Indelible brand memories

The Museum of Brands in London is using branded products and packaging to enhance the lives of people with dementia.

 The director of the museum says that she often hears people walking around and getting excited about the childhood memories sparked by specific package designs or ads. This gave them the idea for a project called Brand Memories, which will run for two years and consists of a series of activities and events designed to help patients suffering from dementia.

 The sessions are held both at the museum and also at care facilities.

As Erin Tuckey, the community development assistant at the museum, explains, “Even when the memory of the session fades, the positive impact on the person’s mood may stay, and can also give families and carers an opportunity to interact with the person with dementia in a positive way,”

The museum says multi-sensory items and common everyday items like soap and candy tend to trigger the most powerful memories.

(In the US, there are a number of similar programs that encourage dementia patients to get together to talk about baseball, poetry, or music.)

 This reinforces the importance of brand memories. When people connect a brand back to childhood that often suggests some very powerful, often unconscious associations that still influence purchase behavior and perceptions.