like an unwanted skin and become susceptible to the dream stage.
According to the former Philip Morris executive,
that’s
when a real attachment to a brand tends to take root. Here’s how it happens. During a brief respite from the routine stage, or “work mode,” we feel more relaxed, less inhibited, and more open to trying new drinks, new clothes, new cosmetics, new foods. Pretty soon, we’ve subconsciously linked the good memories or pleasant emotions of the dream stage with the taste of that new cocktail or the feel of that new face cream against our skin or the fragrance of that new lemon-scented candle. So once Monday rolls around again, or autumn gets under way, we try to “reactivate” this feeling by integrating those brands and products into our daily routines. And once something is part of our routine, it becomes almost impossible to shake.
In sum, a habit is formed during the dream stage, then the habit is reinforced and permanently embedded during the routine stage, at which time we are unconsciously longing for the dream-stage feelings we left behind at the beach or at the spa or at that outdoor concert. This, in fact, is why most beverage brands are so ubiquitously present at summertime music festivals and concerts; those companies know this is one of the best windows to hook new customers on their products. Red Bull, for example, got its start by distributing free caseloads of the stuff at cool “hangouts” like malls and surfing shops, where teenagers and college kids tend to gather to escape the mundane routines of their everyday lives (by the way, it’s no coincidence that malls and certain kinds of stores become the “cool” hangout location—that’s another happy “accident” engineered largely by marketers, who often hire sexy, good-looking kids to stand casually in front of the entrance. Miraculously, the area is soon packed with other kids; mission accomplished). The company knew that if it caught these kids in their dream stage, once Monday rolled around and they went back to their classes, chores, and homework, they’d associate Red Bull with the carefree feeling of hanging out at the surf shop—and pretty soon they’d be hooked (though in the case of Red Bull there are other reasons, as you’ll soon be reading).
Of course, this doesn’t work every time. In order for a product to truly take root, its makers have to imbue it with some addictive—whetherphysically or psychologically—qualities. So what exactly do companies and advertisers do to engineer our desire and make their brand or product so impossible to resist? Let me give you one example from the front lines.
The Power of Craving
A couple of years ago, one of the largest beverage companies in the world hired me to help solve a problem. The sales of its top soft drink had been declining over the past three years, and despite rolling out every trick in its playbook, nothing (including more TV ads and a viral campaign) was working. It looked hopeless, until I realized something the marketing executives had overlooked. Though it seemed like a small detail, psychologically speaking it was anything but.
Now I’m going to let you in on the secret ingredient behind some of the most successful food, beverage, and cosmetics brands out there: the element of
craving
. It’s a word that the industry finds hard to admit that it strives for, yet most hit brands and products would be nothing without it.
Face it: all of us experience cravings at some point or another, whether they’re for fast food after a long day at work, a bar of chocolate on our way home from the gym, or a cigarette with our morning coffee. Craving is why we’re drawn at 2:00 a.m. to the quiet glow of our refrigerator, why the munchy allure of those Doritos or Cheetos refuses to fade until we’ve polished off the whole bag, and why we fight an internal battle each time we walk by the candy aisle in the drugstore or supermarket. But while cravings may seem
According to the former Philip Morris executive,
that’s
when a real attachment to a brand tends to take root. Here’s how it happens. During a brief respite from the routine stage, or “work mode,” we feel more relaxed, less inhibited, and more open to trying new drinks, new clothes, new cosmetics, new foods. Pretty soon, we’ve subconsciously linked the good memories or pleasant emotions of the dream stage with the taste of that new cocktail or the feel of that new face cream against our skin or the fragrance of that new lemon-scented candle. So once Monday rolls around again, or autumn gets under way, we try to “reactivate” this feeling by integrating those brands and products into our daily routines. And once something is part of our routine, it becomes almost impossible to shake.
In sum, a habit is formed during the dream stage, then the habit is reinforced and permanently embedded during the routine stage, at which time we are unconsciously longing for the dream-stage feelings we left behind at the beach or at the spa or at that outdoor concert. This, in fact, is why most beverage brands are so ubiquitously present at summertime music festivals and concerts; those companies know this is one of the best windows to hook new customers on their products. Red Bull, for example, got its start by distributing free caseloads of the stuff at cool “hangouts” like malls and surfing shops, where teenagers and college kids tend to gather to escape the mundane routines of their everyday lives (by the way, it’s no coincidence that malls and certain kinds of stores become the “cool” hangout location—that’s another happy “accident” engineered largely by marketers, who often hire sexy, good-looking kids to stand casually in front of the entrance. Miraculously, the area is soon packed with other kids; mission accomplished). The company knew that if it caught these kids in their dream stage, once Monday rolled around and they went back to their classes, chores, and homework, they’d associate Red Bull with the carefree feeling of hanging out at the surf shop—and pretty soon they’d be hooked (though in the case of Red Bull there are other reasons, as you’ll soon be reading).
Of course, this doesn’t work every time. In order for a product to truly take root, its makers have to imbue it with some addictive—whetherphysically or psychologically—qualities. So what exactly do companies and advertisers do to engineer our desire and make their brand or product so impossible to resist? Let me give you one example from the front lines.
The Power of Craving
A couple of years ago, one of the largest beverage companies in the world hired me to help solve a problem. The sales of its top soft drink had been declining over the past three years, and despite rolling out every trick in its playbook, nothing (including more TV ads and a viral campaign) was working. It looked hopeless, until I realized something the marketing executives had overlooked. Though it seemed like a small detail, psychologically speaking it was anything but.
Now I’m going to let you in on the secret ingredient behind some of the most successful food, beverage, and cosmetics brands out there: the element of
craving
. It’s a word that the industry finds hard to admit that it strives for, yet most hit brands and products would be nothing without it.
Face it: all of us experience cravings at some point or another, whether they’re for fast food after a long day at work, a bar of chocolate on our way home from the gym, or a cigarette with our morning coffee. Craving is why we’re drawn at 2:00 a.m. to the quiet glow of our refrigerator, why the munchy allure of those Doritos or Cheetos refuses to fade until we’ve polished off the whole bag, and why we fight an internal battle each time we walk by the candy aisle in the drugstore or supermarket. But while cravings may seem
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