The Missing Link in Omnichannel: How Authentic Brand Storytelling Drives Real Connection | Behind the Numbers

Summary

Podcast Summary: Behind the Numbers - "The Missing Link in Omnichannel: How Authentic Brand Storytelling Drives Real Connection"

Release Date: July 28, 2025

Introduction

In the July 28, 2025 episode of EMARKETER’s "Behind the Numbers" podcast, host Marcus engages with senior director Jeremy Goldman and Vice President of Brand Marketing Heidi Or Dusky to explore the pivotal role of authentic brand storytelling within omnichannel strategies. Sponsored by Quad, the episode delves into how genuine narratives foster deeper connections between brands and consumers, ultimately enhancing marketing efficiency and ROI.

Authentic Storytelling in Omnichannel Strategy

The conversation swiftly moves from casual banter to the core topic: authentic brand storytelling as the missing link in omnichannel marketing. Marcus introduces the subject by asking Heidi to define authentic storytelling in practice.

Heidi emphasizes that authentic storytelling goes beyond mere campaigns or mission statements. She states:

“Storytelling isn't so literal. It’s also how you’re behaving as a brand because that’s what consumers are picking up on the most” (04:46).

She highlights that authenticity is perceived through consistent brand behavior across all consumer touchpoints, reinforcing the brand’s true essence.

Consistency Across Channels

Building on the importance of authenticity, Marcus references previous discussions about maintaining a consistent story across all platforms. Heidi reinforces this by noting:

“If you’re telling the same story no matter where it shows up, then consumers are more likely to believe in your brand” (05:38).

She elaborates that inconsistency can lead to consumer skepticism, as consumers possess strong “BS detectors” and are quick to call out brands that diverge from their established narratives. Jeremy adds that data supports the necessity of consistent storytelling, likening it to the confidence one displays on a first date:

“You say I know who I am. And you puff out your chest and you're very confident. That's the kind of thing that you need to do as a brand if you want to attract attention” (07:14).

Engaging Customers as Part of the Story

Heidi discusses exemplary brands that successfully integrate customers into their narratives, turning consumers into active participants in the brand story. She mentions Chick-fil-A and YNAB as prime examples:

“Chick-fil-A is at the center of their campaigns where they're bringing people in and telling real stories” (08:30).

“Ynab is a brand that I personally love. Customers are at the center of everything they do” (08:30).

She also references Dick’s Sporting Goods and Delta Airlines, illustrating how these brands enhance customer experience through thoughtful engagement and investment:

“Delta is creating a really deep value exchange here. Thank you for being a customer. In return, here's all the things we're going to give you” (09:22).

Jeremy concurs, emphasizing the diversity of approaches brands can adopt to involve customers authentically.

Print vs. Digital Media in Authenticity

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the comparative authenticity of print versus digital media. Heidi shares insights from recent research conducted in collaboration with Harris Poll:

“71% of the people surveyed feel that print is more authentic in terms of being able to connect with a brand than digital is” (14:08).

She explains that while digital media is essential and functional, it often lacks the tangible, immersive qualities that print provides. This tactile experience fosters a deeper emotional connection, something digital channels struggle to replicate. Marcus adds psychological perspectives, citing Heather Rose Artouch’s work on comprehension and retention differences between print and digital:

“Comprehension is six to eight times better with physical books than e-readers” (17:18).

He discusses how physical interactions with print media enhance information retention and facilitate social connections, aspects that digital media often bypasses.

Packaging as a Brand's Handshake

Transitioning to the role of packaging, Heidi describes it as a crucial tactile representation of a brand:

“Packaging is that tactile form of experiencing a brand. It's telling me a story about your brand... It is quite literally that handshake because you’re holding it” (20:23).

She compares packaging to a first impression in a social setting, where the physical interaction with packaging can significantly influence consumer perception and brand loyalty. Jeremy emphasizes the viral nature of unboxing experiences, linking it back to the importance of physical engagement:

“Unboxing experience... it should tell a lot of us how important it is to actually touch things” (20:58).

Notable Brand Examples

Throughout the episode, several brands are highlighted as models of effective authentic storytelling:

• Chick-fil-A: Engages customers through real, relatable stories in their campaigns.
• YNAB (You Need A Budget): Centers its brand around customer interactions and feedback.
• Dick’s Sporting Goods: Enhances retail experiences by allowing customers to interact with products firsthand.
• Delta Airlines: Invests in customer-centric projects like rebuilding LaGuardia Airport to foster loyalty.
• Nike: Recently reintroduced high-impact storytelling to reconnect with their brand origins, moving away from an overemphasis on performance marketing.

Research Insights: "Return of Touch"

Heidi concludes by discussing the "Return of Touch" report, which underscores the consumer's desire for a blend of physical and digital interactions. The research suggests that:

• Consumers Control Their Omnichannel Experience: They actively seek and curate their interactions with brands across various channels.
• Desire for Physical Interactions: There is a significant craving for tactile experiences that digital media cannot fulfill.
• Psychological Needs Met by Physical Media: Physical interactions satisfy psychological needs for connection, surprise, and delight.

Heidi advises brands to remap the customer journey, integrating both physical and digital elements to meet consumer expectations comprehensively.

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Marcus highlighting the importance of resetting omnichannel strategies to incorporate authentic storytelling, as outlined in the "Return of Touch" report. He encourages listeners to access the full report via the show notes for a deeper understanding.

Notable Quotes

• Heidi Or Dusky: “Storytelling isn't so literal. It’s also how you’re behaving as a brand because that’s what consumers are picking up on the most.” (04:46)
• Jeremy Goldman: “You say I know who I am. And you puff out your chest and you're very confident. That's the kind of thing that you need to do as a brand if you want to attract attention.” (07:14)
• Heidi Or Dusky: “71% of the people surveyed feel that print is more authentic in terms of being able to connect with a brand than digital is.” (14:08)
• Heidi Or Dusky: “Packaging is that tactile form of experiencing a brand. It's telling me a story about your brand... It is quite literally that handshake because you’re holding it.” (20:23)

Final Thoughts

This episode of "Behind the Numbers" offers invaluable insights into the significance of authentic storytelling within omnichannel marketing. By blending physical and digital strategies, brands can foster genuine connections with consumers, enhancing loyalty and driving long-term success. For marketers, retailers, and advertisers looking to stay ahead in the evolving digital landscape, embracing these storytelling principles is essential.

Transcript

[Marcus]

In marketing, everything must work seamlessly or efficiency, speed and ROI all suffer. That's why Quad is obsessed with making sure your marketing machine runs smoothly with less friction and smarter integration. Better marketing is built on Quad. See how better gets [e-mail] BuildBetter hey, gang. It's Monday, July 28th. Jeremy, Heidi and listeners, welcome to behind the Numbers and Emarketer video podcast made possible by Quad. I'm Marcus, and today I'm joined by two people. Let's meet. And we start with our senior director of briefings. He lives in New York. We call him Jeremy Goldman.

[Jeremy Goldman]

Hello, Marcus. And happy National Milk Chocolate Day.

[Marcus]

Should have known this was coming, Heidi. Every time Jeremy's on, he surprises us with these non holidays.

[Jeremy Goldman]

It's real. Google it.

[Marcus]

How are you spending your free time? Chocolate. What's it called? Chocolate Milk Day.

[Jeremy Goldman]

Milk Chocolate Day.

[Marcus]

Oh, okay, I'll take that. That's way better. But what kind though, are we talking only Cadbury's is the right answer. Vice president of Brand marketing at Quad is joining us too. Living in New York as well. It's Heidi or Dusky. Welcome to the show.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Thanks for having me.

[Marcus]

Do you agree Cadbury's but not American Cab?

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Yeah, I mean, I feel like Cadbury's is superior. Am I allowed to say that? But I feel like we can't forget like a English Cadbury's.

[Marcus]

You know what I mean? Oh, sorry.

[Jeremy Goldman]

But it's English. Cadbury's is really great. Those A Claires are to die for.

[Marcus]

Well played, Jeremy. Heidi, that's okay. We'll try to pick it up from here to get to know Heidi a bit better. We have our speed intro first. Of course, this is where we get to know our guest, our external guest a little better, and our internal guest a little better as well. Two questions. First one is just for Heidi. Heidi, what do you do? In a sentence.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Ooh, that's a good one. I. I help people fall in love with Quad. That's an idea.

[Marcus]

That is good. I want to do that. I have to host the podcast. All right.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

It'll. It'll happen. It'll come.

[Marcus]

It's probably better that I don't help people fall in love with Quad, because I don't know what Quad does as well as you do. So do you want to explain to.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Folks what Quad does fall in love with your podcast? It's the same.

[Marcus]

I try.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

It's the same. Same thing behind the numbers. Quad solves really big, gnarly problems for marketers and makes their lives easier.

[Marcus]

Very nice. Second question for both of you. We'll start with Heidi. What? This is the real question. What are your top three favorite Disney films of all time? I asked this and then realized Disney can mean anything. I kind of meant cartoon.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Okay, good. Because I was like, I don't even know if I'm really that familiar with Disney catalog. Like, there's Pixar in there. There's streams.

[Marcus]

Could have gone anywhere.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

I don't know.

[Marcus]

Yeah.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Top three. Okay. Top three animated films. I think for me, like, I don't. I don't have kids, and my nephews were more like Lego Kids. Right? But if I think about animated films, for me, it's sort of what I loved and grew up with. So, like, I loved Aladdin when it came out. I thought that was, like, so revolutionary. With Robin Williams, I was like, oh, my God, Love Kung Fu Panda. I love that movie.

[Marcus]

Oh, curveball.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Was that 78 million times? I don't think that was Disney.

[Marcus]

58 million.

[Jeremy Goldman]

But comes the thought that was Streamworks. Okay.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

I think. But we can't just say Disney, because I don't know.

[Jeremy Goldman]

Okay?

[Marcus]

That's.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Disney owns everything now, so we don't know. And then I really loved the Incredibles. I thought, like, all three of those sort of represent a shift in what an animated movie means. And I thought the Incredibles was really just. It was so amazing and brilliant.

[Marcus]

I watched the first one with my sister, and then I accidentally watched the second one without her. She didn't talk to me for a year. That's half of a true story. Jeremy, what'd you have for us?

[Jeremy Goldman]

Snow White. I agree with the Incredibles, but I think the best one was the animated, not the recent one. Lilo and Stitch. It's really good.

[Marcus]

It's a good one. Okay.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

It's lovely.

[Marcus]

I've got completely different ones. I went Toy Story. Oh, nice. Robin Hood. Tell me you've seen Robin. I don't think I've seen one. It's so good. And the Sword and the Stone.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

I love this so much.

[Jeremy Goldman]

That's actually a pretty good one.

[Marcus]

I feel like a solid list.

[Jeremy Goldman]

Deep cut. No pun intended.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

That is a deep cut.

[Marcus]

Anyway, today's real topic, the missing link in Omnichannel. Authentic brand storytelling. So we're talking about authentic brand storytelling. So we'll start with a question about that makes sense. Heidi, what does authentic storytelling look like in practice? And I picked Disney, which are. Was it a lifetime of stories? Is their slogan. Didn't even mean to do that. Well played, Marcus. But, yes, authentic storytelling. Not the Disney version. What do you think that looks like in practice?

[Heidi Or Dusky]

I think that's a really important qualifier at the end of your question. You know, in practice. Right. I think we all know what authentic storytelling should. Should look like when it comes to brands. You know, like, what's really true for your brand. But I think in practice, it's about, how are you behaving? I think storytelling isn't so literal. I think sometimes people think like, what's my campaign? Or it's my mission video, or it's my manifesto, or it's literally the words that I write. But it's also, how are you behaving as a brand? Because that's what consumers are picking up on the most.

[Marcus]

Yeah. I liked as well that we spoke before this episode, and one of the things that was mentioned was that you should tell the same story no matter where it shows up. And I think a lot of people forget that. Talk to us a bit about how important that piece is.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

That's an incredibly important piece. I think consumers have incredible, like, BS detectors. Right. So if you're not being consistent with your story in multiple places, then they're not going to believe you. Like, that's inauthentic. Right. When you think about people like, what makes someone authentic, it's because they're true to who they are in most situations that you see them in. The same thing is with brands. Like, if you're showing up and you're telling me one thing and you're behaving another way, even if it's just a few times, it starts to erode that trust. People don't sort of believe in what you're doing. And brands, it happens all of the time. Where consumers will start to call you out. They love it. It's actually one of their favorite hobbies is to call out brands. So I think that consistency is incredibly important. And it's really important for brands to make sure they're asking themselves, what does this look like? And feel like? Every time I'm interacting with my consumer, no matter how small the interaction is.

[Jeremy Goldman]

You know, and there's obviously, there's data, because you. Marketer, we love data, you know, that supports this. That shows obviously, if you keep on investing in the exact same attributes, then consumers get attracted to you. You know, like, it doesn't.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

It's.

[Jeremy Goldman]

It's just something that naturally, if you think about it, like you go on a first date, right? And, you know, which I do not do for the last 19 years. So basically you. You say, I know who I Am. And you. You, like, puff out your chest and you're very confident, and, you know, that's charismatic. That's the kind of thing that you need to do as a brand if you want to attract attention.

[Marcus]

Mm. I guess also feels like if you're telling a different story in multiple places, it might as well just be different companies, completely different stories, because the consumers aren't going to make the connection by themselves.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

And that's not to say you can't customize the story based on the channel that you're appearing in. Right. You also don't want to be, like, boring. You know, you want to be curious and imaginative and, you know, all of these things. So, like, you want to be able to tailor that story. Otherwise, like, that's inauthentic as well. You're like, oh, my God, they just keep saying the same thing over and over again. So, like, you want to make sure you're bringing different layers to your storytelling. But that's. That's really important is just the consistency. And I think we're seeing today brands who have perhaps taken a little bit of misstep. And you. You see what happens when. When they do that.

[Marcus]

Yeah. Heidi Quad takes the position that storytelling. I think I agreed. Storytelling does done right. Turns customers into a community. And brands need to design experiences. People part of the story. Any best in class examples jump out to you. What is bringing customers in and making them part of the story look like?

[Heidi Or Dusky]

I think that means a couple of different things. I think there are brands who do that, literally. Brands who make actual customers and testimonials and all of those different things, like, part of their brand. I think there's a lot of Chick Fil. A sort of comes to mind. It's like the center of their campaigns where they're bringing people in and they're telling real stories. I think that's a good one. Ynab is a brand that I personally love. It's sort of like a smaller budgeting tool. And, like, customers are at the center of everything that they do. Like, that whole brand is built around responding to customer queries. They have a great Facebook page. So, like, the customers really feed the brand. But I think it's also things like, you know, Dick's Sporting Goods with their new house of sport retail experiences. Right. Like, they believe, oh, hey, in order to buy sports equipment, you probably want to try it out and play with it first. Right. Nova Lua.

[Marcus]

Yeah.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

They've taken that responsibility on as a retailer and as a brand to say, you know what we're just going to make this happen. And I think we all remember Dick's back in the Alden days. Like that's not, that's not what that brand was. So I think today they're really taking that step to do that. And I think Delta is also a great example. Like I'm a Delta Stan. You know, we're in New York and I think there's a reason why they just spent like a kajillion dollars essentially rebuilding LaGuardia because it is an important embrace of bringing those customers in. It's that behavior of like we're creating a really deep value exchange here. Thank you for being a customer. In return, here's all the things we're going to give you. And so you feel like you are part of that brand story, even if it's not like literal by literal testimonial.

[Marcus]

It feels like a direct investment in the customer. Especially that Delta one.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Correct.

[Marcus]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Goldman]

By the way, those are great examples. And I think that to me, like what I take from that is that there's so many different ways that you can do this. It does, it's not like a you must do it in this exact way if you want to bring your customers in. There are plenty of brands also that you know, essentially from a social listening standpoint and from a customer care standpoint where they're constantly getting ideas and building those into the brand and making people feel like that was my idea, like Delta, listen to me, you know, and then you have a sense of investors investment on a personal level with that brand's success.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Exactly. I've been thinking a lot about Nike lately. So you know, Nike ran its first super bowl commercial in like I don't know, 25 plus years earlier this year. And I thought what was really interesting is the CMO sort of came out and was talking to a lot of the trade pubs about part of the reason that they did that was because they had gotten away from their brand storytelling. And it was showing in the stock price, it was showing in business performance. They sort of over indexed on performance marketing. And she gave this great quote, I think it was to Fast Company, which is like, I want people to remember that we're in support of athletes, not just algorithms. Which I thought was really key of like when you. Because I guarantee you they were probably like, we're Nike. We've spent decades building this brand. Like what's the deal? Like we can go a whole hog on digital marketing, performance marketing, but when you don't take the time to keep your foot on the gas a little bit. People became disconnected from the Nike stories. Sales start to suffer, and so now they're getting back to their brand origins, which is a really interesting.

[Jeremy Goldman]

Marcus, I actually think that. Curious what you think, but, I mean, I think that this is a very important message to happen at a time where, you know, we're talking during earnings season and a lot of the results of tariffs and uncertainty are kind of coming in. And there are. I think there are a lot of people and agencies and brands I've spoken to who are maybe over indexing too much in performance and cutting some other things that are going to come back to bite them in the long term, you know, so this is an important message, especially like at a point in time like this.

[Marcus]

Yeah, yeah. You can't assume that people are just going to stick around because they have before. You got to keep watering the plants. And I think about that with people who listen to the show. Just because you have a few people who start to listen to the show doesn't mean you might not have some people who stop listening to the show. And so it's always a net net. You know, how many customers did you. Did you keep and did you add. How many people did you still listening and new listeners did you get? And I think that sometimes people forget that. You have to make sure that people are reminded, especially today reminded of what you stand for and your brand messaging.

[Jeremy Goldman]

We need an omnichannel campaign for the podcast. Marcus, you know, if Stuart, who leads the team, is listening, I mean, I really think, like, print out of home, you know, the whole shebang. Right. I mean, I'm pretty sure it works.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

I think it does, too.

[Marcus]

Yeah. As long as it's not my face on a billboard. Yeah. Although our marketing budget, I've been told that our next event, which I will be at in September, the Future of Digital 2026 and beyond, I'll be there. And I was told that I have to wear a sandwich board. I kind of want to wear one, but I will be there walking around with a sandwich board. So if you see me, come say hi. We're talking about authenticity. And that word was a word that is kind of made an appearance multiple times in your new research that you've done with the Harris poll and with the. It was brought up on a number of fronts, but one of them was looking at the level of. Level of authenticity between print versus digital. Heidi, what did you guys find?

[Heidi Or Dusky]

So the research was really intended to get a pulse on where consumers are at today in terms of Their omnichannel experience. We didn't ask them that literal question, like, what do you think about omnichannel experience? That's no fun. But in terms of how they want to connect with brands and what they feel is authentic, how they feel about digital specifically, and sort of what we're finding is, you know, I think digital, It's a very 2D experience. You know, I think consumers know that it's a necessary part of their lives. Like I think we all agree it is sort of a functional mandate. It has changed the way we live and communicate. But I think what we're finding is it's also kind of there's something missing when it comes to digital in terms of like this craving for in real life experiences. When we started asking specifically about different types of media, consumers started coming back and telling us. I think our, our one of the great stats in there is, you know, 71% of the people surveyed feel that print is more authentic in terms of being able to connect with a brand than digital is. You know, we're not necessarily saying like, do you hate digital? Like that wasn't really the point, but it was about, you know, how are you connecting with brands? What sparks that interest. And I think some really interesting words popped in that just besides the, that print helps the me feel more authentically connected to a brand. There were a lot of words like the online shopping experience is missing. Some of the magic that an in store shopping experience is missing. They talked about wanting to be surprised a little bit more by brands via mail and things like that. And I thought that those were two really interesting words like magic and surprise. And it goes back to that desire to be delighted.

[Jeremy Goldman]

There was one piece of data, Marcus, by the way, that I saw from your research that I really liked and I thought was very interesting interest in print media and tactile experience in general. So for print magazines, for instance, adults, 48% to have interest. But for Gen Z And millennials, it's 63%. And you kind of see this in a lot of the data where, you know, like younger consumers who are going to consume for longer because they will live longer, they care more about print in part, I think because of digital saturation. Right. There's just so much digital, you're like, ah, an out of home, you know, billboard or a print ad. Like it's just like a nice refreshing change of pace, you know, based off of the way that we live these days.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Agreed. And I think what was interesting about that, when we saw the younger generation starting to come through. Because I think maybe part of our concern was, like, this is just gonna be a bunch of boomer nostalgia. Right? Like, be like, I love my catalogs. But I think when we saw those younger generations really coming through, what it says to us is, like, this isn't about nostalgia, because, like, these younger generations simply don't have the experiences to want to go back to the way something was. But what they're telling us is, like, I have a real psychological need as a human being for tactile experiences. And, wow, this is really additive to my experience when I'm out in a retail environment or when things are happening. I mean, just look at the Amazon toy catalog. People love that thing. Love that thing. People get mad that they don't get it. I don't get it. I get mad. But, like, I think it just goes to show it's all part of it. And that's what consumers are clamoring for. They're asking for brands to give it to them.

[Marcus]

Yeah, we thought just because it was an old medium, that people wouldn't want it. We kind of consigned print to the dustbin of history, maybe a bit prematurely, just because something new and shiny came along, but it still works. And I was reading a piece by Heather Rose Artouche in Psychology Today, and she was talking more about books, but she was talking about books in the sense of print versus digital ebooks. And she was saying, some research comprehension is six to eight times better with physical books than E readers. And then she went on to explain kind of why that might be. She was saying that print is experienced in the body. She was saying, obviously, you're turning the pages, which is something that people reference a lot with books and wanting to read print books versus ebooks. But she was saying, you're also carrying the book. You're highlighting your favorite passages. You're positioning your body in a certain way when you're reading. And also research is saying, when you're turning the pages, we create an index in the brain that maps what we read visually to a particular page. So you're helping with information retention.

[Jeremy Goldman]

We were talking a little bit about this before we started recording. By the way, Markus, I hope you were reading the actual print magazine and not the website. So not to embarrass you, but the other key thing about this, you know, is that, yeah, I have clients that, you know, tell me all the time that they actually print out the PDFs of articles and reports and then highlight them, you know, because it is better for their retention and this is like a known human phenomenon, so it makes perfect sense.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

It's sort of my new fascination. I go on YouTube and I watch videos of people writing in notebooks. It sounds more fun than I actually like, or it is more fun than it sounds, but there are people who are online. Online, like on YouTube, teaching you how to really use analog note taking to your benefit, to retain more information, to. To learn better, to stay more organized. It's. It's. It's been super fascinating.

[Marcus]

Yeah. There's also a social component to it, which she was talking about in the piece, saying that you're perusing the shelves in a bookstore, you're asking your local librarian for recommendations, you're passing along a copy of your favorite book to a friend. And she was saying digital bypasses opportunities for connection, which I thought was interesting.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Yeah. There's a curiosity to it, I think, that is really important. I think if you think of the way we used to digest marketing, it's like I'm watching TV because I'm being entertained, and oh, my God, a commercial comes on and isn't that delightful? But my phone, that screen is serving many different purposes. Like, it's not just entertainment, it's also utility. It's real function. Like, everything is on that thing. Can my brain really separate between the types of experiences I'm having in order to receive the right message? So. And I think that's what physical offers.

[Marcus]

Yeah.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

And the smell of books.

[Marcus]

Oh, it's the best part. Speaking about the physical, you had a line said packaging isn't just packaging, it's a brand's handshake. Packaging, obviously a very physical component of a company. Expand on this if you would, Heidi.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Packaging is really, again, that tactile form of experiencing a brand. Like, it really is that representation of what a brand is. Very rarely are you making human contact with the brand. Like, I don't really. You know, there's not a lot of ways that that's happening. But when I'm experiencing the packaging, it's telling me a story, going back to that storytelling thing. It's telling me a story about your brand. It's telling me how you want me to experience your brand. And it is quite literally that handshake because you're. You're holding it. And it's a very important representation of who you are.

[Jeremy Goldman]

And often a first impression. Right. Because you know, you might be getting a product for the first time and you know that a whole unbox boxing experience, there's a reason why that those things have gone viral. You Know, even though they're digital videos and not print. Boo. But, like, they're talking about something that's tactile and physical. And I think that that, that should, you know, tell a lot of us, like, how important it is, like, to actually touch things. And going back to the dating analogy, you know, you're going to show up for a first date, you know, you want you to be, like, in a nice outfit, right? You're not going to show up like a schlump, basically, you know, New Yorker word. You want to look, like, very, like, presentable. Because if not, then you're setting the wrong tone for the whole entire experience.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Like a cold, clammy handshake instead of a nice, warm one.

[Marcus]

Yeah, yeah. You want to bring. You want to bring that experience to life. And that's. That's why this podcast got started, actually, was because we wanted to humanize the brand. We're a research company, so people interacted us with a website, maybe a salesperson, and we wanted to be like, there are a bunch of folks back here with brilliant minds and personalities and senses of humor, and we'd love for you to meet them and that to be your gateway, your doorway into the home of emarketer, so to speak. So, yeah, any way you can bring that to life, whether it's with packaging or really anything, there's that first impression. It really matters. Well, Heidi, to close out the episode, I want to circle back to the title of the episode which we were discussing, which was the missing link in Omnichannel. Tell us what that means to you and to Quad and how you're thinking about that concept.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

I think the research is really a directive to brands to really go back and remap that customer journey. Like, what does Omnichannel really mean to you? And I think what's so interesting about this research is consumers are telling us that they're in control of their Omnichannel experience. They're actually seeking out these experiences. I think with the proliferation of digital over the last two decades, I think we've leaned so heavily into that. And it's just been very easy to target consumers, like, 247 all the time as soon as they open their phone. And I think what they're telling us is, like, that's too much for me. I actually want less time with this device, not in a bad way. And I'm asking brands to surprise me through the mail. I'm asking for better retail experiences. I'm asking for a blend of physical and digital. Right. This isn't an either or, it's an and. And so I think for brands that missing link essentially is perhaps you sort of ignoring what your customer wants. You know, I think we've seen, you know, amongst our own clients kind of that return maybe to physical media or testing some solutions or trying to figure out like what's happening at the household level where I can really make sure that I'm giving them the right thing. So I think the missing link is really how brands define it, but I think it's also what the consumer is telling us is that it's not as complete. And for brands who make it complete for me, I will happily stay connected and loyal to you. So I think it's really a good directive and something to listen to from a consumer behavior standpoint.

[Marcus]

An excellent note to end on the full report. The research we reciting, it's called the Return of Touch is the report and the link is in the show notes. If you want to get that for free. That's all we have time for for today's episode. Thank you so much to my guests for hanging out with me today. Thank you. First to Heidi, thank you so much.

[Heidi Or Dusky]

Thank you guys for having me. It's a ton of fun and I love Milk Chocolate day. I love it. I'm going to go eat English Cadbury.

[Marcus]

Yes, she's back. I knew you'd come around, Jeremy. Thank you to you, sir.

[Jeremy Goldman]

As always, this is a high touch experience.

[Marcus]

We try. Thanks to the whole editing crew and to everyone for listening in to behind the Numbers in the Market video podcast made possible by Quad. Subscribe if you would like. Follow us if the mood takes you and leave a racing review if you can, tune in Wednesday to hear our unofficial Top eight Most Interesting Retailers of the Month list for July on our reimagining retail show.