Relatability is the key to winning big in awards season

Singer-songwriter Raye recently made history at the BRIT Awards, taking home a record-breaking six trophies, and becoming the first ever woman to win songwriter of the year.

Described by one critic as “autobiographical to its core”, her album, My 21st Century Blues, touches on relatable topics such as heartbreak, discrimination and distorted self-image.

We’re starting to see a move away from artifice.

We can all learn something from Raye’s success because, in the end, relatability and stories that resonate across all human experience, wherever we live in the world, wins. It might be an optimistic view, but I believe we’re starting to see a move away from artifice and a desire to present a polished image to the world, and shifting towards embracing this thing we call life - our shared experience of happiness, loss, loneliness, discrimination and heartbreak.

Above: EE's campaign featured "honest, bang-on-the money vignettes of British life".

Similar themes were tackled in last year’s incredibly popular film Barbie. It may not have won as many trophies as expected at the Oscars, but Ryan Gosling’s performance of the hit song I’m Just Ken still stole the show and became one of the major talking points after the ceremony. It may have picked up only one Oscar, but Barbie succeeded in winning the hearts of the people.

It’s clear that relatability is a driving force for success, and the same can be said in advertising. It’s a theme that seems to permeate some standout campaigns of recent times. Take EE’s tour de force relaunch with its honest, bang-on-the money vignettes of British life; or B&Q’s frank take on DIY fear of failure with You Can Do It. These are just a couple of examples, and we’re only going to see more: a number of brands, including Ocado, have said they are looking to bring relatability to the forefront of their marketing strategies.

[Relatability is] a theme that seems to permeate some standout campaigns of recent times.

Our Laugh Through It campaign for Audible is a good example of work that resonates because it’s relatable. It builds on the insight that comedy offers light-hearted moments of escapism and emotional release in some of life’s more testing moments. The work was created following research that showed that 87% of people listen to audiobooks to change their mood.

The huge response to the campaign indicated that you don't always have to show people the sunny side of life. An attitude of unbridled positivity can feel tone deaf and inauthentic to consumers. It turns out that relating to the shared, universal experience of the FML moment was a singularly powerful thing.