At a time when consumers continue to assume that brands will simply provide more, it may seem strange to suggest that brands should be more generous. And yet the case for brands delivering greater profits by bringing greater joy makes complete sense.

The concept of giving in order to receive was first raised here on Branding Strategy Insider several years ago. Reena Amos Dyes observed that as times become more difficult, people seek out care, empathy, sympathy and generosity. The writer suggested eight ways that organizations could do more to signal kindness and caring:

1. They could be more socially responsible, co-donating to causes that their customers also cared about;
2. They could make changes to their ways of working that actually boosted the environment instead of just limiting damage;
3. They could give things away;
4. They could help customers make better use of products;

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