Brands Are So Alluring

Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash

The point of a brand is, in one way or another, to tug on our heartstrings. 

It doesn’t matter if it’s a consumer brand, or a B2B brand, the goal is entirely the same: to establish a preference that has, as its basis, criteria well beyond the rational.

Sure, there are foundational elements built on the quality of the product (if we’re buying it) or the work of the organization (if we want to be employed by it) - all of these elements feed into the decision making process. 

But the best brands establish a mystique or an aura that transcends such rational considerations. They’re so alluring, they seem to have a gravitational pull all their own. And the bigger the brand, the more intoxicating the effect.

Which is why they become the easy choice - and also the easiest to get wrong. 

Mainly because, in making such choices, we tend to put aside the rational for the emotional. We stop thinking about what we really want, and think more about the psychic benefits, the social capital, etc. 

So, we may love the type of work a particular company does, but their culture might be completely misaligned with our personal value set. Or the social capital afforded from buying a specific car or technology product clouds our judgement around its actual performance and economic tradeoffs. 

Even while the data telling us all of this is right there in front of us (and perhaps even in the backs of our minds). It’s available for us to utilize, but we choose not to. Instead, we use alternative criteria that aren't based on what we actually need, what we might actually value.  

Look, I’m not saying all brands are bad - clearly, they’re not. Brands are valuable and have relevance. 

But I am saying that all brands are not for everyone. And, as such, our personal choices should reflect this. Making decisions on the basis of social capital (and the status afforded accordingly) is a fool's errand. We should strive to be better than that.