The Case of Two Schools

It all started with an innocuous post on the author’s LinkedIn profile, which went something like this:

#brandbuilding wars of the 21st century are between two apparently opposing forces of #influence. On the right is subconscious irrational #persuasion (led by Dan Ariely). On the left is the sheer might of mental and physical #availability (led by Byron Sharp). Simply put, it is the eternal battle of the head and the heart. The #intelligent among us will keep our counsel and choose a middle way that combines the two powerfully. As the contest between #PurposePreachers and #SalienceShouters continues, Mark Ritson talks about #advertising with no meaning. And I feel that it plays into Byron Sharp's treatise of salience over nudges.

The responses to this post got the author thinking of penning an article to clarify the two schools of thought, both to himself and his readers.

A quick primer on the two schools -

Mental availability is focused on making sure that your brand is top-of-mind for consumers when they are making a purchasing decision. It involves creating strong brand associations through repeated exposure and ensuring that your brand is easy to recall. The goal is to increase the likelihood that consumers will choose your brand over others in the same category.

Brand purpose, on the other hand, is about creating a deeper connection with consumers by aligning your brand with a larger purpose or mission beyond simply selling products or services. This can involve supporting a social or environmental cause, promoting sustainability, or advocating for a particular set of values or beliefs. The goal is to create an emotional connection with consumers who share these values and beliefs and to differentiate your brand from competitors. Brand purpose can also differentiate a brand from its competitors and build a positive reputation.

More on Mental Availability –

Mental availability, as developed by Byron Sharp, is a concept that focuses on building a brand's presence in consumers' minds. The idea is that the more a brand is recalled and recognized by consumers, the more likely they are to choose that brand when making a purchase. Mental availability is built through repeated exposure to the brand's name, logo, and other visual and verbal cues.

One of the key benefits of mental availability is that it can help a brand stand out in a crowded market. By building a strong presence in consumers' minds, a brand can increase its chances of being top-of-mind when consumers are making purchasing decisions. Mental availability can also lead to greater brand loyalty, as consumers are more likely to choose a brand they are familiar with and can recall easily.

Brand managers should chase mental availability because it is a crucial factor in building a strong brand and driving sales. Mental availability refers to the likelihood that your brand will come to mind when a consumer is making a purchasing decision in your category. The more mentally available your brand is, the more likely consumers are to choose it over other options. To repeat, some of its obvious benefits are increased brand recognition, a competitive advantage in a commodity marketplace, ensuring repeat business and, ultimately, reduced marketing costs along with enhanced reach and revenue potential.

However, mental availability also has its limitations. For example, it does not take into account factors such as brand image, reputation, or emotional connection with consumers. It also assumes that all consumers are rational and make purchasing decisions based solely on recall and recognition, which is not always the case.

The biggest criticisms of the mental availability model have been that it is an oversimplified concept that is not universally applicable to all marketing situations or markets. It neglects the very idea of a brand image. It ignores customer loyalty, brand differentiation and external factors in its conception. Most critically, it over-emphasizes advertising and media spending, which may not be every marketers cup of tea.

More on Brand Purpose –

On the other hand, one of the key benefits of brand purpose is that it can create an emotional connection with consumers that goes beyond just the products or services being sold. By aligning with a cause that is meaningful to consumers, a brand can build a sense of community and shared values with its audience. Brand purpose can also attract socially conscious consumers who prioritize social or environmental issues in their purchasing decisions.

Brand purpose is a crucial component of building a strong brand because it provides a deeper meaning and connection with consumers beyond simply selling products or services. Some of the reasons to pursue a stronger purpose are differentiation in a crowded marketplace,?a stronger emotional connection, a greater degree of authenticity (as long as the walk and the talk are consistent!), higher employee engagement and morale, and ultimately, stronger resonance and impact

However, brand purpose also has its limitations. For example, it can be difficult to develop and communicate a purpose that is authentic and resonates with consumers. It can also be expensive and time-consuming to implement a purpose-driven strategy. Finally, brand purpose may not be applicable or desirable for all brands or product categories.

While brand purpose has gained recent popularity as a means of building strong brands, it has also attracted its fair share of criticism. Many times, purpose conversations feel like a marketing ploy rather than a genuine commitment. Critics argue that many brands claim to have a purpose, but their actions and decisions are still primarily driven by profit. Some other common criticisms are greenwashing, unrealistic portrayals of impact, lack of authenticity, too narrow a focus that denies underlying complexity of the problem, and the high cost of making a real difference in whatever purpose is chosen by the organisation. The most damming criticism of all is that purpose can be perceived as manipulative, as consumer cultures change and old axioms get questioned. Remember the times when smoking was considered good for human health??

So, which school should one subscribe to?

The effectiveness of both approaches is a matter of much debate, but they require different strategies and tactics. Mental availability may involve investing heavily in advertising and promotions to increase brand recognition and recall, while brand purpose may involve creating content that communicates your values and mission to consumers and engaging with them through social media and other channels.

Ultimately, the approach you choose will depend on your brand's goals and target audience. If your brand is primarily focused on selling products and services and competing in a crowded marketplace, mental availability may be more important. However, if your brand has a strong mission or purpose that resonates with consumers, emphasizing brand purpose may be more effective in building long-term loyalty and advocacy. Ultimately, the most successful brands are those that can build a strong emotional connection with their audience while also standing out in a crowded market.

The research evidence continues to mount showing that nudges rarely work and cannot be predicted. Seen in this context, the book by Byron Sharp, How Brands Grow, makes a compelling case for mental availability as the holy grail, while systematically unpeeling various unstated conventions of brand building that have outlived their utility. But, equally, good ads create irrational desire. Which may or may not convert or purchase. But they make the world a little bit more colourful, happier and purposeful.

?So, the author continues to pursue both the schools fervently.

Post Script: Much of the content credit goes to #chatgpt. What would otherwise have taken nearly six hours of work (with much meandering) took some queries and half an hour of clever editing of its responses to land here. Raising a toast to the Gods of Efficiency!