Comments on: Right-Brained or Left-Brained Branding?

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:52:07 +0000

Hi Peter,
Thanks for the kind words and for further sharing your thoughts with us. You know, when I write my posts, I’m not thinking about endorsing any particular brand or product; any particular author’s article or book. I’m thinking about writing a commentary on something I personally find provocative and worthy of further discussion. Business people have many diverse POVs, Peter, and they don’t have to agree with your opinions or mine. It really isn’t important whether they do or not, in my view. What I’m trying to do here: get people to think about a number of issues. Discuss them. Share their ideas. Send this on to friends and colleagues. That’s it. And I have to say, this is a very enjoyable experience. Love it. Value the input from everyone. Lastly, I learn a lot from others, too. Many give me pause to think and reevaluate, too. That’s what makes blogging like this so compelling.
Thanks again, Peter.

By: Peter Rogovin

Peter Rogovin — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:06:15 +0000

Ted, Just taking Bing for a spin and happened across your blog. So first, thanks for the props and good points in extending the thinking and applications. Second, I agree (naturally, since I wrote the column) that it is not tiresome and dated; in fact, we’ve seen a number of brands wholly embrace a more balanced view in stark contrast to previous campaigns (Allstate and Liberty Mutual come to mind). Finally, I don’t think I misunderstood or misrepresented Damasio’s thesis, though I’d be the first to admit I did not read the fine print of his book. In his most famous studies, which are vigorously debated and in some circles discredited, he demonstrated that people who did not have the ability to empathize and feel emotion (due to brain injury) – in theory, people who could ONLY think rationally – could not make decisions. The degree to which this applies to brands is debatable, but the general thought that we cannot turn off part of our brains when making decisions might be interesting news for any brand that has shifted to a features and price message as a knee jerk response to the recession. Anyway, good discussion, and thanks again.

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:32:41 +0000

Good points, Martin. Agreed: emotions are great consumer motivators. Different market conditions call for different emotional drivers, don’t they? Love your point about successful brands sticking to who they are–so true.
Thanks for weighing in, Martin. Succinct and excellently articulated points.

By: Martin Hendess

Martin Hendess — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:49:11 +0000

I think there is always emotional branding. It just varies in what emotions you evoke in your marketing. But I believe truly long-term successful companies stay true to who/what they are – in good times and bad.

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:46:44 +0000

Adam,
Thanks for adding your thoughts to my post. Many have debated this issue in the past, and I expect they will continue to. For me, this topic isn’t tiresome or over-done at all. In fact, I think it more relevant than ever in this downturned economy. Marketing has a bigger challenge than ever on its hands now in finding the right balance to appeal to cash-strapped or spending-averse consumers. Dan Pink, former speechwriter to Bill Clinton, author and speaker is out on the conference circuit addressing this topic to large audiences right now. Stay tuned for more on this subject.
Thanks, Adam, for weighing in. I appreciate it.

By: Adam Schorr

Adam Schorr — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:04:50 +0000

I don’t think Damasio’s point is that people are more emotional than rational. The thrust of his work has been to counter the predominant rational choice paradigm which conceived of people as purely rational actors. Damasio in addition to folks like Kahneman and Tversky have demonstrated persuasively that we are both rational and emotional. If memory serves, Damasio shows that emotion and reason are difficult to untangle in the neuorological system.
Frankly, I think this topic has become rather tiresome. About as tiresome as nature vs. nurture. Branding is about both. People clearly involve reason when making purchase decisions. They also involve emotion. The challenge is to understand how those two factors mix together and what circumstances tend to make one predominate over the other.

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:33:24 +0000

Thanks, Paul, for taking the time to weigh in on this. Agreed that the most effective marketing has to appeal to us on an emotional as well as rational level. The question has to be: how to achieve the right balance?
Great example of a brilliant marketing initiative that offers us–as you say–”a good example of a balanced value proposition”. BTW: I think this current economy ought to get companies thinking of ways they can capture consumers as Hyundai has done.

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:28:41 +0000

Jesse,
It’s great that you took the time to share a great example of consumer buying behavior based on the emotional vs rational approach to making purchase decisions. You’re quite observant, aren’t you? Love how you recapped by saying: “Different approaches to buying, same person.” Exactly. We humans are complex and sometimes respond to situations in a more emotional manner, and at other times, in a more logical one.
Thanks, Jesse. I always enjoy reading your input.

By: Paul Barsch

Paul Barsch — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:13:57 +0000

Ted, I think you and Peter Rogovin have it right in that a balance between rational and emotional branding is a key to success in today’s market place. Human beings are certainly not entirely rational (just take a look at the volatility of gold prices and/or large stock market changes by the hour and day).
For a good example of a balanced value proposition, I really like what Hyundai is doing with their “if you lose your job in the next year, bring the car back” campaign. It helps people manage their uncertainty, while getting a great automobile in return.

By: Jesse Kanclerz

Jesse Kanclerz — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:08:29 +0000

What do you think of taking the balanced rational emotional approach in marketing?
Although people have a tendency to lean in one direction, I believe you can’t divorce the two because people are inherently rational and emotional.
For instance, I had a woman/mother walk into the ski shop and we narrowed down her choices to two expert level skis. She was torn between the two, feature wise each was quite similar, so I suggested a vision of the type of skier for each. One is better for a mother who’s out teaching her kids to ski, but still wants to rip a few turns on her own time, the other is for mom with an attitude who sends her kids off to an instructor for lessons. I’ll leave it to your imagination which ski she chose.
While her decision was emotional in choosing her ski, she was quite rational/practical in picking out the kids equipment. This involved my explaining how it makes more financial sense to buy the kids skis rather than lease, considering we have a guaranteed price tradein program.
Different approaches to buying, same person.