Annemarie Melzer: Do we love brands – or do we consume love?

Why do people seek emotional connections with brands? Why do some brands feel almost like relationships? And what does our consumer behavior reveal about our longings?

In this episode, Jonathan speaks with science manager and author Annemarie Melzer about the surprising connection between love, consumption, and brands.
The discussion begins with a fascinating insight from the “Here and Now Survey 2026”—a new annual industry barometer launched in February by Live Lab to track the evolution of live communication within organizations.
For two-thirds of the companies surveyed, the greatest strength of events lies in creating emotional connections. But what exactly does that mean? Why do people want to feel connected to brands? And why are products, experiences, and events often about much more than just what we buy or consume?

Together, Jonathan and Annemarie explore how closely love, consumption, and brands are intertwined. It’s about longing, belonging, identity, and the question of why some brands function almost like relationships. And, of course, it’s about the role live experiences play when brands need to become not just visible, but tangible.

Guest: Annemarie Melzer

Dr. Annemarie Melzer studied in Bayreuth, Hobart, and Frankfurt and earned her doctorate as part of the Volkswagen Foundation’s “Aesthetics of Consumption” research network. In her dissertation “Love and Consumption: Aesthetics and Poetics of a Connection in Modern and Postmodern Novels,” she examines the cultural and social connections between consumption and love – thereby offering an unusual perspective on one of the central questions of modern brand management.

Links

Books: Vier Äpfel – David Wagner and Gut gegen Nordwind – Daniel Glattauer