The Unconscious Power of Brands

Running a business requires entrepreneurs to make strong in roads in keeping track of all facets of their customers’ behaviour. It is no different as how we live our lives to the fullest simply because we want to indulge in a successful and contented life. That being said, being a successful entrepreneur, customers are one of the essential elements that matter most in business success.

As a customer, we often like to think of the reason why when we purchase something, and this often revolves within the control of our actions. According to a research from neuro-science, psychology and behavioural economics, it has shown that we humans are not nearly as rational as we think. Instead, we’re often guided by subtle unconscious influences that have their basis in our distant evolutionary past. The ancient machinery in our brains is being used for tasks for which it did not evolve, and this can lead to many irrational behaviours and actions.

We all know that our conscious minds will determine our actions, while the unconscious minds will determine our reactions, and both has a significant connection that are equally important to one another. In an article written by Darrah Brustein on Entrepreneur.com, she highlights about her insights on the power of unconscious towards brands and businesses based on a new book by Daryl Weber, Brand Seduction: How Neuroscience Can Help Marketers Build Memorable Brands, where he writes about how the consumer mind works, and what the brand owners can do about it for their business strategies.

As business entrepreneurs embark on their journey in building strategies for stronger businesses and better brands, it is crucial that they understand and realise the biggest myths in consumer psychology, and how understanding the unconscious minds can help them succeed in their businesses. You may find below a few tips for how entrepreneurs and small business owners can apply his thinking into building business strategies.

Everything You Do Is Branding

For starters, realise that your brand is far more than your logo. Says Weber: A brand is a “collection of associations in the mind, both conscious and unconscious.” The conscious associations may include your product or service; its features, price and name; your ads and marketing. The unconscious side is the underlying feeling connected to your brand.

This feeling is built over time by every interaction people have with your brand -- where they see it, whom they see it with, its colours and the emotions that the name inspires. This means that every part of your business that a consumer is exposed to -- from how your products are distributed, to your company’s culture and people -- will influence a consumer's gut feeling toward your brand.

Build Out Your Brand’s 'Fantasy'

Weber describes the unconscious feeling of a brand as its unique “fantasy.” This is the brand’s collection of associations that together form a gut feeling in consumers’ minds, and can impact whether they decide to purchase your product or a competitor's. Weber suggests diving deep into the feeling, personality and even the soul of your brand, then blowing it out in abstract ways, such as mood boards and collages, to help define and articulate how you want your brand’s particular fantasy to feel.

How You Say It May Matter More Than What You Say

As business owners, we like to talk about why our product and brand are better than competitors'. We tout our benefits and features in our marketing and PR. This is important, of course, but what may even be more important is how we say it.

In Brand Seduction, Weber describes the idea of “metacommunication” -- how the tonality and personality of marketing make a big difference in how consumers view your brand. Design elements like colours and fonts, the look on a model’s face, the lighting, the music and more, can all have drastic effects on how your brand is viewed.

These elements can make your brand feel more modern, premium and sleek, or else warm and cosy, even nostalgic -- depending on your intent. But one thing is for sure, there is always metacommunication. Even a blank page says something. So, make sure you’re imbuing your brand with the feelings you want with every message.

Don’t Take Consumers At Their Word

Because of these unconscious associations, market research may tell only half the story. When we run surveys, focus groups or interviews, we’re focusing on consumers’ conscious reactions and explanations about our products and brands.

This data can be valuable, but it often misses the important unconscious side of brands. While the emerging field of neuro-marketing seeks to address this issue by peering directly into the brain, there are things we can do easily and cheaply to make sure we’re not reacting just to consumers’ conscious minds, but to their unconscious as well.

Be sure to listen to the energy and feeling behind consumers' words. Watch for cues like body language (are they leaning in or sitting back?), the tone and energy in their voices and the broader context of their lives to understand why they might be saying what they’re saying.

Digging deeper in this way can give you a much richer picture of their true feelings.

Inspiration: The Unconscious Power of Brand  

Image Source: incedogroup.com

Chia Yi Jing | Bubbling with enthusiasm, bright ideas, and confidence, Yi Jing set foot in the PR world with Orchan Consulting, where she was offered permanent employment after a successful internship. She is determined to make her mark in the industry, and her bosses know that she will.