation, ensuring maximum ROI.

While AI can provide business leaders with data — data, without context, lacks value. “True leadership in this space involves aligning these technologies with a brand’s unique voice and ethics, while respecting consumer privacy,” he explains. “The challenge — and opportunity — lies in using AI to humanize experiences rather than automate them to the point of detachment.” Lecinski points to IKEA’s AI assistant in OpenAI GPT Store as a great example of how brands should be using AI in marketing. 

Marketing in a cookie-less world

As consumer demands for transparency and control increase, marketers are prioritizing zero-party and first-party data. “Zero-party data — where customers willingly share their preferences, needs, or intentions via surveys, quizzes, or preference centers — is especially valuable because it represents explicit trust in the brand,” says Lecinski. 

“This shift isn’t just about adapting to privacy regulations or the uncertain future of cookies — it’s about building sustainable relationships through meaningful value exchanges,” he explains.

He believes that brands that prioritize these data types stand out by offering customers clear benefits such as tailored recommendations or exclusive content. Lecinski points to Trust Bank in Singapore as a company that has successfully implemented gamification and rewards to encourage customers to share zero-party data voluntarily. 

Personalization — a desire to feel seen and understood

Interactive tools like quizzes, recommendation engines and dynamic content are gaining traction because today’s consumers expect brands to deliver tailored experiences that align with their preferences, values and needs. “Personalization extends beyond messaging — it’s influencing product development, delivery methods and even pricing strategies,” shares Lecinski. 

But, he cautions that there is a fine line between personalization and intrusion. “The key is crafting experiences that feel serendipitous rather than overly calculated,” he says. “The real test of personalization is not in how much data a brand has but in how effectively it turns that data into meaningful, humanized interactions.” 

He notes that as AI and machine learning technologies advance, brands face the challenge of balancing the scalability of personalization. They will need to find ways to deliver authentic one-to-one experiences without sacrificing quality or trust. A great example of this trend is Carvana’s personalized ad campaign, which generated 1.3M unique AI-generated videos, telling each consumer about their specific car-buying journey.

The art of giving — a powerful marketing driver

For Clinical Professor Gina Fong, experiential marketing is about crafting a brand experience as thoughtfully as giving a meaningful gift. From the item itself to the presentation and details, it’s important to consider everything that makes it special and unique. 

“It doesn’t always need to be splashy or over the top,” Fong shares. She points to Romomo, a stuffed toy brand from China, that reimagines the experience of giving a toy to its customers. “The brand’s staff playfully ‘cooks’ the roujiamo (Chinese burgers), as if they are real.” 

She notes that while the toy itself is adorable, the way the brand delivers the item to the customer is a true surprise and delight. “They use actual cooking tools, mimic the motions of food preparation and even put the toy in a paper envelope as if these stuffies are real,” she shares. “In a day and age when we are over scheduled, overworked and overwhelmed, experiential marketing can help a brand demonstrate its care for its customer — using the smallest of details to give someone a gift of understanding and build emotional closeness.” 
 
As the marketing landscape continues to evolve, the most successful brands will be those that seamlessly blend tried-and-true strategies with emerging technologies — all while maintaining authenticity to understand their audience and foster meaningful interactions. By balancing innovation with authenticity, brands can capture consumer attention and loyalty in an era where consumer trust is paramount. The highlighted strategies provide a blueprint for differentiation and demonstrate that the heart of great marketing is, and always will be, human connection. 

Read more marketing-driven business insights:

5 Mindsets That Drive Consumer Behavior

The Future of Targeted Advertising in a Cookie-less World

3 Ways AI Can Support Your Marketing Team