While checking my e-mail this morning, it got me thinking about branding and how it programs our minds to link certain consumer products or services to businesses associated with them.
Old-fashioned sales and marketing strategies focused entirely at spreading the word about a product through advertisements hoping it will reach more buyers. Branding on the other hand, aims specifically at reminding consumers of a certain brand name or icon when they think of a product, without even looking at a single advertisement.
A quick search in google revealed that the most successful brands in the world include Coca Cola, Disney, Microsoft and many more.
As I glanced through the list, the fact that I could almost immediately pair up each brand with a product or service just shows how successful those brands are. For example, when I think of fizzy drinks, I think of Coca Cola. When I think of cartoons, I think of Disney. The same way how my mind automatically associates hamburgers with McDonald’s and fried chicken with KFC.
In Malaysia, baby diapers are referred to as Pampers, and instant noodles are called Maggie noodles.
Amazing isn’t it? The power of branding and how it controls the way we think without us even knowing! It’s almost like hypnosis.
However, when I think of The Blue Pill (Viagra), my mind quickly gets reminded of spam e-mails. Not “magic cure” or “happier men” but spam e-mails. Branding success story gone wrong…..?
