We used to talk about brands speaking to people. Now, they must speak as if they really know people.
Welcome to the evolution from B2C (Business-to-Consumer) to B2Me (Business-to-Me) — a subtle but seismic shift reshaping marketing, brand strategy, and customer experience. And if you think this is just another buzzword-in-a-blazer or flashy marketing lingo, think again.
This isn’t simply about personalisation. It’s about humanization; about dismantling the one-size-fits-all machine of brand broadcasting and architecting highly relevant, resonant, and reciprocal brand relationships with individuals.
B2C was built on reach. It was about targeting segments, broadcasting campaigns, and capturing mass attention. Brands sat at the centre, vying to be loved through clever positioning, catchy slogans, and emotional storytelling.
Something has shifted
But something has shifted — culturally, technologically, and psychologically. Today’s customer doesn’t want to be sold to, they want to be seen. They don’t care about your brand’s journey — they care about their own. In this age of algorithmic intimacy, the consumer has become the hero of their own story. Brands are no longer the main character. They’re the guide, the sidekick, the enabler.
The rise of AI, machine learning, predictive analytics, and rich behavioural data has turbocharged this shift. It’s no longer just possible to understand what a customer wants, it’s expected. According to McKinsey, 71% of consumers now expect companies to deliver personalised interactions. And 76% get frustrated when they don’t.
Welcome to the era of B2Me. At its core, B2Me is about radical relevance. It’s a mindset shift from market segments to human beings. From branding as megaphone to branding as mirror.
Position themselves in people’s lives
Instead of simply ‘positioning’ your product in a category, B2Me brands position themselves in people’s lives, using data, design, content and experience to respond to individual needs, values and contexts in real time.
Think Spotify’s year-end Wrapped campaigns that turn your listening history into a personal cultural statement. Or Netflix’s eerily accurate recommendations that feel like they know you better than your friends do. Or even Nike By You — sneakers custom-built for your preferences, lifestyle and even stride.
These aren’t gimmicks. They’re strategic investments in customer identity, relevance and emotional equity. And they pay off. Deloitte research shows that companies using advanced personalisation generate 40% more revenue than those that don’t.
Three big forces are at play:
1. The rise of the sovereign consumer
We live in an attention economy driven by algorithmic feeds and dopamine loops. People expect immediate relevance, intuitive UX, and brands that ‘get them’. Generic doesn’t cut it anymore.
2. Technology has caught up with intention
Thanks to AI, behavioural data and cloud-based CRM ecosystems, brands can now act on a single view of the customer — anticipating needs, tailoring messaging, and curating journeys at scale.
3. Cultural Individualism
In a world where self-expression is currency and identity is fluid, people want brands that reflect them. The days of aspirational advertising are giving way to affirmation. You don’t sell to people anymore — you co-create meaning with them.
Let’s be clear: B2Me doesn’t mean pandering to every whim. It means being deeply intentional about relevance using data, empathy and design thinking to serve real human needs.
Here are three strategic imperatives for leaders navigating this shift
1. You need to know your customer better than ever — not just their demographics, but their desires, behaviours, and motivations. That means unlocking zero-party data, behavioural insights, and emotional drivers.
2. Your comms, experiences and product offers need to feel personal, timely, and context-aware. The challenge? Doing it at scale, without losing soul. Enter AI, modular content, and dynamic CX design.
3. People don’t want messages; they want meaning. Your brand needs a POV that matters, connects, and earns its way into the cultural conversation. Brand building isn’t dead, it’s just more intimate, less inflated.
Hyper-personalisation sounds sexy until you realise it demands an overhaul of your tech stack, your data ethics, your team structure and your operating model.
You’ll need to align marketing, CX, IT, and product in ways that break silos and build ecosystems. You’ll need to move from calendar-based campaigns to customer-led journeys. And you’ll need to be willing to experiment, test, fail, and adapt.
But here’s the payoff: you’ll build not just customers, but believers.
Jody Daniels is a brand strategist, thought leader, and business change agent. With a sharp eye on culture and an unrelenting focus on relevance, he helps businesses translate deep consumer insights into growth strategies that convert and connect. Jody is currently Strategy Director at Rapt Creative and Mortimer Harvey, and a published author of Deconstructing Design Thinking. Follow his thought-provoking takes on strategy and culture in his LinkedIn newsletter Cup of Jo Leadership Chronicle.
