33voices, interviews Marketing & Group Planning Director at Deutsch LA, Douglas Van Praet.
Unconscious Branding
Unconscious Branding
As entrepreneurs, we have to be exceptional marketers and brand ambassadors; but marketing, as we know it, is dead. It’s no longer about the 5 Ps, catchy slogans, or a scare tactic. Today, the consumer is smart, and is way ahead of the marketer. To her, it’s no longer about the future, she’s much more interested in the now. She demands instant and inspired gratification, and if your product doesn’t improve her life, she’ll tell the world; instantly. So how do you win?
In observing the greats of our time, like Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos, you quickly learn that they understand the difference between getting things done and making things happen. They’ve learned that consumers aren’t likely to tell them what they want, so they keep things simple and don’t make you think. To them, emotion is the new currency, so they focus much more on the meaningful and discard the obvious. Most important of all, they connect and inspire you; never letting you feel like a customer. That’s what Douglas Van Praet, refers to as – Unconscious branding. Drawing on his behavioral science research, here’s why Doug feels that the biggest marketing shift of our time is away from consumers and towards human beings –