“To sum up, our research showed that the emotions we
experience when we are exposed to iPods, Guiness, and Ferrari sports cars are
similar to the emotions generated by religious symbols such as crosses, rosary
beads, Mother Teresa, the Virgin Mary, and the Bible. In fact, the reactions in
our volunteers to the brands and religious icons were not just similar, they
were almost identical.” (p125)
Author and branding expert (and only 38 yr old!) Martin
Lindstrom spent three years and $7 million to examine what parts of the brain
are stimulated when exposed to various brands, products, and logos. The brands
listed above, iPod, Guiness, and Ferrari are what marketers term, “smashable
brands”, meaning if you threw an iPod against the wall and it broke into a hundred pieces
you’d still know that it was an iPod. In the same way, if you poured just a
drop of Guiness out of the tap, because of the distinguished foam and dark
color, you’d likely know it was a Guiness. The idea came from the Coke bottle
still being recognized as a coke bottle if you saw it smashed to bits on the
street. “Smashable brands” are head and shoulders above weaker brands in terms
of recognition and consumer response and as the study showed those brands illicit
nearly an identical emotional response as spiritual images like the cross.
The book has been a fascinating read as I’ve been thinking a
lot about the branding craze of our culture. After reading the chapter about
religion last night, this morning I woke up wondering if I’m a smashable brand.
If we are images of God according to the creation story, his representations,
perhaps we could say we are products, logos, brands, of the triune God.
But, am I a smashable brand? If life for me ended today,
could you associate me as a poured out, sold out follower of the one true God? Or
am I just another brand?
Think about it. Are you a smashable brand? Does the life you
live reveal the design and qualities... the power of your maker?
(thanks to CRM's branding expert, Andrew Taylor for the recommended reading!)
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