The Hidden Power of Symbols and Desire

We recently had a discussion on the nature of desire.

My initial take was that it's a mysterious force that can’t really be explained. It surfaces during strange times and in awkward situations, with potentially blissful or disastrous consequences. Luca Guadagnino’s “Desire Trilogy” explores this emotion in a masterful way: in Io sono l’amore, the mother of a wealthy scion surreptitiously falls for his son's best friend. Excruciating -darkly instinctual- forces lead to the emblematic family's destruction.

After this somewhat perplexing conversation, I pondered about what elicits desire in me.

La Ferrari (see photo at the top) flashed into my mind, with its screaming engine and screeching tires; lusciously hugging the tarmac in Maranello, powering ahead with mind-blowing acceleration through the undulating Emilia-Romagna terrain. The untamed g-forces savagely pushing the driver's heartbeat to dangerous levels, impelled by a paradoxical mix of exhilaration and trepidation.

Ferraris are capable of unearthing our deepest wants. This is why many publications use erotic terms to describe them. And in doing so, they prompt those wealthy enough to depart with more than $500k of their hard-earned cash. All for a vehicle that seats two people and whose top speed vastly surpasses what's legally allowed in most countries.

How is this possible?

There are many particular features that are unique to these bewitching machines: an engine that howls with a tantalizing shriek; suggestive styling that mixes the elegant with the alluring; vexing yellow brakes that project power and handling; translucent engine compartments that make some components visible while leaving others to the flames of imagination. Potent symbols or “mental markers” that seem to retrieve some evocative memory or fantasy from our past and to fling it violently into the present. In most instances, we are unaware of what transpires; we intellectualize our enigmatic drives.

Every detail in a Ferrari, from the sound the door makes when it's closed, to the see-through engine lids, seems to be designed with two goals in mind: performance and visceral appeal. Each of these cars is a formidable assemblage of provocative symbols that concoct an intoxicating, at times irresistible, elixir of lust.

The company is not shy about this. Their mission statement reads:

“We build cars, symbols of Italian excellence the world over, and we do so to win on both road and track. Unique creations that fuel the Prancing Horse legend and generate a ′World of Dreams and Emotions′”

“Symbols” and “a World of Dreams and Emotions”: perhaps a bit unexpected from an organization that could be thought of as an engineering, mechanical or technology powerhouse. But mastery in their use is what allows Ferrari to ignite the blaze of passion the world over.

Symbols are all around us.

They unleash powerful triggers in our unconscious, without us noticing them. They shape how we feel and how we act. They seduce us into action.

Even if we were not oblivious to them, we are unlikely to grasp the origin of their influence. And yet, some companies use these markers in a methodical way that makes us long intensely for their wares.

Which symbols influence the way you think and how you feel? Are you using the power of symbols in your approach to market?

“Desire makes life happen. Makes it matter. Makes everything worth it. Desire is life.” – Karen Marie Moning

“It isn't normal to know what we want. It is a rare and difficult psychological achievement.” – Abraham Maslow

“What you choose also chooses you” – Kamand Kojouri