Shortcuts to Memories

Imagine—you've just been handed an old-fashioned little round tub of ice cream (as I was on the plane this week), condensation beading on its sides. You pull back the lid to reveal the little wooden spoon, your nostrils tickled by the vanilla aroma, sending your taste buds into overdrive. You grab the spoon and scrape the first swirl from the surface of the ice cream before popping it into your mouth—pressing the ice cream against your palate, a sensuous experience both rewarding and indulgent…

Hold this thought for a moment, as I did on the plane—where does it take you?

This experience took me from thirty-five thousand feet above the Atlantic back to memories of my childhood, summer 1968. A hot, sunny day, pausing between sandcastles and shrimping; skin tight, tingling with sun, sand, and salt.

If you and I had shared this experience (as I did with my siblings), it’s likely we would have shared the same memory, triggered by the ice cream tub and the associated emotions. It pays to be aware of the TRIGGER, the EMOTION, and the MEMORY, and to respect their value.

Tastes, sounds, images, words, and events all trigger memories, and memories are associated with emotional states. Sometimes positive—e.g. a tune that reminds us of the emotions associated with our first kiss; sometimes negative—the numbers 9/11 that instantly take us back to what we were doing on that day and how we felt when we heard the news. If this is so, then it follows that emotional states are key to the creation of memories and that these emotions elevate the significance of the triggers. The ice cream tub triggered my memory, and I felt nostalgic for my childhood—all in an instant.

Sponsorship, advertising, and events are marketing triggers and should all maximise the opportunity to stimulate emotions and create memories in the process. Even at the level of telephone conversations and emails, we should not forget the power of memory to positively change the emotional state of our customers or colleagues. It is always a good idea to reference a positive memory from the last time you met—it’s like logging into a shared emotional server. This heightens the sense of empathy between you and others. Mentally, we begin by being aligned—being on the same page really helps.

A B2B company can competitively increase customer mindshare by reinforcing positive emotional experiences that can be accessed in the future as memories. Even in the most serious B2B markets, it is always possible to create more positive emotional experiences—and therefore memories—than their competitors.

The opposite is also true: it is possible to become linked with bad experiences, emotions, and memories. Negative memories, recorded through our emotions, can linger long after the reality has improved.

Memories, and the emotions that create them, cannot be ignored as marketing objectives. It pays to make sure that the memories you trigger in the mind of the customer are more positive than your competitors’.

Memories are not reality, but their intangibility should not be allowed to reduce their importance as real assets to your business.

• Memories are associated with emotions.
• More will be remembered in a heightened emotional state.
• Positive memories are an asset to the business.
• Memories can positively or negatively skew perception.
• Memories are a competitive advantage.

Further reading: Memory and Emotion, James L. McGaugh.