In a world of commodities, there’s a sea of brands. How are you supposed to remember all of them? How are you supposed to process which appeals to you? It’s got to be Heinz but it’s always Coca Cola – that’s enough to confuse anyone!
You will naturally find yourself drawn to certain brands. This is through recognition. You see a brand, either consciously or subconsciously, and if you acknowledge it, you remember it.
I have seen Derren Brown lead peoples’ thought trails through pattern recognition. It works in a similar way with brands. You see them, you acknowledge them, you remember them.
But which brands are top of mind and why?
It’s different for all of us. Try this question and see what brands are your top of mind…
In 30 seconds (no cheating) name as many Cereal brands as you can….
3…2…1…So, what did you come up with?
You’ll find that the brand that come top of mind are with you for a reason. You’ve seen them, your brain has registered them, and you’ve remembered them.
The brands that reside with you, more likely that not will mean something to you- good or bad. It could be preference, prestige or pizzazz – there’s a reason you’ve remembered that brand.
There’s lots of ways that marketeers tempt us to remember brands – be it catchy slogans, jingles, iconic imagery, or conceptual style. Try these out and see how much you know about brands…
Jingles
Washing machines live longer with….
If you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit…
Now hands that do dishes can feel soft as your face…
For bonzer car insurance deals, girls get onto…
Kids and grownups love it so….
Straplines
Vorsprung durch Technik
No nonesence
I’m lovin‘ it
Every little helps
It’s a bit gorgeous
Iconic images
An orange box
A yellow m
A panda
3 lions
A man with a moustache
A tick
A swan
A lime green circle 😉
Colour – what brands to you relate to these colours?
Red
Purple
Green
Yellow and Black
Red and Blue
It’s all about creating ‘stick’. Something that makes you consciously take note of it. It’s remarkable how much we don’t realise that we remember. And if you don’t keep an ear out later and see if you’re singing about mild, green Fairy Liquid as you’re washing up. That sea just got a whole lot smaller…
(by the way, send us your guesses via comments or social media!)
Emma Dobson is a branding expert and Touch Point guru at Happy Creative, a full service marketing agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
