Building memories: a key to brand growth
By Matt Taylor
One beautiful day in early February, my wife and I took our dog Nico to a nearby park for a bit of fetch and exploration. It was so nice I couldn’t help but think, “February hasn’t been this mild in years.”
Except it was ... the previous year! February 2023 set a record high in my area, and I had already forgotten. Thinking about this brought a few marketing lessons to mind.
We notice what is relevant
Our life situation and goals direct our focus throughout the day. We’re more likely to spot food when we’re hungry or a pain relief promise when we’re feeling sore. There’s so much information coming our way that our brains filter most out, bringing only relevant things to our attention.
For instance, Nico is a very active dog and enjoys being outside twice a day, almost every day—rain or shine, fair weather, or deep freeze. And since this is now our routine, an unseasonably mild day in winter is far more relevant.
But will I remember it next year? We’ll see.
Noticing doesn’t guarantee remembering
Our brains are finely tuned to eliminate unimportant information. We don’t typically have poor memories; we have picky memories where our brains choose what to remember and what to forget.
So, maybe I did notice the beautiful day last year, but it wasn’t important to me. Or perhaps I ran through the streets to celebrate. I’ll never know because my brain decided it wasn’t worth remembering.
Plus, memories are often inaccurate
Memories don’t just fade, they change. In fact, each one is like a puzzle, reconstructed each time we remember, and often altered by new (and sometimes incorrect) information. Which is why our memories of the exact same event can differ so much.
OK, so what does all this have to do with marketing? Put simply, we need to work with our customers’ brains. Here’s how:
1. Attract through relevance
Consider marketing and selling to situations (i.e., moments) and occasions (i.e., times of use)—a summer cold, a new child, an aging parent, or a long and stressful day. Consider how the consumer might feel, the problems they’re solving, and the times they’ll need your product. Their brains have precious little resources and are searching for messages that fit their situation.
2. Retain through repetition
Marketing management is, in part, memory management. Memories fade and change in time. This doesn’t mean blasting your customers with non-stop ads, but it does mean a long-term commitment to keeping memories alive with consistent messaging.
In summary, relevance x repetition can lead to great things. So, think about the memories you may want to build and refresh for your customers.