Branding for basic human instincts: 4 organs, 4 instincts, and how they drive our connections with brands
Hear about the 4 key organs that drive basic human instincts and see whether you feel the example brands listed are truly tapping into those basic human instincts.
TRANSCRIPT – BRANDING BEFORE BREAKFAST EP72
Good morning. Today I wanted to talk to you about a branding theory I have been reading up on. And in this theory, it poses that your brand should really appeal to one of the four human organs. And when you do that, you naturally correlate with an instinctive human need. So, the four organs that they talk to are the brain, the heart, the stomach, and the genitals. And what they say about these things, is that with the brain, that is our human craving to make sense of the world.
With the heart, it’s the fact that we all want to belong to a larger collective. We are not meant to be individual creatures.
With the stomach, it’s that for such a long time we were primed for scarcity. There wasn’t an abundance of food. We didn’t know if we were going to be safe. So if ever we found shelter, if ever we found food, we wanted lots of it. and we wanted to keep it for as long as possible.
And with the genitals, it’s all about procreation. How are we going to find that partner that’s going to allow us to procreate and populate the world?
So, when we were reading up on this theory, they also had some interesting examples of brands that have done this. With the brain they talked about, unsurprisingly, Google. It’s helping us make sense of the world. They also talked about legal firms. So when you’re having to wrangle with lots of different laws and regulations, they’re there to help you sort through this. With the heart, unsurprisingly it’s Facebook. So despite our independent feelings on Facebook, it has been able to connect millions of people around the world, and it allows you to feel part of a larger tribe. With the stomach, it’s all about Amazon. So as I mentioned, for years we’ve been primed to think, Okay. If we can get our hands on something, we want lots of it because we know that scarcity is coming. Amazon offers you a plethora of products and you can go for your life on anything that you want to get hold of. And for the genitals, they talk to Apple. If you see somebody with an iPhone, a laptop and Apple product, for those who believe in the Apple brand, it’s a signal to them that you are a person who is like minded. That you would be a person that would be good to procreate with.
So, today it’s a different one, but I want you to have a think about which organ, which human need your brand appeals to. Okay, that’s it from me. Time for brekkie.
Written by: Jo Whelan
Published: May 2, 2021