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A brand is about what the buyer thinks of you, how they feel about you. Not what you want them to think and feel, but what they actually feel.
Trust doesn't come from clarity—it comes from connection. In branding, the only way to earn that trust is by making people feel something real. Emotional resonance is the goal, and creativity is how to get there.
Darren Fanton is the CEO and Co-Founder of ScreenSpace, a platform that helps companies create interactive, emotionally resonant content. We sat down to talk about how, when it comes to branding, feelings trump features.
Emotion builds trust: "A brand is about what the buyer thinks of you, how they feel about you. Not what you want them to think and feel—what they actually feel," says Fanton.
Attempts to control perception typically come across as inauthentic. Trust isn't declared, it's earned through emotional resonance.
"It's really hard to get someone to trust and believe in your brand and your product," Fanton says. "There's so much noise out there and so little trust." In a saturated market, emotional connection is what cuts through.
All the feels: Technical product details don't stick. What stays with an audience is the emotional impression—the feeling the brand leaves behind.
"That's the feeling that they're always going to feel when they think of your brand," says Fanton. "And if you do it right, when they think of the feeling, they'll think of your brand."
It's not the spec sheet that makes an impact. It's the moment someone feels seen, understood, or inspired that turns a one-time interaction into a lasting impression.
"It's about creating content that drives emotion."
You have to say the same story over and over and over. But if you say it in the same format, it’s going to get boring.
Being in the moment: To capture the right emotions, Fanton puts himself in the audience's shoes. "It's about visualizing a world that solves all the problems that they face in a day, and what's keeping them up at night," he explains.
Showcasing those pain points in content allows brands to form lasting emotional connections with their product as the solution. "That's what good storytelling is. It allows your audience to actually picture themselves in that moment," says Fanton.
Keeping it real: A brand isn't just a message on a website, it's every single touchpoint—including face-to-face.
"In person, I never talk about my product unless someone asks," admits Fanton. "I talk about their problem and how they're framing it, and what ideas they've tried."
By keeping the conversation human and emotion-driven, Fanton builds relationships that then extend to his business. "Now they see ScreenSpace as a friend, as something that's there to help them. Not as a tool that costs money," he says.
Reshape and repeat: "You have to say the same story over and over and over. But if you say it in the same format, it's going to get boring." According to Fanton, creatively reshaping the brand story is what keeps it resonant.
"It takes six or seven repetitions before it actually gets implanted in their brain," says Fanton. "When you say the same thing in a different format, that's fresh, that's different."
