Why Voice of Customer and AI are Redefining Brand Storytelling in Bangladesh

We live in a world overflowing with content. Every minute, hours of video are uploaded to platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook. For a brand, cutting through this noise is not just a goal; it is a necessity for survival. The traditional playbook of high-budget productions and celebrity endorsements is becoming less effective. Today, a new, more powerful strategy is emerging. It is a fusion of human-centric insights and technological precision: the Voice of Customer (VoC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

This is a playbook for a new era, one where authenticity is a brand’s most valuable currency. It is a strategy especially relevant for a dynamic market like Bangladesh, where a tech-savvy and highly educated audience—from university students to top-level executives—is constantly connected. The question is no longer “How do we make a video?” but “How do we make a video that resonates so deeply it becomes part of the cultural conversation?”

Click here to listen to our podcast

Understanding the Modern Audience: More than Just Viewers

Before you can create a video that goes viral, you must first understand the people you are trying to reach. In Bangladesh, the landscape of media consumption has undergone a dramatic transformation. Mobile phones are now the primary gateway to the internet, with over 113 million users accessing the web on their devices. This shift has fueled the rise of Over-the-Top (OTT) streaming platforms, with user numbers predicted to reach 11.3 million by 2026. This data tells us that your audience is mobile, digitally-native, and hungry for on-demand content.

But beyond the numbers, what do they want? They want authenticity. They are tired of polished, corporate messages that feel distant and impersonal. They seek content that feels real, that speaks to their struggles, their aspirations, and their sense of humor. This is where VoC becomes your most powerful asset.

The Voice of Customer: Your Compass to Authenticity

The Voice of the Customer is not just a buzzword. It is the process of capturing and analyzing what your audience is saying, thinking, and feeling about your brand, your products, and your industry. This raw feedback, often found in social media comments, online reviews, or customer service logs, is a treasure trove of insights.

For too long, brands have relied on instinct or outdated market research. Today, VoC provides a data-driven compass. Instead of guessing what your audience wants, you can listen to them directly. This feedback reveals the language they use, the problems they face, and the emotions that drive their decisions.

Consider a simple example. A food delivery service in Dhaka wants to create a viral video. A traditional approach might focus on fast delivery times or a new discount offer. But by analyzing VoC data, the brand might discover that customers are most frustrated by the food arriving cold or incorrect. A video that humorously and authentically addresses this specific pain point—showing a character’s disappointment and then joyfully receiving a hot, correct order—will resonate far more deeply than a generic ad. It shows you are listening. It proves you understand their world.

AI: The Amplifier of Human Creativity

Once you have the insights from VoC, AI steps in not as a replacement for human creativity, but as a powerful amplifier. AI tools can analyze vast amounts of data—from video performance metrics to audience sentiment—and provide actionable recommendations.

Think about the creative process. You have your core idea, shaped by VoC insights. Now, an AI-powered platform can help you optimize every aspect of that video. It can:

• Analyze Scripts: Suggest emotional hooks, refine dialogue, and predict which scenes will generate the most engagement. This is not about letting AI write your story but about using it to pressure-test your script for maximum impact.
• Enhance Visuals: Recommend the most effective camera angles, color palettes, or even character gestures that have historically performed well with a similar audience.
• Optimize Timing: Identify the precise moment when a video’s energy or emotional curve should peak to maintain viewer attention. The data shows that short, impactful videos are key to holding the shrinking attention spans of modern viewers.

This synergy between VoC and AI is the core of the new playbook. You listen to your audience with VoC, and you use AI to craft a video that precisely delivers on those insights.

Case Study: Tapping into Local Culture

The “Sandalina Bold Women” campaign by AD65 is a fantastic example of a brand successfully connecting with a Bangladeshi audience. The campaign celebrated the courage and empowerment of Bangladeshi women. This viral campaign was not just a product advertisement; it was a cultural statement. It succeeded because it tapped into a powerful and relevant social narrative.

Another example is the “Biyer Rajkonna” campaign by Sandalina Beauty Shop, which celebrated wedding traditions. These campaigns demonstrate that virality is not about a random trick or a lucky break. It is about understanding the local pulse, identifying a cultural moment, and creating content that becomes a platform for conversation.

This is where the educated Bangladeshi audience—with its deep appreciation for social commentary, art, and intellectual discourse—is uniquely positioned. They are not just consumers; they are cultural participants. For them, a brand is not just a product provider. It is a storyteller, a community partner, and sometimes, a voice for social change.

A Step-by-Step Guide for the Modern Brand Specialist

How can you apply this playbook in your work?

1. Define Your Listening Posts: Do not wait for formal surveys. Start by actively listening. Monitor social media comments on your own pages and those of competitors. Pay attention to forums, review sites, and even the questions your customer service team receives. Use AI-powered sentiment analysis tools to quickly process this unstructured feedback.
2. Identify the Emotional Core: What is the single most powerful emotion you can evoke? Is it awe, joy, a sense of shared frustration, or inspiration? Research shows content that triggers high-arousal emotions is most likely to be shared. Your VoC data will reveal which emotions your audience is most receptive to.
3. Craft the Narrative, not the Ad: Think of your video as a story, not a sales pitch. Use the insights from your VoC analysis to build a compelling narrative. Remember the viral campaigns from South Asia—they told a story, often one with a social message or an emotional hook.
4. Use AI for Micro-Optimizations: Once you have your core creative concept, leverage AI for the details. Use it to create different versions of your video for various platforms (e.g., a 15-second version for Reels, a 60-second version for Facebook, and a longer one for YouTube). Let AI help with scene detection, trimming, and audio enhancement. This automation frees you to focus on the storytelling.
5. Measure and Learn: The work does not stop after a video is posted. Use your analytics to see what worked and what did not. Did a specific line of dialogue lead to a surge in shares? Did a particular visual element cause viewers to drop off? Feed this data back into your VoC analysis loop. This creates a continuous cycle of learning and improvement.

The Human Touch in a Data-Driven World

The fear of a “robot-controlled” future is understandable. But this playbook is not about ceding control to machines. It is about reclaiming human connection in a world of digital noise. AI and VoC tools are not meant to replace the human element; they are meant to help you find it. They enable you to stop making assumptions and start creating based on a genuine, data-backed understanding.

For graduate students, this is the future of marketing. For entry-level professionals, this is how you can deliver immediate impact. For corporate leaders, this is how you build a brand that is not just seen but truly felt.

The next time you set out to create video content, do not just ask, “What do we want to say?” Ask, “What are they telling us?” Listen carefully, and then use technology to craft a message so authentic, so human, it cannot help but spread. This is the new playbook for virality. Are you ready to write your chapter?

C. Basu.