Want Your Brand To Be Remembered? Start Being Real

No one connects with a brand that feels like a performance.

You can have a flawless brand, clear message, sharp visuals, and a strong offer. But if it doesn’t feel human, it’s easy to overlook. Because people don’t buy into brands, they buy into what they believe the brand stands for. They’re looking for honesty, emotion, and connection.

In other words, they’re looking for you.

Why Realness Beats Perfection

Storytelling is what transforms your brand from a business into something people can relate to. It’s what builds loyalty before a single sale happens, not by being perfect, but by being authentic.

When you share what you stand for, where you’ve been, and what you believe, you invite your audience into something deeper than just a transaction. You create shared experience. That’s what makes people care and what makes you stand out.

What Gatorade Got Right

A perfect example of this? Gatorade’s iconic “Be Like Mike” campaign featuring Michael Jordan.

This wasn’t a story about stats or performance. It wasn’t about hydration science or product features. It was about aspiration, joy, and belief.

The commercial showed kids pretending to be like Jordan, not because he was perfect—but because he was human. The jingle was catchy and simple, “If I could be like Mike…”, but the emotional impact was massive. That one line made the drink more than a product, it created a movement people wanted to be part of.

By centering the emotion of wanting to become something, Gatorade positioned itself as part of that transformation. They didn’t sell functionality. They sold feeling.

That’s what made the brand unforgettable and the commercial so successful.

Your Story Is the Strategy

If your message is missing the mark or your brand feels forgettable, the answer might not be prettier packaging or shinier design. It might be in the story you haven’t told yet.

Ask yourself: What truth are you holding back? What do you stand for that your audience needs to hear?

Because the brands people remember aren’t just the ones that show up.
They’re the ones that feel something and aren’t afraid to show it.

Kishan Malhotra is a Summer 2025 intern at Haute in Texas. Kishan is a dedicated undergraduate student at Northwestern University pursuing a dual degree in Journalism and Psychology along with a certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications, with plans to graduate in 2027. On campus, he serves as a manager for the men’s basketball team and supports marketing for A&O Productions, a leading student-run entertainment organization at Northwestern. These roles have strengthened his skills in communication, leadership, and storytelling, whether coordinating game-day operations or promoting campus-wide events. With a passion for media and brand marketing, he is eager to apply his experience to create meaningful impact and grow as a future leader in the industry.