Why is it most of us know that Frosted Flakes are ‘grrreat’ and that Budweiser is the ‘king of beers?’
It’s because these brands have stayed true to their story. They established a position they wanted to own in their buyer’s minds and they stuck with it. They didn’t waver. They didn’t try to reinvent the wheel in every campaign. They didn’t change the story each quarter. They understood that the success of their brand could only be achieved through consistency, connectivity and repetition of their story – across all channels, over time and throughout the omnichannel customer experience.
The power of consistency, connectivity and repetition lies within the brain. It’s simply how it is wired to work: When one neuron (A) repeatedly or persistently takes part in firing another neuron (B), the efficiency of (A) in firing (B) increases. This causes a long-term strengthening of the synapses between the two neurons (memory, association and trust).
Consistency and continuity in your story creates strong synaptic connections with critical buying criteria, which in turn ensures your brand is trusted and top of mind at the moment of choice.
What happens if your story is inconsistent and lacks continuity in the customer experience?
A research paper published the Journal of Brand Management assessed the Neuroscientific foundations of effective brand building. This research discovered, “Marketers often fail to understand or nurture the brand’s true identity. Following the craze of the day, sending conflicting ‘interim’ messages for sales or promotional purposes. Thus, jeopardizing their brand’s opportunity to be remembered and considered when purchasing decisions are made.”
The research goes on to say that communicating different messages at the same time or in subsequent campaigns actually creates confusion and contradiction in the buyer’s mind, resulting in negative emotions and associations. Thus, decreasing the chance that the brand is activated and positively considered.
What does this mean for your business and your story? It means you must …
> Deliver fewer messages, more frequently. A few simple messages repeated consistently send a strong signal to the brain, prompting it to note, ‘I should remember that.’ Repeat the consistent building blocks of your story so that the brain will bookmark them as important.
> Stick to the script. Your team needs to understand — while they may be seeing key messages again and again, your buyer will be exposed to those messages a fraction of the time. When your team starts to get bored with the story, that’s just when it is gaining traction in the market.
> Stay the course. Don’t let short-term pressure or instant gratification persuade you to stray from the building blocks of your story. Stay the course and the financial rewards will come. Consistent delivery of a brand story, on average, increases revenue by 23%.
Do you want to increase engagement and sales conversion rates by establishing an ownable position in the mind of your buyer? Speak to one of our experts today.
That’s Your OnMessage Minute.
