Many brands have the wrong idea about why they are losing market share I used to
By Mikeblack · May 12, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Many brands have the wrong idea about why they are losing market share
I used to think share loss was mostly a 4 Ps problem: product, price, promotion and placement
Sometimes it is.
But after months of analyzing brands through cultural resonance, I keep seeing a different pattern:
Brands are failing to emotionally connect with the young Gen Z and Millennial growth segments they need most.
The feedback is specific:
The brand doesn’t feel trusted.
The brand doesn’t feel authentic.
The brand isn't aligned with the values people care about.
The brand isn’t creating lasting memories through advertising, product or experience.
The root cause is how many brands view consumers.
Too often, consumers are defined by category behavior:
heavy buyers, light buyers, lapsed users, frequent shoppers high-value households.
But that's incomplete.
Consumers don’t wake up thinking, “I’m a frequent yogurt buyer.”
They see themselves through hopes, fears, ambitions, values, communities and passions.
They are parents
Fans
Travelers
Creators
Caretakers
Builders
People trying to become someone
The brands they truly love fit into that story and progress their self-realization journey.
Current measurement is failing to surface this opportunity.
Yes, brands can measure sales, share, impressions, traffic, conversion and even brand love.
But many still lack a way to measure their Share of Consumer Identity.
Share of:
The 42-year old soccer mom raising her kids sustainably
The 25 year-old woman who wants brands to help shape a better future
The 17-year son of Mexican immigrants who wants to feel seen without being stereotyped
These aren’t soft, touchy-feely metrics; they’re concrete, growth metrics.
My advice:
1️⃣ Challenge your measurement lens.
Are you only measuring category behavior, or are you measuring emotional relevance and identity?
2️⃣ Identify the consumer identities driving growth.
Know which ones you win, which ones competitors win and which ones you need to prioritize against your right to win.
3️⃣ Build playbooks around humans, not just categories.
Translate passions, values, tensions and cultural cues into sharper messaging, experiences and products. And do it faster with #AI-technology embedded into these workflows so it's habit, not a nice to do when you have time.
The brands that win won’t just be better at mastering the 4Ps.
They’ll be better at understanding the human stories their consumers are trying to live and how to better fit in.
That is why Cultural Intelligence is so essential. It's the foundation and amplifier of a brand's 4P excellence.