Proliferating messaging and branding are burning out consumers. Across TikTok and other platforms, tales abound of consumers peeling off their product labels or putting product in unbranded containers. Every day in every way, we’re assaulted with a branding barrage that feels ever-more overwhelming.

Wise product manufacturers will tune into this trend and work to create customer-service oriented ways to lessen the branding burden.

A 2025 emarketer.com article addresses the burnout in advertising and cites storytelling as a way to compensate for some of the bombardment: “Marketers lean into storytelling over branded content to combat ad fatigue…Marketers are increasingly concerned about reaching the consumers who avoid them. 41% say ad avoidance or ad blindness is a major area of concern, up from 29% in 2022, according to a November 2024 Mediaocean survey…‘I’m finding that in the storytelling space we’re in, [marketers] are less inclined to want their brand all over the place,’ said Jen Westphal, founder and CEO of Wavelength, which has produced content for clients including Lululemon and Hoka. ‘[Entertainment is] a fun space for brands to be a little more creative in how their products impact people’s lives in a good way.’”

Besides sheer volume, bombardment is becoming more dense within branding elements themselves. A recent Reader’s Digest article notes: “Did you know these logos have hidden messages?…Whether or not we realize it, we’re surrounded by logos everywhere we go, including in our own homes. In fact, some marketing experts estimate that we see as many as 5,000 advertisements – including logos – each day. This means that we’re essentially being bombarded with messaging from brands, corporations, and organizations everywhere we look.” 

The article continues, “But a well-designed logo can do more than identify a company or brand: It’s also an opportunity to communicate something to consumers. One popular way to do this is by incorporating hidden messages in logos…Adding a hidden message or symbol to a brand’s logo can add layers that not only make it more unique but also incredibly memorable – especially once you ‘figure out’ the logo’s secret meaning. ‘Like solving a problem or puzzle, we will remember this about the logo and brand, which increases our perceived value,’ says Reilly Newman, a brand strategist at Motif Brands. ‘Additionally, we will tell others about hidden messages and show them, which increases the awareness of the brand.’”

One person’s perceived value can be another’s burnout. The article cites Amazon’s logo featuring the arrow at the bottom. Besides looking like a smile, the swoosh connotes being able to find everything one has ever wanted from A to Z on Amazon.

How can product manufacturers gear their labels and packaging to “make friends” and build customer service goodwill given increasing consumer pushback to relentless marketing?

• Make labels easily removable. There are myriad reports of frustrated consumers trying to remove product labels, who have to scrape, suds-up with warm water, and scrape some more in an effort to get there with a label adhesive that doesn’t cooperate. Make the labels easy to peel off cleanly, and let consumers know it. Build an entertaining tale around why this is being done via a QR code on the label that tells “the rest of the story.”

• Simplify what’s on the label. A clean, uncluttered look for some consumers will lessen their desire to peel it off. This is becoming increasingly popular as the dizzying array of products and the label information they contain hits consumers everywhere they turn. If your label can become a “work of art,” consumers will see them as collectibles instead of disposables. Ways to make labels more artistic, while still including required information, include extended content labels that fold out, peel-back labels, and of course QR codes that can open up a separate repository of information, stories, offers, and opportunities to interact and react.

• Make product label messaging and branding more engaging and entertaining. Casting product manufacturers as socially and environmentally conscious can reap powerful rewards among consumers. However, this can be very tricky terrain and must be approached from a true heartfelt place – not just a clever ruse to get people to buy a product. One trap I see frequently is advertisers who proclaim how much money they’ve donated to a specific cause. While this can be impressive, it also can feel as though the advertiser is exploiting peoples’ sentiments to sell something. Rather than leave it there, dig deep to find a compelling story behind the generosity. It can range from a CEO’s childhood story of trauma to a company that searched long and hard to find a cause they could really get behind. If it’s true and sincere, consumers will resonate. Otherwise, it can backfire and feel like more brand burnout.

While it’s hard to counter brand burnout in today’s environment, taking steps to let consumers know you’re tuned into their pain can go a long way toward re-energizing their interest.

Mark Lusky (www.markluskycommunications.com/mark-lusky-bio) is the president of Lusky Enterprises, Inc. (www.markluskycommunications.com), a 41-year-established marketing communications company dedicated to clients that live and breathe trust, likeability, and respect (thereby eschewing the “lie, cheat, steal” culture so prevalent today). Contact him at: 303-621-6136; mark@marklusky.com.