From noticed to genuinely desired
Brands used to count reach and impressions and call that success. A recent industry discussion co-hosted by Havas at the Cannes Lions ecosystem turned that thinking on its head, arguing that the most durable commercial advantage is not visibility but desire. Reporting by Melissa Ward for Adweek summarises a wide-ranging conversation where senior marketers and behavioural scientists traced how desire is earned, measured and weaponised in a world shaped by algorithms and AI.
Boldness, signal and the mechanics of attraction
Havas Creative’s Mark Sinnock made the blunt point: brands that become desirable take unapologetic positions and project confidence. That is not mere theatrics but a deliberate signal that reduces consumer friction and creates a social magnetism. Pantone’s Nicole Meier underlined how identity cues such as colour and visual signal remain core to that project, helping brands communicate their intent quickly and memorably.
From a behavioural perspective, Mindscope founder Lea Karam offered a useful reframe: the brain is primarily a prediction engine, not a deliberation engine. Habit loops and predictable choice architectures therefore matter more than many marketers admit. In plain terms, brands that design repeatable rituals and cues around their products, whether through colour, packaging or cadence, are more likely to sit in consumers’ automatic decision pathways.
Affinity and authenticity in an age of machine search
The panel also signalled a shift in who controls the first moment of truth. ViiV’s Maggie Czarnogorski warned that patients and consumers increasingly arrive with information curated by internet searches and, increasingly, by large language models. In that environment, brands cannot rely solely on clinician or retailer gatekeepers; they must teach the new gatekeepers how to discuss their products.
Joanna Lawrence of Havas Media Network framed this as a broader change in verification and intent: as audiences rely on different agents to screen information, brand desire becomes a proxy for trust. Tyler Denk of beehiiv added that founder-led storytelling and transparent leadership can accelerate that trust, giving consumers a clearer sense of who is behind decisions and why they should care.
Why metrics must evolve
Perhaps the most consequential discussion was about measurement. TIM Brazil’s Marcos Lacerda described an early-stage programme to read sentiment across channels and evaluate how live experiences alter subsequent conversation. Mirko Mueller-Goolsbey of SAS has retooled his framework away from a narrow pipeline view to three pillars – reach, relationship and revenue – reflecting that desirability operates across time and touchpoints.
This is not merely semantics. If desire is to be treated as a commercial lever, metrics and attribution must capture emotional affordances, repeat behaviour and the long tail of recommendations. That requires new data sources, closer cross-functional alignment and a willingness to accept ambiguity in short-term ROI while building longer-term equity.
Practical takeaways for Irish marketers
- Do less that is bland and more that signals: decisive creative choices create clearer affinity.
- Design for habit: consider colour, cadence and ritual as functional parts of the product experience.
- Prepare for agentic discovery: teach the AI models and platforms that surface product information so they represent your proposition accurately.
- Measure differently: complement reach metrics with relationship indicators and repeat behaviour to capture desirability.
For Irish brands, the conclusion is straightforward. In a crowded market where attention is fragmented, safe sameness is a liability. The firms that will win are those that take visible positions, build predictable rituals around product use, and overhaul measurement to value relationship as much as reach. The prize is not just more clicks but higher-priced loyalty and defensible margins.
This piece is based on reporting by Melissa Ward for Adweek and the panel hosted by Havas. Additional context referenced from Pantone and Havas.
