Rick Julian

Sep 14, 20221 min

To Live is to Feel

Recall a few favorite memories from your childhood.
 
If you're like most people, neuroscience tells us, those memories most likely have a strong emotional association: joy, sadness, fear, surprise . . .
 

 
There is a direct and proportional relationship between emotion and memory.
 
If you want your brand to be memorable, make sure your branded assets have an emotional component.
 

 
Landmark research from MIT regarding memorability in images revealed that the following emotions ranked highest for memorability.
 

 
Here they are in rank order:
 

 
1. Disgust

2. Amusement
 
3. Fear
 
4. Anger
 
5. Excitement

6. Sadness
 
7. Awe

8. Contentment
 

 
You may say, "Why would I ever want to associate "disgust" with my brand?"
 
Well, if your product or service solves a disgusting problem people face, like Orkin does for roaches, or Saran Wrap does for spoiled food, or Draino does for clogged pipes . . .
 
showing the disgusting problem may be a good way to trigger an emotional response before your brand comes riding to the rescue to solve it.
 

 
This will give you a very strong, memorable, one, two punch.
 

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