NEED insight

Like many in marketing, I suspect, my understanding of the human brain is cranium-deep. I’ve read Thinking, Fast and Slow, so I know my way round a two-system metaphor. I’ve heard of a million different biases although I rarely seem to find them useful on brand strategies. I know something about how certain drugs block the re-uptake of dopamine and how with repeated use the brain adapts, so the same amount of drug delivers less effect and the baseline without it falls l

Imagine being asked if you like a brand you’ve recently bought. I know it’s unlikely but say you’re on a consumer panel doing a survey and the next question comes up. “Overall, how much do you like [brand]?” on a 7-point scale from 1 ‘dislike very much’ to 7 ‘like very much’. You might well wonder what they mean by ‘like’. You’re familiar with the brand? Satisfied with the experience? In the habit of buying it? Find it’s a brand you trust? Nothing to complain

I’ve tried to move on. Tried to leave the idea of an emotional connection behind and embrace modern marketing. To think only about needs that sit on the surface for everyone to see. Tell my clients that all that matters is their brand comes to mind and is easy to find when those needs pop up in people’s lives. Category Entry Points, Mental Availability, Physical Availability. Repeat after me. But I just can’t do it. The problem is I have an emotional connection to

There’s that scene in ‘The Trip’ where Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan argue about who can do the best Michael Caine impersonation. Coogan knows his is more accurate and he’s desperate to show it off. But Brydon refuses to let him interrupt until he’s finished his own routine showing how Michael Caine’s voice has changed over the years. “Let me finish!” Coogan finally takes over, critiquing Brydon’s impersonation of Caine in the voice of Caine. “It’s not quite nasal enough