Our Emotional Attachment to Companies.
Driving on a freeway recently I overtook a truck. Well, it was more like a shuddering, bristling animal than just a truck. And it was on a steep hill so I needed to press my foot down.
Once in the clear again I patted the dashboard of my car and said: "Good boy!"
Now we can laugh this off as a curious human foible. Let's face it, we all do it. Pet rocks, football teams, cars, a potplant we call "Ferdie".
That's what this article is about, the fact that this process is not a trivial sideshow in our psyche. In fact it influences our behaviours and choices in ways we hardly suspect.
The Teddy Bear
Remember that teddy bear you had when you were little? You gave it a name, dragged it around behind you, hugged it, slept with it firmly in your arms. It was real to you and a deep emotional attachment grew.
All of us outgrow this developmental stage. But the human process that made it possible does not simply disappear.
As we grow, we learn to do something far more sophisticated: we seek personality and attach ourselves emotionally to complex, abstract structures. And that includes companies.
A Company?
It's odd when you think about it. A company is just a business structure, isn't it? It's not real.
But that's just the point. It doesn't have to be real. We simply need to recognise its qualities as humanlike.
What Are These Qualities?
To begin with a company has a name. A name implies not only individuality but personality as well.
A company does not have a structure as such but it has an implied structure. The product or service does not just appear. It comes from somewhere and that implies not only a structured series of processes but the physical dimension of handling.
A company does not have a face but it has a logo. When applied consistently, that corporate image provides us with a form that we can recognise. That image also has specific qualities such as colour and shape that provides a sense of distinct personality.
So far these qualities are all about structure and image. But there are also behavioural qualities.
If something shows intent and purpose, then we naturally project human motives onto its actions. And all companies have a purpose and a direction. It is their reason for being.
Finally, the very fact that a company can communicate with us is the clincher. This indicates the workings of an individual consciousness even if it does come through marketing materials and sales representatives. This gives the company an individual voice. Only humans are truly capable of that.
So yes, a company might be an abstract structure but we perceive its human qualities and construct a persona to match.
The Start of Emotional Connection
You can see that most of the above qualities are really about differentiation. They help the company to stand out as a unique entity.
Historically this came about when populations grew and businesses became more widespread and competitive. It was a natural step to differentiate your business from the one down the road. A unique name. A sign. A price difference.
After all, how could people use your business if they could not see you?
But with this differentiation, something unusual became apparent. That simple act of differentiation somehow inspired people to relate to the company on a deeper level.
The feelings, thoughts and associations that people held about the company transcended the goods or services being provided. It was an emotional connection with deep roots.
It's not hard to see why a company would desire such a thing. And that's why there is so much concentration on the concept of "brand".
The Brand
Brand originally meant that something was a unique entity with individual qualities. Thus the word "brand" itself.
Over the years, brand has come to mean something more. It's now about what was mentioned above, the overall feelings and thoughts that a person has about a company.
When a strong connection forms this means that, as a well-known quote states, the company "owns a piece of the client's mind".
But the question remains: why would we buy into this concept of brand? There has to be some payoff for us. And that's where the emotional promise comes in.
The Emotional Promise
The emotional promise is this: interact with the company and a kind of satisfaction will be yours.
It is the promise of a deeper satisfaction than the product or service can provide.
This satisfaction could be in the realm of human emotional needs such as acceptance or it could also plug into a deeper mythical vein in which we become part of a vibrant and inspiring movement.
Either way, the process has the same starting point: differentiation and the way it affects our perception.
The Show
Over the years, companies have evolved to place this process central to their thinking.
Day in and day out we see it in myriad ways, in the mass media and in the local companies we deal with. We might complain that branding is foisted upon us. And for better or worse, it is.
But it is a result of business evolution. It works – and it is used – because it plays upon an inherent human process. That's where its immense power lies.
So is branding always manipulative? Is ethical branding possible?
Of course it is. But that has to be the subject of another article.
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