Brand Attachment Strategy: Why PR Matters More Than Ever

Why PR is the key to driving genuine connection with audiences

Brand loyalty is at an all-time low. Recent studies show that up to 75% of brands could disappear tomorrow and most people wouldn’t care, because they can easily replace them so brands that maintain meaningful emotional connection will be the ones that build a genuine audience with long term value. 

Brand loyalty is declining.

Consumer behaviour is shifting fast with the cost-of-living pressure meaning people are trading down to cheaper alternatives, trying out new brands on promotion, not to mention the rise of agile challenger brands muscling in on awareness scales against legacy brands. 

Yet legacy brands can still win. Look at LEGO: product innovation, bold collaborations and strategic communications continue to grow its market share. 

How PR rebuilds emotional connection

For brands looking at LTV and supercharging emotional value PR is no longer just a support channel, it’s the attention-grabbing, connection-creating superpower that can reposition a brand, spark cultural relevance, and earn talkability. 

Research from Équité predicts up to 50% of today’s brands will vanish by 2030 due to poor brand storytelling. Without a unique, authentic narrative, value evaporates whereas the right PR strategy creates:

• cultural conversation
• relevance
• engaging storytelling
• community advocacy

When PR hits right, everyone hears about it, even your nan!

Understanding Brand Attachment

Brand attachment goes deeper than loyalty. It’s rooted in psychology, inspired by the attachment theory developed by psychologist Bowlby. Brand attachment suggests people can build emotional connections or attachments with brands and when they do there are a number of benefits to the brand.

• They defend a brand when something goes wrong
• They will actively reject alternatives
• They are happy to advocate publicly
• They will join the brand’s community
• And crucially they will spend more with the brand, favouring NPD and long term favourites. 

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There are three types of Brand Attachment and PR strategies can unlock all three.

1. Sense-of-Self Attachment

This is about identity and signalling. Brands like Nike and Apple thrive here. They help us express who we are and who we want to be.

A recent brand campaign example is Lululemon’s “Dupe Swap”
Seeing the rise online of dupe leggings, LuluLemon decided to own the narrative and reclaim their brand status by inviting women to trade imitation leggings for authentic ones.
The results saw:

• 50% of attendees were new customers
• Half were under 30

And most importantly the brand signalled accessibility and relevance, building prestige, community and future purchase intent.

2. Connection & Autonomy Attachment (CAA)

This brand attachment type shows that people want brands that reflect their values and leans into deeper emotional needs like;

• sustainability
• inclusivity
• wellbeing
• community
• transparency

An example of a brand that does this in spades is our client Wild Nutrition
By building community through shared stories, expert content and product development shaped by real needs, the brand has:

• grown subscriptions year-on-year
• improved loyalty
• woven their brand story into PR, campaigns and events

The results mean women have built an emotion belonging to the brand that this belonging builds revenue.

3. Connection & Prominence Attachment (CPA)

This type is all about nostalgia and the memory-based attachment to better times.

Marc Jacobs x Alicia Silverstone partnership is a super example of how this type of attachment can be brought to life.
By channelling 90s nostalgia Marc Jacobs tapped into customers now in their late 30s with higher spending power as they reminiscent about their teenage wants which reignited emotional desire for the brand. The combination of nostalgia + disposable income = cultural relevance. 

Why PR is perfect for brand attachment

PR is the emotional infrastructure brands can leverage to build attachment with their customers. It,  

• amplify identity
• elevates values
• can spark nostalgia
• fuel community
• validate culture
• and overall it shapes narrative for other channels like search and social

How brands can leverage attachment through PR

For brands looking to increase their emotional resonance with customers, thinking about your brands attachment story will make it harder for someone to swap brands or walk away.

To compete, brands must:

• create memorable stories
• listen to their audience
• show values meaningfully
• co-create product and content
• surface expert voices

Asking the following questions will give the ability to step back and review your brand through the eyes of brand attachment:

1. Which attachment style are we focused on?
   Is it consistent, relevant and does it feel fresh?
2. Are we truly listening?
   What do consumers need to see and what are we doing about it?
3. Are we co-creating?
   Are customers shaping our story, not just consuming it?

The future of brand connection

The power of brand attachment belongs to those who can evolve their story as gracefully as human attachment itself. In 2026, PR is not optional, it’s foundational. 

Want to work with a consumer PR agency in London that understands audience behaviour, brand attachment and performance-driven storytelling? Contact Bound to Prosper and let’s build your next wave of growth.

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