This is LOVE (and Branding)
Your brand is like the Taj Mahal. Let me explain…
As the legend goes, the fifth Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, commissioned the Taj Mahal in 1631 in honor of his wife and soul-mate, Mumtaz Mahal, a Persian Princess. Mumtaz died while accompanying her husband during a campaign in Burhanpur after giving birth to their 13th child. It is said that his wife’s death was so crushing that all of the hair on his head and beard became utterly white within a matter of months. Construction of the Taj Mahal started in 1632 and was completed in 1653. The Taj Mahal is now often cited as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Love and fear
Psychologist Dr. Elisabeth Kubler Ros said, “There are only two emotions: love and fear.” Marketers understand that each is a POWERFUL motivator. While consumers tend to validate their purchase with facts, central decision-making is based on feeling. Simon Sinek described this in his famous TEDTalk, ‘How great leaders inspire action.’ Simon said, “Inspired organizations think, act and communicate from the inside-out — Why, How, then What.”
This is because the human brain is broken into components. Our neocortex is responsible for our rational and analytical thoughts and language. Our limbic brains are responsible for our feelings like trust and loyalty. That’s right, our limbic brains have no capacity for language, yet influence our behavior and decision-making. When we communicate from the outside in (What, How, then Why), people can understand features and benefits, but it doesn’t necessarily drive behavior. Sometimes you can give someone all the facts, and they’ll say, “It just doesn’t feel right.”
So while the Taj Mahal is a FACT (the product), the reason the Emperor built it was based on a FEELING (its purpose). As marketers, we aim to elicit feelings and capture the imaginations of our customers.
The product is amazing, yet the branding is not
Today, the market is flooded with technology and quick-service e-commerce websites. As consumers, we can have what we want faster than ever before with the click of a button. But, many brands will follow sites like Amazon and advertise their products strictly based on features or value for money — this is a mistake. These companies are forgetting that the best way to excite consumers is through emotion. So many brands are missing the most important factor for why more people will become attracted to and purchase their products — how you make them feel.
As the great Maya Angelou famously said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
In fact, feeling can drive consumers to buy things they never even knew they wanted! Great brands, from Nike to Apple to Patagonia, have shown us that the best way to motivate consumers is through emotion.
Begin with Connection
As marketers, we attempt to connect with our audiences and influence them with feelings or emotions. That feeling comes from the connection with the brand and its purpose. As social media strategist Brooke B. Sellas so eloquently puts it, “Meaningful connections start with genuine conversations — knowing how to listen, sharing feelings, and offering opinions (yes, even for brands).”
Your brand is like the Taj Mahal. What’s its meaning and purpose? Which feelings does it elicit?
Need help?
AH Marketing is a full-service marketing greenhouse for companies that need a bit of sprucing. We support growing B2B businesses with marketing strategy, planning and execution that results in increased demand. Please contact me for help.
