WHY BRANDS SHOULD REINTRODUCE FRICTION INTO CONSUMER EXPERIENCES

For years, brands have pursued frictionless convenience, stripping effort from consumer lives. Yet, McCann Singapore strategists Naomi Low and Tatiyana Emylia argue that friction—reframed as experience—can restore meaning. As people embrace analogue hobbies and deliberate effort, “friction-maxxing” emerges as a cultural shift redefining identity beyond efficiency.  

For more than a decade, brands have been locked in a race to make life easier. From one-click purchases to instant answers, the prevailing mantra has been convenience above all else. The assumption was simple: the less effort required, the happier the consumer. But in an age where everything is streamlined, the pursuit of ease has begun to feel hollow.  

McCann Singapore strategists Naomi Low and Tatiyana Emylia believe the time has come for brands to rethink this obsession. Their call is not to abandon convenience entirely, but to reintroduce friction—not as inconvenience, but as experience. Friction, they argue, can be the spark that transforms a transaction into something memorable, meaningful, and even identity-shaping.  

Evidence of this shift is already visible in consumer behaviour. People are deliberately choosing harder paths, embracing analogue hobbies, swapping smartphones for “dumb” phones, or even “rawdogging” flights—travelling without the digital crutches of entertainment or distraction. These small acts of resistance are not about nostalgia or masochism; they are about reclaiming control over how life feels, rather than how efficiently it runs.  

The rise of friction-maxxing, as Low and Emylia describe it, signals a deeper cultural turn. Effort is no longer just a behavioural choice but a marker of identity. In a world where algorithms anticipate every need, effort becomes a way to stand apart, to assert individuality, and to find satisfaction in the process rather than the outcome.  

For brands, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge lies in resisting the instinct to smooth every edge. The opportunity lies in designing experiences that invite participation, curiosity, and even a touch of struggle. A brand that asks its audience to invest effort may risk alienating those who still crave convenience, but it may also forge stronger emotional connections with those who value authenticity.  

The lesson is clear: friction is not the enemy. When reframed as experience, it becomes a powerful tool for engagement. In a culture increasingly defined by shortcuts, the brands that dare to slow consumers down may be the ones that ultimately stand out.  

Friction, it seems, is no longer something to be eliminated. It is something to be embraced.