Does Your Brand Bring Back Memories?

Some companies need to create a past for themselves. Others have a grand history to draw from, if the business can hit the right spot without relying solely on nostalgia. This is the brand's myth, or the heritage of the brand (whether real or made-up.) It's the legend with which to connect to the client.

The one thing to keep in mind, but not let it run your campaign, is how to understand your own myth. Disney started out as a simple film company, but eventually turned itself into a vast and varied product line that entices every age. It's a thin line to backtrack the history of a brand while still remaining within a logical structure that customers will easily understand, all the while letting the brand live and breathe in the present era.

Of course, there's another facet to think about. In the field of psychology there's something known as a "flashbulb memory." In a nutshell a flashbulb memory is something that a person can recall vividly months, years and even decades after they've experienced an event. The flashbulb phenomenon is very powerful, so much so that a lot of the details become intertwined with the person's emotions, attaching a great deal of positive or negative significance to that memory.

What does this mean in advertising? In one sentence, novelty is vital to your existence. A sense of surprise can create the necessary flash. But in reality, novelty is more than just innovation; novelty is intimate. It's personal. It may not be new to advertisers, but if it's new to me there's always the opportunity for this "flashbulb memory" to take effect.

It seems like some companies are ready to enter our lives at important moments, when this flash actually does go off. Here's where two key questions need to be asked: first, exactly what is the strongest and most recent memory in said category? Next, what is the strongest and most recent memory of the actual brand itself?

Quite often these original and strongest memories meet the criteria of the flashbulb experience. Such memories are surprisingly deep, detailed and tactile, engaging every sense. On the other hand the most recent memories we retain are often just the opposite: dull, seemingly unimaginative, and underwhelming. It's the conflict between the brand's promise (as experienced by those flashbulb memories) and the harsh reality of today's everyday usage that indicates how a brand can, in essence, reinvent itself.

The goal, then, should be to bring your current brand in line with your original compelling heritage, whether it's already established or recently created by your marketing team. Connecting honestly with the consumers' emotions will prove a brand's true value, its deep connection entwined through these flashbulb memories. Every company can make use of this resource, regardless of whether you've been in business since 1680 or just opened last week.