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| Tuesday, 04 January 2005 |
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Psychology of brands and branding by Prasanna Perera, Marketing and Management Consultant, Chartered Marketer, CIM, UK "A brand that captures your mind, gains behaviour. A brand that captures your heart gains commitment". (Scott Talgo, Brand Strategist) This clearly epitomises the psychological aspects of brands and branding. The key to marketing success is to develop and clearly position a brand in the target consumers mind. Ries and Trout developed the concept of brand positioning, "arguing that marketing success does not arise in the marketplace but in the mindspace. i.e. the ability to create a special place for a brand, in the target consumer's mind. Take for example, brands such as Coke, Kellogg's and Heinz. When the word Cola is mentioned Coke comes readily to mind, Breakfast cereals brings Kellogg's to mind, whilst baked beans brings Heinz into the picture. The concept of brand positioning is so powerful that marketers would do well to understand and apply positioning. Brand value proposition A brand's value proposition is a statement of the functional, emotional and self expressive benefits delivered by the brand, that provide value to the customer. The functional benefits are tangible and therefore can be experienced easily. For example, Volvo is a safe, durable car because of its weight and design. However, emotional and self expressive benefits are far more psychological and difficult to experience. Take for example people who are energetic and vibrant when drinking Coke, which is as emotional benefit. On the other hand, the feeling of sophistication when using a Ralph Lauren perfume which is a self expressive benefit. These emotional and self expressive benefits are mind related and if they can be experienced, a higher degree of brand loyalty can be achieved. Brand-customer relationships Consumers develop very special relationships with brands often through regular usage. In general the stronger the brand loyalty, the greater the relationship. Take for example a brand of perfume such as Elizabeth Arden. The user of this brand develops an intimate friendship with the brand, which surpasses anything rational. Certain brands evoke nostalgic connections such as childhood memories. For example, Lego and Monopoly games. Other brands help the user to discover their self image i.e. the brand's and my self image are similar. For example BMW and Mercedes owners who mirror themselves through these icon brands. Another form of relationship is intimacy associated with say lingerie brands such as Triumph, Marks and Spencer and Victoria's Secret. The brands are more than mere functional items. Women develop an intimate relationship with these brands, such as special friendship and trust. They feel reassured and comfortable with the brand. All the brand-customer relationships mentioned are largely psychological. Therefore, once they are established, the loyalty between the brand and the user becomes impregnable. Consumer's mind is under attack In the present era, the consumer is being bombarded with several messages through a multiplicity of channels. Several brands are competing for the consumer's attention, through both offline and online mediums. For example, more than 4,000 books are published around the world every day and the total of all printed knowledge doubles every four or five years. Simply astonishing indeed. Therefore, to capture the consumer's mind becomes an even greater challenge. According to AI Ries, the key is to keep brand messages simple, short and sweet. (The 3 S') The human mind is limited and in an over communicated environment, people are selective as to what information they will accept. In general, emotions play a big role in memorability and also presenting your message as important news increase attention. The human mind is insecure and this is the reason why consumers buy brands that others have already purchased. When people are uncertain, they often will look to others to help them decide how to act. This is why testimonial type advertising works well for certain brands, where the perceived risk is high. Terms such as the "fastest growing" or "largest selling" have appeal to consumers in reducing uncertainty and insecurity. Changing consumer minds is not easy, specially once habits are formed. For example Campbell soup tried to convince the market that "soup is good food"!! Therefore, getting the positioning right the first time is important. To change the positioning is often a very expensive exercise, which may not be successful after all. Lessons that can be learnt Since brand positioning is such a powerful concept, achieving the right positioning and maintaining/sustaining it becomes critical. In general, AI Ries offers the formula of simplicity and consistency in positioning. Greater positioning successes have had simplicity i.e. Heinz meanz heanz,, Avis - We are No. 2, so we try harder, BMW the ultimate driving machine. Further, successful positioning concepts have been consistent. Take for example Heinz, Avis and BMW, where the positioning has been unchanged for several years. "Customers must recognise that you stand for something" (Howard Schultz, Starbucks) |
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