The reasons we love a certain brand of sneakers probably have more to do with our brains than our feet. As consumers, we like to think we favour a brand because of objective factors, such as product quality or price. But insights from psychology suggest that our feelings and identities may have a greater influence than we’d expect on which brands we choose.

So, what does that mean for brands and their approaches to communicating to their target customers? Are story-driven marketing campaigns that pack an emotional punch really the key to lasting loyalty?

Emotions: at the heart of brand choices

You might think you chose your brand of toothpaste because it’s the best at preventing cavities or because it’s the best value. But even if you didn’t realise it, emotions likely factored into your decision.

Evidence suggests that emotions may influence our behaviour as consumers more than we’d like to admit. According to Peter Noel Murray, a consumer psychologist, research show that consumers evaluate brands mostly based on emotions rather than information or facts about the brand.

Granted, the role of emotions in consumer decision-making is hardly news to most businesses. From the long-established supermarket strategy of placing produce and flowers at the front of the store to generate a feeling of “freshness”, to clothing retailers that play music that makes shoppers feel like they’re at a hip nightclub (which actually makes shoppers move faster, without reducing sales), examples of businesses harnessing the power of emotion to sell are everywhere.

But when it comes to branding and their supporting customer experiences, marketers often exaggerate the practicalities, lauding the latest and greatest features and benefits of their products and/or services, while often neglecting the personal touch that will really resonate with the individual consumer.

With that in mind, today’s brands would do well to master the art of storytelling that research has proven, time and time again, to be such an influential factor for much of our audience’s purchasing decisions.

I am what I buy: how brands form identity

Far back in 2006, Apple launched its “Get a Mac” campaign. The campaign featured a series of commercials that featured a young, hip guy in a hoodie introducing himself by saying “Hi, I’m a Mac.” A nerdy, older man wearing a blazer and glasses portrayed another tech brand (you can probably guess which one.) The campaign implied that the computer you use signifies the kind of person you are, and of course, you want to be young and cool, like a Mac.

Many of us may roll our eyes and feel like we’re not so easily swayed to choose one brand over the other, because of something that tells us almost nothing about the actual products they’re advertising. Yet the “Get a Mac” campaign turned out to be a huge success for Apple.

Over 15 years later, the emotional tropes displayed in the campaign still stick in our minds when we think about both brands. What Apple’s ad campaign did so well was to associate their brand with an emotionally-charged and personable identity that remains connected to their brand to this day. As any psychologist will tell you, identity and the urge to belong is a powerful social concept that relates to how we view and define ourselves and others. We use many elements of our lives (height, taste, political leaning, etc) to construct our identities—and brands are no different.

So how does this psychological phenomenon tangibly relate to the business world? Consumers construct their identities and present themselves to others through the brands they choose. For instance, you may love a certain brand of cars because you see yourself as sleek and polished, or because you want other people to view you that way.

Identity may explain why many of the best-loved brands communicate personality traits that consumers identify with or wish to emulate, such as being young, tech-savvy, wealthy, or sexy. If your brand doesn’t resonate with your customer’s real or desired identity, it’s unlikely your brand will inspire love.

The power of social identity in branding

If you’ve ever felt a connection to people who use the same kind of smartphone or ride the same brand of car as you do, you’ve experienced social identity in branding.

Social identity, a component of personal identity, involves defining ourselves based on membership in certain social groups. Individuals might derive social identity from belonging to a fraternity, living in a particular neighbourhood, or being a member of a professional organisation. Social identity is relevant to brands because of the way social groups influence individuals’ choices and preferences.

A study on solar panel installation demonstrates how the communities we live in can affect our purchasing decisions. Solar panels can be costly to install, so you might assume that only people who see themselves as wealthy or environmentally conscious might install them. But researchers discovered that the most predictive factor in determining where solar panels were installed wasn’t wealth, but whether someone’s neighbours had installed solar panels.

Many advertising campaigns rely on social identity, suggesting that other members of the target customer’s social group—health-conscious mothers, for example—use a product. Some brands have created social networks exclusively for their customers, essentially forming a social group around their products. Consumers may be more likely to adopt a brand if their social group does, too.

Last line

From powerfully emotive ad campaigns to personable social media posts, the digital experiences you promote online are integral to building a lasting emotional connection with consumers — maybe even more so than your actual brand’s products/services.