Jigsaw Puzzle and the Drug Dealer

There are certain drugs that increase the amount of dopamine that is released by neurons in the brain's reward center among humans. But of course, drugs are not the only way dopamine release is significantly increased.

That rush also comes from adventure sports like bungee jumping and sky diving. And it also comes from our imaginations about someone or something we are attracted to.

That's why the element of mystery works wonders in the early stages of relationships, because it lets people enter the zone of imagination. When people don't present everything about themselves on a plate, they let other person unravel the mystery, and in turn, increase their importance.

You see, people always place higher value on the fruits of their own efforts rather than something that has been handed over to them.

As an example, don't you get frustrated when you see too many ads on social media about a particular product or influencers selling their courses? That's when they've overdone things. That's when they have suffocated you with their presence.

They don't let you wonder, they don't let you imagine. And worse, they make you immune to themselves.

Aspirational brands like Apple and Nike don't make this mistake. They don't bombard you with ads that convince you to buy their products by listing down the rational benefits. Instead, they leave breadcrumbs.

Rather than pushing their product down your throat, they pull you towards them by dropping breadcrumbs for you to pick and follow. Breadcrumbs never reveal the full information, and indicate that there's more to learn about the brand and its products. One just needs to follow the brand and pay close attention to various things it does.

These brands know that everything they do is a small piece of a large puzzle. Those subtle and emotional ads, the design, the way a salesperson deals with customers, and of course, the way a product works - everything will contribute volumes to the subconscious image people have about the brand, even if the brand doesn't say anything consciously.

You see, when Red Bull was launched, it was considered a strange name, it was made with strange ingredients, and was sold in a slim can. Everything added to the mystery it was, and made it look like an elixir. It tastes pretty bad, which should have been a negative, but it made people think that the medicinal sort of taste must be doing something good.

Everything just aligned in harmony for the brand, like rightly placed pieces of a puzzle.

Companies, therefore, need to know what the complete puzzle should look like, and how all of the individual small pieces can contribute towards building that image and feel of their brand. Only then, will they be able to leave the right breadcrumbs.