Branding is a core element of marketing, as it helps us engage with our target audience, whether we’re developing a product, running a business, or supporting a cause. Therefore, understanding brand psychology is crucial for reaching the right people at the right time with the right message.
In this post, we’ll discuss what brand psychology is, its core concepts, the role of sensory cues and some insights into how brands might evolve in the future.
What is brand psychology?
Brand psychology refers to the psychological aspects of branding. To fully understand this concept, it’s crucial to understand what a “brand” is in the first place. According to the American Marketing Association (AMA), as quoted in Brand Psychology, a brand is:
“A name, term, sign, symbol, or design or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.”
There are many examples of brands, and often, consumer products are what come to mind. Therefore, it’s essential to acknowledge the link between branding and consumer psychology. In Brand Psychology, Busche (2024) defines consumer psychology as the “…study of how individuals and companies fulfil their wants and needs by searching for, deciding on, acquiring, using, and disposing of a product”.
In other words, brand psychology involves understanding consumers and appealing to their wants and needs. However, in today’s world, this has become more complex. Busche charts the evolution of consumer studies, which started as a simple process of understanding utilitarian consumer needs. However, as technology and humanity have evolved, meeting consumer needs has become more multidimensional and is now a part of how we shape our identity.
As a quote from Gardner and Levy in Brand Psychology confirms, “People buy things not only for what they can do but also for what they mean”. Therefore, in today’s world, brands must harness the power of perception and appeal to emotions to establish lasting relationships with consumers. To understand how this works, we’ll now turn to a discussion of branding’s core psychological concepts.
Core psychological concepts in branding
In a world of influencers, social media, and mass production, brands must develop their own distinct identity and personalities to compete effectively. As Busche states: “Products carry symbolic significance and branding can add that valuable layer of meaning in ways consumers can understand, remember, and respond to.”
Therefore, core psychological principles in branding include:
- Brand identity and personality: Brands must develop their own identity and personality to resonate with consumers. Busche discusses how material objects can be an extension of our identity and how brands serve as a means to achieve our “desired self-concept.”
- Emotional connection and trust: In a competitive marketplace, it’s not enough to create a powerful brand identity. Brands also need to establish an emotional connection and trust with their audience to build lasting relationships and ensure long-term success.
- Cognitive ease: Brands need to develop a type of “shorthand” that establishes a consistent brand image across all communications, helping them to become easily recognisable and foster brand loyalty in a crowded marketplace.
To understand how brands build an image, we’ll now discuss the role of sensory cues.
The role of sensory cues
To build an effective brand, businesses and organisations need to carefully design their brand image to align with their target audience. One crucial element to consider is colour psychology, which can help to build an effective brand image. For example, Coca-Cola uses an easily recognisable combination of red and white as one of the world’s most well-known consumer brands.
Interestingly, Coca-Cola’s status as a heritage brand has been challenged, notably in 1985 when the company reformulated the drink, as described in an article in The Branding Journal. There was such a backlash against the “New Coke” that the brand reverted to the previous recipe, which shows how people can develop strong emotional connections to brands based on sensory experiences.
However, while Coca-Cola and many international brands have established themselves by engaging with their target audience through effective branding, what changes can be expected in the future?
The future of brand psychology
In a contemporary world, where there is a focus on personalisation, ethical branding and emotional intelligence, brands need to appeal to changing consumer desires, which can include environmental stewardship and sustainability.
Apparel brand Patagonia, for example, has built its brand identity on providing ethically produced outdoor wear that is associated with driving positive change, which includes funding environmental projects. This identity resonates emotionally with consumers who are passionate about conserving the natural environment and seek to purchase products that align with their values.
Whether or not you’re a Coca-Cola or a Patagonia fan, there is no doubt that the global marketplace is changing, which means there is a need for people to understand consumer behaviour and to be able to apply these concepts effectively.If you’d like to learn more about brand psychology, SACAP Global offers a short online course called Intro to Consumer Behaviour & Psychology. This 45-hour course explains how brand psychology works in conjunction with consumer psychology to drive buying behaviour, which is valuable in various fields, including marketing, product development, and business management.
