How do you create an algorithm-proof product description? By making moments so meaningful that when customer demand returns, the product does too, without algorithmic help. I call it grateful generosity.
In a marketing world increasingly powered by AI, personalization engines and predictive systems, it’s tempting to believe that relevance can be established entirely through data.
But the brands people default to, the ones they don’t want, compare or ask AI to recommend, are made up of small, generous product actions. Listed types are good things to have in a spreadsheet because they don’t drive fast conversions. But what is overlooked is how they are quietly eliminating recycling by locking in product choice.
AI can help brands get found, but it can’t make them remembered.
A cookie that outlived the campaign
I once stayed at a DoubleTree hotel about 20 years ago. Of all the details of that trip, I remember only one thing with incredible clarity: I was served a warm, really delicious chocolate chip cookie upon check-in.
That cookie was not part of a loyalty program. It did not open the discount. It is not personalized or tracked. It was an unexpected act of acceptance.
From a financial perspective, it’s easy to imagine that the cookie budget is being cut. It has a cost unit and does not appear in attribute reports. There is no measurable ROI. Finishing the cookie will prove Oscar Wilde’s famous quote: knowing “the cost of everything and the value of nothing.”
Because decades later, that cookie still brings that product back to me in a meaningful way. Not because it was smart. It’s because it made me feel taken care of when I was a customer. Today, no algorithm can justify it. That would be disastrous for product value.
Dig deep: How to prove product marketing value without sacrificing ROI
Generosity that stays with you
If the DoubleTree cookie proves that small touches create a lasting emotional memory, the ButcherBox example shows something equally important: giving doesn’t have to be emotional to be meaningful.
After placing an order with ButcherBox, I received a nice card from the CEO. Included was a 5-by-7-inch refrigerator magnet detailing the recommended serving temperatures for every type of meat you’ll ever cook. It was poorly written. No call to action or QR code. Just a handy reference, thoughtfully designed. Now it lives in my fridge.
Every time I cook meat, the ButcherBox quietly re-enters my life, not through advertisement or procrastination, but through utility. From a practical point of view, this seems unreasonable. It does not reach views or improve click-through rates. It sits outside the server, inbox and dashboard.
But that’s why it works. It’s there at the time of use, reduces uncertainty and makes me better at something I care about. By doing so, it creates a simple, powerful thought: “I’ll use these guys again.”
AI is at the forefront of helping customers decide. Appreciative giving negates the need to decide again.
Dig deep: Brand trust is the most important asset your company has
Show up when it matters most
The strongest examples of brand generosity tend to emerge when the metrics are weakest and the definition is strongest.
Chewy is well known for sending handwritten condolence cards, flowers or small gifts to customers after learning that a pet has died. These actions are human responses to grief.
From an ROI perspective, this is indefensible. There is no conversion event bound to loss, no logical attribute window and no optimization loop that makes this logical. However, customers never forget you.
AI can recognize emotions, flag a life event and recommend the best next action. All he can do is decide to care. Customers can find that difference.
Chewy doesn’t just sell pets. In times like these, it proves what kind of company it is. That testimonial trumps any promotion, recommendation or reminder email.
Dig deep: Loyalty never ends. Brands trade on it.
What CMOs get wrong about philanthropy
Most CMOs have misclassified giving. Acts of generosity are labeled as customer experience enhancements. When budgets are tight or AI promises efficiency, those times are easier to cut. Structured this way, philanthropy is forced to compete with performance marketing and martech investments. It rarely succeeds.
To correct this misconception, don’t be emotionally defensive. Think about it from a different strategic perspective.
- Stop treating charity like a campaign. Campaigns are designed to get attention. Generosity is designed to be remembered.
- Change the analysis question. Instead of asking, “What does this change?” ask, “Will this help to end the future decision against us?” The most important brand acts quietly to remove competitors from consideration the next time the need arises.
- Design giving by presence, not scale. The most effective acts of giving often reside in the customer’s process or location, not their feed. They gain their value over time.
- Avoid developing early giving. AI is very good at measuring performance. Bad for predicting memory. If an act of generosity should manifest itself immediately, it will fail by definition. These sessions should be treated as basic product infrastructure, not operational assets.
For CMOs who want to apply this thinking, start here:
- What is the moment in our customer journey that the finance team can minimize, but the customer can remember for years?
- Does this action reduce anxiety, effort or uncertainty at a critical time, even if it does not promote immediate change?
- If this disappeared tomorrow, would customers be happy or just our CFOs?
If you can’t answer these questions, AI won’t fix the problem.
Dig deep: Getting noticed gets you attention, but honesty drives results
The real danger in the age of AI
The real danger for brands in the AI era is how easily AI allows for the removal of anything that can’t be quickly justified, easily calculated or done well. This kind of efficiency produces moments that create trust, memory and meaning.
The strongest brands will use AI at its best while fiercely protecting the small, generous acts that humanize it. If those times are done right, customers don’t need help deciding. They already know who they are returning to.
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