Our brand scientists are constantly searching for new ways to make companies relevant to humans. This is our laboratory.

The five pillars of social media optimization

Whether you’re just getting started with this whole social media bandwagon, or you’ve got 20,000 Twitter followers and no idea what to do with them, there are some basic principles that you should know if you want to use social …

Oprah’s “O” is a portal to a personal journey

OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network) discovered a brand metaphor in the name itself. Bigsmack, the company responsible for animating the network’s logo for on-air visuals wanted something substantial, and they eventually came to focus on the letter O. In addition to …

Deep brand metaphors

The deep brand metaphor is usually based on an abstract concept, which is then fleshed out and represented in a unique and interesting way. While these often don’t provide the same degree of evocativeness that other types do, they have …

Avoid using brand metaphors as themes

Brand metaphors are sometimes confused with themes, which are more overt and direct. A brand metaphor is intended to serve as inspiration and provide an overall direction for the brand, where a theme is a direct emulation of specific look …

Consumers accept brand metaphors easily

Brand metaphors require less mental processing and less resistance than explicit claims because they’re built upon existing knowledge. It’s like saying, “You know that one thing you love and trust already? This is like that.” It requires less cognitive processing …

Metaphor is the most effective tool for expressing a brand

A metaphor explains the unfamiliar (the target) in terms of the familiar (the source). They take the form “X is Y” (as opposed to “X is like Y”), even when the comparison isn’t actually that direct. We use metaphors all …

You don’t get long walks on the beach with your customers

Brands are complex, but in most cases, consumers simply won’t invest the time required to truly explore and come to understand the intricacies of your business. They’re not lazy or superficial; most brands just don’t provide enough value for them …

Show, don’t tell!

Brand experiences are almost always indirect. You don’t feel good because the brand told you to feel good. You feel good because the brand set up a scene that had the right feel-good elements. Every bank wants to think they’re …

The experience is the product

The failure of most marketing efforts to connect with consumers on an emotional level is understandable; it’s difficult to do it well. If you’re accustomed to simply making claims (“Our product performs 20% better than the competition!”), you’ll find yourself …

Why most marketing fails

Inexperienced marketers tend to fall back on a benefit-focused approach, believing they’ll win customers by listing their virtues (better products, better customer service, technical improvements, etc.). Unfortunately, most practical benefits don’t address the issues that really frustrate consumers: the higher needs …

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