Think of a bird.
Let me rephrase that when you read the word “Bird” what are the first three bird species that comes to mind?
Most people wouldn't choose (penguin- chicken and an ostrich) in one set. There is a neurological reason for that, it has to do with not just the way we as humans think but with how do we categorize information cognitively.
The human brain - Includes your brand’s audience brains - tend to take mental shortcuts known as cognitive heuristics.
In concept they are simple, efficient rules, hard-coded by evolutionary processes or learned, which have been proposed to explain how people make decisions, come to judgments, and solve problems, typically when facing complex problems or incomplete information.
Brands are victims to both the overwhelming amount of data produced and heuristics of customers minds.
Both of these factors are very difficult to control that the only way to for a brand to survive and eventually evolve is to understand both phenomenons and to create an evolution ability characteristics in order to survive such a tough environment
Organizing information and raw data are not an exception in his book the organized mind Daniel Levitin asks the question How are categories formed in our brains?
There are three ways in which we categories information and by extension perceive such data based on former heuristics those three categories are
- Based on mere appearance
when we read or hear words like ( Car, trees, fish, books) we have a visual description of what that is with degrees of variance. - Based on functionality
if we look at a tool box the tools inside doesn't look the same yet all of them serve a common function they fix things . - Based on concept
the wallet not everything inside a wallet is looking the same or serve the same function by conceptually they are things you need while you are physically outside your home
Remember the types of bird question? As it turns out that penguins, chicken and ostrich doesn't fit our perception of what a bird is according to these three basis.They don't fly, not covered with flying feathers and don't really fit our concept of flying creatures.
So what does this all means for brands?
Based on appearance
From the caves of France to the tombs of Egypt visual storytelling was a vital element of human heritage
Nearly 70 % of all the sensory receptors of the whole body is in the eyes. Back in 2004 there was an article from the University of Cambridge titled seeing things part of the team conclusion was that “The visual appearance of products plays a significant role in determining consumer response” & “product appearance influences commercial success and consumer quality-of-life.”
So it’s no wonder to find that visual mediums gaining global traction considering that Pinterest has 150 million active uses, Instagram has 600 million active user and YouTube has 1000 million active users.
Brands doesn’t just need to be present in such mediums they have to tell meaningful stories that will enhance users experience of life through adding visual value to the brand.
Based on functionality
Functionality in branding can fall into 2 categories that functionally of the brand itself as what is the function of the product or the service that the brand offers, how does a brand demonstrate functionality through different tools.
One of the brands that demonstrate usefulness in itself is Google, other than being a
Verb, according to the useful brand report the brand is viewed as “useful because it connects users to what they need to know, the way they want that information. Google scores particularly high relative to its peers for being quick, easy to use”.
Other demonstration of functionality is the functionality through tools and platforms, @Hiltonsuggests Is a twitter handle with a bio that says:
“Exploring a new city & looking for insider tips? We're here to help! We're @HiltonNewsroom tweeps sharing our favorite travel suggestions.”
The idea is that this twitter handle offers expertise on travel and travel tips to travelers whether they are Hilton residence or not. The brand is not converting or making sales or selling offers and discounts on this account, this handle serves one function only providing travel advice to travels.
Another F&B brand is using Snapchat as a customer service feedback medium, if customers have a complain about your plate, food is not hot enough, and other restaurant related complains. That goes directly to snapchat.
Snapchat depends on ephemeral content and because of this dynamic the tool serves the function of the ultimate customer service tool.
Complaints answered within one day and at the same time doesn't live on the restaurant reputation forever like a shipwreck survivor who has only one story to tell.
Based on conceptual perception
At the core of it. the idea of branding is a conceptual idea.
There is a core concept that the brand stands for, this concept is crystallized, revived and asserted every step of the brands journey by all means available and necessary.
The revolution of the digital world made it possible for brands to leverage that sense of belonging to the core idea of the brand, creating communities and thought leaders that embrace, enhance and amplify this core idea. In other words creating digital tribes.
Sports brands for example are not just about the sports. It’s about the concepts that the sport represent (competition, victory, hometown, nostalgic attachments).
Some brands evoke that conceptually on specific campaigns not the whole branding strategy Like the dodge campaign (God Made A Farmer).
Red Bull is not about the energy drink, yes we can argue that this is the ultimate goal is to increase brand equity and sales yet what the brand promotes is the sense of adventure the challenge of human limits.
Final Thoughts
According to the T3 report 87% of the brands were not seen as being “very useful”,
62% of the brands fell in the middle of the bell curve and were seen as undifferentiated, 88% of consumers do not rely heavily on advertising to inform their decisions.
Keeping in mind that companies introduce 30,000 products every year, but 70% to 90% of them don’t stay on store shelves for more than 12 months.
One of the things that these facts suggest is that brands needs to get out of the egocentricity of how great, innovative or revolutionary the brand is.
And get into their customer's mind through their behavioral and cognitive patterns not just to influence but to enhance the human experience.
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