As much as we might wish that our audience’s perception of our brands could be magically transformed into our own dazzlingly positive opinion, unfortunately, a brand is not what YOU think. Rather, it is what your audience thinks. Customers’ ideas, trust, and expectations are carefully earned; and the brand perception that results is the rightful property of your customers. Luckily, this way of the world is not a setback by any means. When harnessed properly, it can be a seemingly miraculous advantage.

In my years of research and experience, I uncovered a placebo effect of brands, a phenomenon I coined BRANDcebo. This powerful effect occurs when a brand makes such a profound impact on their customers’ minds, that the product actually begins to change how they perform, not just how they think they perform. Through BRANDcebo, it is abundantly clear that keen brand marketing strategies enable profound influence on the subconscious mind. 

However, the most successful tactics do so with subtlety. Shaping ideas rather than forcing them. Respecting consumers’ natural opinions is key to capturing the best opportunities to strike a chord with the innate, emotional component of their beings. The moment when a switch flips in their mind and they start to truly believe that your brand is better than all the rest. So, let’s explore the ways that the BRANDcebo effect can occur when you can sculpt your customers’ perceptions — while respecting their independence, their minds and their personal convictions.  

First, Accept

As you form your strategies, start with the acceptance that your audience will make up their own minds. Have patience. Avoid telling customers what to think about your brand. It is far less powerful to say that your brand is the best or even to use purely logical reasoning to convince them. Let them think whatever comes to mind about your brand. Then, transform their opinion with something far more powerful than something that can simply be told. Share a story.

Building Your Story

Beyond brand awareness, stories are what pull consumers into a passionate brand relationship. So, get your authorial mindset ready and give them something to believe in. The key aspect of a good story is that undeniable rush of adrenaline you feel from suspense, or the desperate heartache that results from a character’s broken heart. Use this. Highlight the transformative experience your product can bring and connect it to what your audience deeply desires. 

Elicit Emotion

Rather than telling people what to like, successful brands make consumers feel something. This emotional connection is what sticks in the mind like a favorite movie or a book you cannot put down. So connect with those deep desires and longings of your potential customers. Let them know your product is there to answer the call, to be the one to sweep them off their feet. Know that these feelings are often separate from rational needs, but this is where the magic of BRANDcebo occurs.

Be Subtle

When writing your brand marketing strategy, or story, don’t always spell it out — it’s often better to give your audience powerful images and let them come to their own emotionally charged conclusions. So engage with the objective part of the mind with helpful information and rational arguments, but let these details take a back seat. As important as they are, to create BRANDcebo, you need to access the subconscious mind through emotion. Reach past their intellect to engage with the body, heart and maybe even the soul too. 

Tap into the Imagination

It might seem like a tall order, but reaching past the conscious mind and into the deeper brain is simpler than you might think. Alongside emotional messaging juxtaposed with carefully chosen imagery, tap into color, music, and even familiarity. That’s right. Find your key palate and playlist then keep it on repeat. Use these components as an underlying influence and allow your audience to let their minds wander. Emotions and imagination together can be stronger than even the most convincing argument.

Leave it to Interpretation

Once you have engaged the imagination, leave it open to interpretation. Especially when using powerful emotional triggers, you will end up with countless interpretations. You need to respect each individual consumer’s unique brand perception. Know that not every product will work for everyone and in much the same way, even the most perfectly crafted messages will not resonate with every member of your audience. Focus on tapping into the people who share the emotional connection with the brand. Influence them with these strategies, then step back and let them create their own fantasy. 

Now that you’re on the path to uncovering your brand’s greatest story and engaging your consumers’ imaginations, emotions, and deepest desires, why not take it a step further? Read my book here to find out how to take a unique brand perception, turn it into a brand relationship, and much, much more.