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How Perception Transforms Merchandise Into Manufacturers

How faith turns products into brands

Santa Claus. Santa Claus. St. Nicholas. Whatever you call him, he is a symbol of Christmas for everyone, regardless of age.

But for kids, it represents so much of the joy, vitality, and energy of Christmas – because they believe.

When we look at the brand, there are two key areas; the “things” and the “concepts”. Things are the elements that we can experience directly through our senses. In the case of Santa and Christmas, some of these are the red suit, red face, white beard, reindeer, and sleigh bells. I won’t go any further, we know the symbols of Santa Claus. The “concepts” are the intangible and “conceptual” elements that we associate with Christmas. This can be happiness, giving, family warmth, kindness, joy, etc.

Although intangible, the “concepts” give the brands their meaning.

Without the ‘concepts’ we associate with ‘things’, the red suit, the white beard, the reindeer would just be things. It is the linked “concepts” that give meaning to a brand, and these “concepts” are developed through our own experience. The ‘things’ are factual, but for the ‘concepts’ to have meaning we have to believe in them.

A product is a fact, but for a brand to make sense, it takes trust and trust.

We believe a brand will help us / be effective / useful / etc, but that belief is based on our experience.

Let’s go back to Santa Claus. Children believe in Santa Claus for two reasons:

• You are told by people that they trust (parents, teachers, etc.) that He exists

• Your belief in receiving gifts on Christmas Day is confirmed by your experience

Children believe in Santa Claus when people they trust told them he would bring them presents and they got them on Christmas morning. Why shouldn’t they believe that he will continue to deliver gifts next year? Their belief in future actions is based on their previous experience.

This is how successful brands work. By creating a belief that is strengthened through experience, a brand can become a part of someone’s life rather than just being a product.

All it takes is faith.

Contribution to Branding Strategy Insider by: Paul Bailey, Strategy Director at Halo

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Brand Strategy Insider is a service from The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in brand research, brand strategy, brand growth and branding

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