The power of any brand is, simply, how your association with it makes you feel. You might say you have rational reasons for choosing one brand over another, but even these reasons translate into emotional preference. They simply help us rationalize emotional choices to ourselves and, just as important, to others.
We often hate to admit it, but emotions rule the roost we call the mind. We developed the habit many hundreds of thousands of years ago and it never went away.
If you scoff at this idea, think about the car you drive. Is it simply a means to get you from A to B? Is there no emotion in your feeling for the brand? And how would you feel switching to one you might deem inferior? Why does the water you pay for taste better? And why on earth would we pay nearly as much for a bottle of Evian water as we pay for a bottle of beer? Tell the guy sporting a Harley-Davidson tattoo that Honda makes a more macho bike. If you know somebody who owns a Rolex, suggest that he would be just as happy with a Timex. If a banana could decide its destiny, would it rather be a plain banana or a proud Chiquita? Ask yourself why a gift that comes in a Tiffany Blue Box shows such a special appreciation for the recipient. If these aren’t emotional questions with emotional answers, we don’t know what they are.
I’d love to hear how your favorite brand makes you feel. Or even, how a brand you dislike makes you feel. Please share here or on Twitter and tag your tweet with #HowDoesItMakeYouFeel or simply, #HDIMYF.
Daryl’s new book, How Does It Make You Feel? Why Emotion Wins The Battle of Brands, will be available for purchase digitally later this month on Amazon.com. Follow HDIMYF updates on Twitter @BTCEO and @Brandtrust®!
