Exposed! The Brands You Choose Reveals the Real You
In his book called “Emotional Branding : How Successful Brands Gain the Irrational Edge”, Daryl Travis takes a look at the emotional side of business and explains that a brand name is an emotional symbol.
In order to tap into the methodology needed to make this emotional connection between brand and customer requires a little intuitive thinking.
Cars are a perfect example of how the myth of a brand works on the buying public. If traveling from one place to another was simply all there was to it, why are there so many makes and models of vehicles available? The price does factor into the equation, however there is also something else going on.
How does a BMW or Jaguar make you feel? Why does a Jeep scream adventure or a Porsche precision? Each form of transportation we choose really does say something about us because of the emotional connection we make with that brand.
Branded by Geography
The concept of emotional branding stretches even further to include such things such as geography. We are often branded by others based upon the State we live in.I’m branded a “Californian” and handled appropriatly according to how people see Californians to be. When I travel out of the country I am branded an American and treated accordingly. The same also applies to cities. As an example, my wife and I were shopping in an exclusive shop in downtown San Francisco, while chatting with a very nice, talkative cashier we let it be known that we were from the “East Bay” (which does not share the same status of San Francisco). The cashier’s nose instantly shot to the air and the cordial pleasantries stopped.
Class Distinction and Branding
This notion of associating tangible products with intangible emotions reminds me of what Paul Fussell stated in his 1983 publication “Class, A Guide Through the American Status System”. In it he describes that while the idea of class distinction may be seen by some as an adverse comment on American life, it is nonetheless present whether we care to admit it or not.
The application of class distinction is a universal concept. Regardless of the culture, there are those with more power and more money than others. Even among the wealthy there are even further class distinctions.
“Social class” cannot really be defined. It’s similar to the idea of what makes something “obscene”. Like Justice Potter Stewart, we as individuals can’t exactly draw the line, “but we know it when we see it”. Class distinction is not just determined by wealth but more importantly by the whole image an individual reveals about themselves.
Try As You Might, You Just Can’t Hide
Everything in our life divulges information about who we really are. From where we live, to the place we work, the clothes we wear, the car we drive and even how we talk. Incidentally, a business that helps students increase their reading skill used this idea within their own business slogan: “People judge us by the words we use.” You know them as: “Hooked On Phonics”.
You are familiar with the saying: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” However, it could be said that the insurance industry earns huge profits by “judging covers”. They are not interested in opening our pages to discover what we are all about. On the surface it may appear that their method of gauging risk is based on prejudiced. If you’re a 32 year old male, living in a rural area your car insurance will be lower than if you were an 18 year old living in the city. If your city has a population of 100,000 people you will pay more than a city with only 10,000 people. Owning a Volks Wagen would ensure lower insurance rates than if you owned a Rolls Royce. Insurance companies are in business to make a profit. By using accurate statistics they are guaranteed the profits they seek.
Insurance companies are not alone. Even you think in terms of category function that promote expectations and behavior. You have an opinion (we all do) and because of it you are biased. If you reject peaches that are bruised, you are discriminating and practicing segregation by selecting peaches that do not have bruises. To be acurate, you have a assumption that soft spots on fruit are bad. It is who you are that determines what you do and what products you bring home all based on category thinking.
Branding also has the same function, designed to promote expectations and hopefully, positive behavior such as purchasing. The Porsche is the brand name that promotes: Precision Engineering. The brand name Budweiser promotes: Here’s to you America, for being strong, for coming through. The brand creates a myth designed to resonate with their target market. Marketing is all about connecting you with the myth in the hopes of directing your behavior.
The simple conclusion to all of this is: What we do, and what we have are all inseparable from who we are.