Brand Ick: You might be turning customers off without realising It

'Brand Ick' - it's the emotional equivalent of a bad taste in your mouth, a sudden chill down your spine, when a brand does something that makes you feel completely disrespected, or you find yourself extremely disappointed in the brand’s behaviour. So much so that, well, the ‘gross’ emoji sums up your reaction.

Often, this reaction is triggered not by monumental failures but by small, seemingly innocuous interactions that reveal poor emotional intelligence or self-centred motives in brand communication.

The term 'ick', popularised in everyday slang, describes an intense feeling of discomfort or aversion caused by a minor but unsettling behaviour. In the marketing world, Brand Ick occurs when a brand behaves in a way that feels manipulative, self-serving, or inauthentic, triggering a breakdown of trust.

The Brand Ick factor leaves customers questioning their relationship with a brand and may even lead to them dumping the brand.

'Brand Ick' is alive and well in New Zealand

A Kiwi consumer – well, full disclosure, actually it was Lina, chief brand emotional intelligence officer at Good Gravy, recently described her experience with a well-known outdoor retailer. At checkout, she was presented with a survey on the eftpos terminal, intrusively asking, at the very point of payment: “Did the sales assistant offer you other items related to your purchase?”

Rather than encouraging engagement, the survey had the opposite effect:

• It felt manipulative: Lina was forced to make a judgment about the sales assistant, who was standing right there, making it uncomfortable to give honest feedback.
• It seemed disingenuous: The survey framed upselling as a policy-driven directive, casting doubt on the assistant’s motives if he or she did happen to suggest a complementary product or service.  
• It felt self-obsessed: The interaction appeared less about customer care and more about gathering data to monitor employees.

The result? Instead of fostering trust, the brand tainted its image as a customer-first retailer, creating what Lina termed a "dose of Brand Ick."

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The hidden cost of Brand Ick

When brands implement aggressive or poorly designed feedback mechanisms, they often achieve the opposite of their intended goals.

Small actions like poorly framed surveys or lack lustre communications may seem insignificant, but they can undermine years of brand loyalty. Customers who feel manipulated or undervalued may disengage, their dissatisfaction often extends beyond the individual interaction.

The unintended consequences:

1. Customer trust decreases when companies prioritise data over people

Consumers expect brands to prioritise their needs and privacy. A survey that feels intrusive or manipulative sends the message that the brand values data over relationships.

A 2023 study from PWC found that 59% of consumers will abandon a brand after several bad experiences, and 17% after just one. Tone-deaf feedback mechanisms can quickly erode trust and loyalty.

2. Data quality becomes compromised

Feedback collected under duress is inherently unreliable. For instance, the customer cited above (yes, Lina) admitted she might lie on the survey to avoid penalising the sales assistant. Instead of actionable insights, the brand gathers flawed data.

3. Brand perception shifts

When feedback feels more like spying than care, customers start to see the brand as manipulative. Worse, they may question whether the brand values employees, further damaging their emotional connection to the brand.

When customers feel alienated or disrespected by a brand, they are more likely to:

• ‍Reduce brand loyalty: They may switch to a competitor or reduce their overall spending with the brand.
• Share negative word-of-mouth: They may share their negative experiences with friends and family, damaging the brand's reputation. ‍
• Reduce trust: They may become less trusting of the brand's claims and promises.

Don’t walk away from your brand loyalists. Business is already challenging enough, without disappointing those who love and trust you.

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Narcissistic brand behaviour

Another aspect of Brand Ick stems from self-centred communication. Customers are quick to spot when a brand’s message is more about its own needs than theirs.

Examples of narcissistic brand behaviours:

• ‍Tone-deaf announcements: “We’ve updated our app!” without explaining how (or even if) it benefits customers.
• ‍Self-obsessed rebranding: When a brand like, ahem, Jaguar, adopts a new approach which attracts comments like “Did Jaguar just kill their brand in 30 seconds?” and “Worst rebrand ever?”, it’s reasonable to wonder if the voice of the customer was represented during planning sessions.   ‍
• Pushy sales tactics: “Clearance stock now available" fails to highlight how this creates value for the audience. ‍
• Transactional feedback requests: “Tell us what you think for a chance to win a $10 voucher” can come across as stingy and insincere.

In these cases, brands miss the opportunity to demonstrate empathy and customer focus, leaving audiences feeling undervalued.

You’ve got a problem when consumers say to themselves, “My feedback is my property. Why should you get it for free?” Customers recognise the imbalance in value exchange when brands make self-serving requests without offering meaningful incentives or benefits.

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Building brand emotional intelligence

To avoid triggering the Ick factor, organisations must:

• Be guided by emotional intelligence across all customer touchpoints.
• Design interactions with empathy and transparency. Ask, “How would I feel if I were the customer?”
• Shift focus from what the brand wants to what customers need.
• Articulate the value to the customer, in every message, request and update.
• Operate with consistent authenticity and care.
• Avoid tactics that might feel transactional or manipulative. Customers value genuine, helpful interactions over clever campaigns.

Practical tips to avoid the Brand Ick factor

• ‍Trust your people: Encourage staff to build genuine customer relationships.‍
• Ease back: Remove pressure points from customer service interactions. ‍
• Give them room: Focus on long-term relationship building over short-term data collection.
• ‍Be customer-centric: Focus on delivering value, not just extracting data. ‍
• Show value: If you’re asking for something (like feedback), offer something meaningful in return, such as actionable improvements or a significant reward.
• ‍Audit your messaging: Regularly review communications to ensure they are customer-centric and free from jargon that centres on the brand. ‍
• Train your team: Equip frontline staff with the skills to build genuine customer relationships, not just upsell strategies. ‍
• Listen actively: Pay attention to what your customers are saying, both explicitly and implicitly. ‍
• Empathise: Put yourself in your customers' shoes and try to understand their feelings and needs.
• Be authentic: Be genuine and transparent in your communications.

Building a brand that customers trust and like

Avoiding the Brand Ick factor requires organisations to align their strategies with the values and needs of their audience. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to build trust - or to lose it.

Marketers must strive to foster meaningful, empathetic connections that make customers feel valued. The brands that excel in emotional intelligence won’t just avoid alienating their customers, they’ll inspire loyalty that lasts a lifetime.

If you’d like to learn more about how to avoid the Brand Ick factor for your organisation, contact Good Gravy today. ‍