Consumer Psychology, Consumer Behavior
Have you ever noticed how your feelings toward something change once you’ve established some sort of connection with it? It could be the new restaurant you tried or that new car everyone’s talking about — the item doesn’t matter, the psychology stays the same.
We started wondering about how gaining exposure to a brand could affect the perceived value of that brand for consumers. Dr. John F. Tholen, PhD, a cognitive psychologist and author of "Focused Positivity: The Path to Success and Peace of Mind," spoke with us about the consumer psychology behind familiarity with brands, why it happens and the best ways to use it in your marketing campaigns.
What is the psychology behind brand familiarity?
“[The] mere exposure effect’ is the marketing expression for the economic aspect of what social psychologists call the familiarity principle — the human tendency to prefer whatever is most familiar, even when we have no memory for previous exposure. Research has found this effect to be true for a variety of stimuli, including artwork, music, foods, odors and faces,” Tholen said.
This human tendency isn’t new. In fact, preferring the familiar is presumed to be the result of evolutionary forces that increased our safety and rate of survival.
It’s said to occur for two reasons:
1. Lessens feelings of uncertainty: When you’ve encountered a situation before, you have a better idea of what to expect that second time around. If you’ve discovered that a particular product works really well in helping you meet an end goal, you don’t have to worry about whether you'll be satisfied with your purchase. You can relax knowing that this brand has fulfilled its requirements before.
2. Simplicity: Familiar things often tend to feel less complicated, simply because our brains have adapted to figuring them out. The more you use a product, the more you understand how it works and how to make it work for you.
It's about more than just exposure
So, what happens in the brain when a consumer is experiencing the mere exposure effect?
Contact with a familiar subject can trigger the brain to remember past experiences. If those experiences were positive, Tholen says a person will experience increased levels of dopamine, a chemical in the brain most often associated with pleasure, motivation and learning. This explains why a consumer might develop brand love; if the brand is trustworthy and has formed a strong connection with the consumer, opportunities for customer engagement increase. There are also instances where mere exposure to a brand can mildly increase the value a customer assigns to it.
But exposure on its own isn't enough. A customer can get hundreds of messages about your new product, and while they might increase brand awareness, those marketing messages won’t automatically entice them to care about it. For example, a well-known car company could send out tons of content regarding their huge seasonal sale, but it won’t be enough to convince you to purchase a SUV if you aren't in the market for a new car.
In addition, while this psychological principle might encourage consumers to think of your brand fondly if they have positive memories, it can also spark negative thoughts if there past experiences were less-than-stellar.
“Although familiarity tends to increase attractiveness, this is not the case when the prior exposure was highly negative. Companies are more likely to succeed when their public exposure does not lower trust in them or their products,” said Tholen. “Inoffensive material that shows how the consumer can profit from a brand’s products or services — presented in a manner unlikely to offend — is likely to be good for business. Exposures that are enjoyed or evoke nostalgia are even better for business.”
Being a recognizable brand that promotes good feelings in their customers is a priority for many, and with good reason. The mere exposure effect is just one of the many consumer psychology tactics available to help you reach your marketing goals.
