In the meantime, new services based on community recommendations have surfaced online. On WhereToGet.it, communities are rewarded for advising a person where to buy a product he or she likes. Visitors to sites like Tumblr and Weheartit, can discover emotional tags and mood boards on brands developed by other users.

But all these initiatives only exist in the virtual world. Consumers might have already spent time online with a brand and expressed their own opinions and examined those of others. This means brands are missing out on a huge opportunity to capitalise on this relationship history in-store.

What are the experts saying? Leading neuroscientist Dr Carl Marci links the science of decision making to advertising, what video here.

How are some brands dealing with this issue?

Check out this excellent example of Heinz allowing Australian mothers to claim emotional ownership of one of its flagship products. Watch video of case study here.

This pop up store in London’s fashionable Knightsbridge looks for new brand ambassadors. See full case study here.

In the Nike Air show, the brand used technical trickery and lots of puff in magical flying shoe race. See full case study here.

In Hong Kong, Levi's created a place where shoppers actually washed their jeans in music, and by extension imbued their jeans with a something of the owner's personality. Watch the video of the case study here.

Laurent Francois is head of marketing development at Groupe Express Roularta, a media group in France. He also leads a social marketing boutique and is the content editor for diverse magazines including L'Express Styles. Follow him at @lilzeon and check out his blog!