Mindful meaning - The connection between psychology and branding
There’s a beautiful link between psychology and branding. The fact that you may not even realise it’s the true secret to every successful brand campaign. Through my psychology studies at The University of Nottingham, we explored the importance of understanding the psychology of your audience and crafting your brand to connect with the right people, in the right way. Aligning a company’s positioning with the audience’s way of thinking is how brands stay at the forefront of their audience’s minds.
For movement-orientated brands, consumers are usually more mindful and seek meaningful relationships. As a business owner in this space, harnessing the psychological aspect of branding is a compelling way to connect with these types of people more personally. You can build trust, commonalities, wants and, ultimately, loyalty for your goods and services. But how? Let’s first explore the importance of smart branding as a whole.
What is branding?
Branding describes the formation of meaning behind a particular brand that shapes an idea and perception that consumers instantly connect when they see, hear or think about a company. Strong branding goes beyond the audience's understanding that a business “just” does this or “just” does that. Instead, branding is about creating an “experience” around a business’ offerings.
At its core, good branding is an ongoing process that connects brands with interested parties and opens a pathway of communication that allows companies to build deep and meaningful connections. It personifies a brand, giving a “face” to a business that people can relate to and feel comfortable getting involved with.
As you can see, psychology is a fundamental aspect of branding and as a soulful wellness branding consultant, I would love to share more about how you can use psychology to guide your next campaign, brand launch or company growth.
What does psychologically-savvy branding establish?
Emotion and personality
A thorough understanding of your audience will help you create a brand persona that mirrors their emotions, interests, wants and needs. It’s said that there are five distinct brand personalities that companies fit into:
Competence - think Mercedes
Excitement - think Red Bull
Ruggedness - think Harley-Davidson
Sincerity - think Hallmark
Sophistication - think Apple
By realising which personality your audience best aligns with, you can position your branding accordingly and build a sense of relatable emotion. Consumers are more likely to support a corporation if they think it reflects who they are, or who they want to be, wholeheartedly. For example, a high-end yoga studio targeting wealthy demographics may construct a more sophisticated personality to embolden their crisp, proper and elegant services.
Relationships, belonging and social identity
If you were around during the wars of the Blackberry and, well, literally any other phone, you’ll understand that people are known to present themselves through the brands they choose. There truly is a powerful connection between brand personality and identity, and companies are able to benefit from this sense of belonging by making it clear who they stand for.
If a company demonstrates their place within their target audience by living their brand values, involving itself in discussions and acting on their desires, they are able to instil an enduring and attractive sense of belonging by which consumers will respect and welcome. By being active within the community they service, a business is able to prove that they actually are “one of the crew” with concerns and passions that go beyond an inauthentic, opportunistic step into a market.
Three ways to use psychology to optimise brands for success
Understand the audience
When you know who your audience is, you can confidently design campaigns, personas and initiatives that directly benefit them. This knowledge provides the basis for all branding work and marketing, allowing businesses to identify interested social communities, prevailing personalities and ways of thinking. You will not be able to foster long-lasting relationships and loyal partnerships with specific groups if you don’t know where to find them (eg. which social media platform) or who they are.
2. Communicate clearly and consistently
Don’t let audiences make assumptions about your company - be bold and intentional. Obvious self-belief in what you offer and what your company stands for instils a sense of confidence within consumers when they think of, or invest in, your products and services. In campaigns and branding materials, be consistent with your information and voice so audiences are never confused and always able to identify with your business.
3. Use colours, patterns, shapes and fonts to your advantage
What’s your company’s favourite colour? It’s whatever colour makes your audience feel a certain way about what you offer. Neutral tones indicate mindfulness and calm, red is associated with action and anger, yellow speaks of summer and happiness. Powerful branding uses colour schemes, alongside recognisable fonts, shapes and patterns, to communicate their values, personality and characteristics. As with communication, consistency is key, these visual aspects give consumers' minds something to grab onto and associate with a brand.
An inspiring mix of science and street-smarts
With my degree in psychology, I work with movement and wellness brands to mobilise their power for successful branding. The way our brains work, construct ideas, assumptions, loves and connections with just about anything, is incredible. My goal is to help my clients tap into this and become a known character in their target communities.
If you would like to hear more about ways to improve your social media branding with a splash of psychology, send an email here.
Caro x
