When iron is like gold
Our perceptions are not etched in stone. For example, at no point in history would anyone have considered addressing the US Congress while wearing a sweatshirt. But, in December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did just that. His sweatshirt is a symbol of a larger struggle. Those circumstances changed how we perceive a man in a sweatshirt addressing Congress and meeting with the president.
Similarly, when Napoleon invaded Prussia in 1806, the Prussian royal family convinced the elites to exchange their silver and gold for iron jewelry. The precious metals were sold to finance the war effort, while the previously déclassé iron jewelry was transformed into a wildly popular symbol of patriotism and even affluence.
Brands can re-shape our thinking in similar ways. The consistently fantastic “Nudge” podcast features an episode about how brands can change how we think.
If people think they are using Red Bull as a mixer in an alcoholic drink, they perceive themselves as more intoxicated, they become more aggressive, and even become more flirtatious compared to people who are told they are drinking a plain, old “energy drink” as a mixer.
Expert violinists claim a strong preference for the Stradivarius brand. But when blindfolded, they actually prefer the sound and feel of newer brands of violins.
What drives a price premium for the Toyota Prius isn’t so much the attributes and functional benefits of the car, but the presence of the Prius logo, which makes a visible statement to other drivers and changes how we frame the Prius’s attributes and functional benefits.
If we think the sunglasses we are wearing are Ray-Bans, we think we are experiencing better protection than when the same sunglasses are branded differently.
This argues for gaining a deeper understanding of brands when conducting research – going beyond just the attributes and benefits and understanding what the brand itself is bringing to people’s experiences, which is hard to pin down, sometimes, but extremely important.