Beyond Trust and Reputation: Embracing Brand as Emotion

In the often tumultuous and fast-paced world of marketing, there's an undercurrent of tension that has remained unresolved for years.

A question at the heart of our industry that often gets lost in the clamour of board meetings, brand launches, and marketing campaigns:

On the surface, it seems like such a simple question, yet it continues to be a vexing riddle. Even seasoned marketers are left grappling with definitions that seem incomplete or inadequately descriptive.

Some, having moved beyond the rudimentary notions of a brand being merely a logo or design, have come to perceive it as trust or reputation. While these definitions are not incorrect, they feel shallow and barely scratch the surface of what a brand, in its fullest potential, truly embodies.

They're akin to admiring the vast, shimmering surface of the ocean while remaining oblivious to the incredible depths beneath teeming with life and mystery.

Plunging into those depths, we discover a truth that is disarmingly simple and yet profoundly impactful:

It is the feeling that stirs within a customer when they interact with a product, a service, or a company. This is not a whimsical or romanticized notion. It finds its roots in the very scientific and empirical field of behavioural economics and neuromarketing.

Consider the studies conducted by neuroeconomist Antonio Damasio. His research, often referenced in neuromarketing, demonstrated that individuals with damage to the part of the brain associated with emotions struggled with making even the simplest decisions.

This illuminates the profound role emotions play in our decision-making processes. Similarly, behavioural economist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's ground-breaking research in cognitive biases reveals that our decision-making often relies on quick, intuitive judgments (what he calls 'System 1' thinking) rather than slow, deliberate analysis ('System 2' thinking).

These findings, rooted in rigorous scientific research, illuminate a truth that we often overlook: People don't just buy products or services; they buy feelings. They buy the joy of discovery, the thrill of indulgence, the comfort of reliability, the pride of ownership. In essence, they invest in the emotion that your brand promises and delivers.

This emotional dimension is the invisible line that separates a brand from a commodity. A commodity is an item or service that's interchangeable with others of its kind, distinguished only by its price. It's the polar opposite of a brand. It lacks feeling, lacks the capacity to inspire, and lacks the transformative potential that brands can ignite. It offers no room for customer self-actualization or change.

Brands, in stark contrast, are brimming with emotion. They carry an aura that transcends the physicality of the product or the tangibility of the service. They resonate with customers on a deeper, more personal level. They offer not just utility, but transformation.

Consider the powerhouse that is Apple. This brand isn't merely about selling gadgets or tech accessories; it's about selling a feeling, a vision. It's about empowering people to think differently, to challenge the status quo, and to unleash their creative potential. This is the power of a brand in its highest form: not just to sell, but to inspire and transform.

As I explored in my previous articles, "Feeling the Brand: The Overlooked Element in Building Powerful Connections" and "Embracing AI in Branding: A Future Full of Feelings", this is the future I envision for branding. A future where brands are not just about trust or reputation, but about emotion. A future where brands leverage technology not as a soulless tool, but as a conduit to connect with customers on a human level, facilitating emotional resonance and transformation.

In the face of this transformative potential of brands, we must challenge ourselves to think beyond the confines of traditional definitions. It's time we redefined brand, not as a logo or tagline, not as trust or reputation, but as a feeling, an emotional connection that a customer forges with a company or product.

The real power of a brand lies not just in its ability to generate sales or build a loyal customer base, but in its potential to effect meaningful change in the lives of its customers. It's about providing customers not just with a product or service that meets their needs, but with an experience that fulfills their desires, aligns with their values, and ultimately, makes them feel seen, heard, and valued.

The greatest brands of our time have mastered this art. They have understood that a brand is not a transactional entity, but a relational one. They know that their brand is not merely an external entity projected onto the world, but a shared feeling, a collective experience, a mutually beneficial relationship between them and their customers.

Branding, therefore, becomes less about pushing a product or service and more about understanding, empathizing with, and responding to the customer's emotional needs and desires. It's about creating and delivering an experience that makes customers feel a certain way, an experience that is so distinctive, memorable, and transformative that it can't be commodified.

To conclude, we must remember that at the heart of every successful brand is a human connection, an emotional bond. By embracing this understanding of a brand as an emotion, we open up a world of possibilities in creating more meaningful, impactful, and lasting connections with our customers.

In this rapidly evolving world, amidst all the technological advancements and AI innovations, let us not lose sight of this simple yet profound truth. Let us continue to create brands that resonate with people, brands that make people feel. For, in the end, that is what a brand truly is: a feeling. And that, my friends, is the real power of a brand. It’s not just a part of the marketing strategy, it IS the marketing strategy.

So, let's not merely build brands. Let's evoke feelings. Let's inspire change. Let's create connections. After all, isn't that what we, as marketers, storytellers, and human beings, strive for?