What emotions you choose to trigger, defines your company will Win/Lose

Nike spent billions of dollars to teach millions of people that the swoosh is a symbol of human possibility and achievement, as well as status and performance.

And, if you’re a designer, the typeface comic sans is a symbol of bad taste, low status, and laziness.

Designers have the humility to understand that not everyone sees a symbol the same way, the awareness to use the right symbol for the right audience, and the guts to invent new symbols to be placed on top of old ones.

We scan instead of study.

And when we scan, we’re asking, “What does this remind me of?” Our brain makes an analogy with what is already present in the memory and connects the scenario with what's happening. We can see a good example of it in duplicate products, though it looks similar to the original brand, it’s a fake one, yet it generates a lot of sales, why?

The reason is simple, people buy with emotion and justify with logic. People will choose to buy those emotions which are associated with Apple, Supreme, Armani, or IKEA and then justify that it also doesn’t cost much to them and is worth spending.

Have you ever seen a villain or bad guy using apple products? You will never because Apple knows this principle very well and they always want to associate themselves with good causes, Same goes with Coke cola, coke chooses to associate itself with the emotion of happiness, which we can see in their every ad and every marketing banner. The good thing is, when we consume sugar we feel good and they are in the same business so it all justifies itself.

Companies with long-term survival and who enjoy tribe-like fan following have done this very well, they choose to stand for a certain cause, and they communicate this with their story. When you see Nike you feel something, What Nike stands for? It’s authentic, athletic, and performing. The same goes with Apple, their tribe feels a sense of exclusivity, and guess what is for Mc’D? They stand for a place like church and home where you can come with your family and children and feed your body and soul. and that’s the reason you will never see adult ads in Mc’D and it’s the same reason the happy meal comes with a toy. It justifies, what they stand for.

When you know what you stand for, there is no competition.

This is done in the order:

Choose your cause, why you exist, and what stories people tell their friends about you.

Secondly, You do everything that justifies your cause. This cause is your filter, this cause is your core value and this cause is the reason for your existence.

Lastly, You continuously justify that cause with everything you do, in everything you communicate. This is where your discipline comes into play with your cause.

This means that the logo you use, the stories you tell, and the appearance of your work, your clothing all matter. Your words resonate with us, not only because of what they mean but because of how they sound and how you use them.

You can see the same in different formats, I’ll give you a few examples now :

In the movie, Whenever we want to see One man doing hardcore action, stunts, and a lot of people fighting in a well-choreographed manner, we directly go to movies like Matrix, and John Wick i.e of Keanu Reeves. Why? Simply because he chooses to associate himself with that kind of movie story and this movie also do well at the box office. The same goes for Tom Hanks, a polite humble man, or Rowan Atkinson a foolish confident man.

We can see the same in the superhero genre also, in the DC comic universe, The big 3 trinities:

Superman for Hope & Invincibility. Wonder woman for peace & Batman,
Batman for Justice & Fear, (that’s the reason Sinestro sees him as a perfect person to hold the Yellow ring of Fear).

Every superhero is associated with a purpose and stands for a cause :

This goes pretty much the same for companies and big brands. Doing business and making money is the primary thing why the business exists but that doesn’t make a long-term impact, that’s not something people have feelings for. There has to be a reason other than that. like the primary purpose of our life is survival but that’s the same for animals what distinguishes us is the meaning we choose our life to give by representing ourselves with the cause we stand for. and for that, we go for certain brands and do certain things in certain ways. Alone we cannot do that, it’s more of validation and status in the community, and accordingly, we choose to give our loyalty to brands, as these brands became an organization with a cause, they inspire us.

We don’t care about you, or how hard you worked on it. We want to know if it’s for us and if you’re the real deal.

Flags and symbols, shortcuts, and shorthand, all are associated with the same kind of meaning you choose to attach. The kind of experience they trigger within us.

The most profitable brands in the world are a lot more than just products for you to buy. The people behind these brands believe that ordinary people are capable of extraordinary acts and that everything is possible if you commit yourself to create change.

Now, this became a widely accepted fact so the rise of UX (user experience) design is on the top-notch demanding profile, and these designers are all known for the association of your cause with your products, your ad, and every touchpoint is an experience and that should be designed keeping that cause in mind.

Designers have the humility, awareness, and guts to invent symbols that can be placed on top of old ones.

Now it’s time for Takeaways :

Your choice to empower, inspire and give meaning to your brand.
1: Create something people feel connected to, and you will sell more
2: Focus on a powerful cause that creates a purpose for the brand beyond just selling products or services.
3: Make people feel like they are a part of and have ownership of the cause.
4: You can ask people to buy your product, but it will be very limited, and you won’t go far. But you can ask them to stand up for something greater than themself, and it has much more potential.
5: Fight for what inspires you and you want to be part of it’s everything basically to connect with your target audience.

In other words, How can you connect with your target audience?
1: You can’t do it without being authentic
2: You can’t do it without your purpose being clear
3: You have to fight the clutter, find your voice and stand for something.

Start by asking yourself how you know what your mission is. And how does this connect with the mission of your customers?

Think like Ray crock, Did you hear about Mcdonald's? What nostalgia. Yeah, they have Ronald and they have a drive-thru. Drive-thru is awesome!
1: What they do is sell food but what they stand for is the red ribbon on top of every golden arches — to make everyone smile, have goodwill, and have joy.
2: In reality, it’s just a burger but what it means for humanity is something much more significant. They stand for lots of things we cherish socially. Can you think of at least five?
3: Who would not cry after knowing how hard the workers were paid in the 1890s? Who wouldn’t go to the streets after knowing that their mission isn’t just about feeding people but making them happy? And many more
4: It’s not just about the food that you eat every day but also it’s about your family and friends who love and care for you through thick and thin. Can you even imagine life without them? So as long as we have each other around us, let’s keep spreading love and joy.

Go and see the movie The Founder.

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