The Three Most Common Mistakes in Brand Marketing

How to Avoid These Mistakes and Build Brand Preference

When done well, brand advertising reduces the mental burden on consumers by serving as a quick and easy way to recall the brand and what it stands for. It benefits consumers by making product or service purchase decisions simple and easy. In this article, I discuss the three most common mistakes marketers must avoid to ensure that their brand not only resonates with consumers but also establishes a preference for their brand.

The Rising Importance of Brand Marketing

Today more than before, consumers are confronted with a much wider array of choices.? For example, in the retail industry, the rise of e-tailers has led to a 3000-time increase in product assortment. Compare Amazon which carries about 350 million SKUs with a typical big box store such as Walmart which carries between 100,000 to 150,000 SKUs. This is not isolated to the retail industry; it is true for most categories. Similarly, the rise of fintech has created a similar dynamic in the financial services industry. Today fintechs vastly outnumber banks in the US.? Essentially, the number of brand choices consumers have today in all categories has grown significantly and continues to grow.? While the greater assortment has many benefits for consumers, this enormous range of choices creates significantly more mental work for consumers. That’s why the role brand marketing can play in making product choices simpler and easier is even more important today than before.?

With this context, here are the three most common mistakes in brand marketing, and overcoming these mistakes is increasingly more important to maintain and grow brand preference by reducing the mental burden on consumers.

1. False Assumption of Creative Fatigue
2. Lack of or Inconsistent Use of Sensory Branding
3. Low Brand Attribution in Advertising

1.? False Assumption of Creative Fatigue

Many brand marketers make the mistake of changing creatives too often and in many cases prematurely, primarily because they themselves become tired of the existing creative. This internal creative fatigue stems from the marketers and creative teams’ overexposure to their own campaigns, as opposed to creative fatigue among the target consumers. In addition, the creative team may feel an internal or external pressure to appear innovative and forward-thinking, leading to unnecessary changes. Sometimes, there’s a perception that because the market is changing rapidly, the creative must also change to keep up, even if the existing one is still effective.??

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.”? These words from Steve Jobs shed light on not only the nature of creativity but also on how our memory works – by connecting familiar ideas.? Brand marketers must remember that “familiarity breeds favorability” and recognize that switching the creative or message, prematurely can lead to cognitive dissonance. This is also referred to as the “familiarity principle” or “mere-exposure effect” in social psychology, which suggests that people tend to develop a preference for things simply because they are familiar with them. Thus, consumers' memory functions by making connections among familiar ideas, brands, events, etc.? And the more positive the connections and more of them lead to favorability and preference. Introducing new creative can disrupt these connections.?

In addition, new creative requires a significant investment to build familiarity, recall, and brand attribution for the new creative if it materially diverges from past creative and messaging approaches. This is referred to as the "wear-in" effect, that is the media exposure required to establish baseline levels of familiarity and association with the overall brand.? This is a given in long-running creative which significantly increases the efficiency of the media investment.

Mastercard's "Priceless" campaign is an exemplary case of a longstanding and highly successful marketing campaign. Launched in 1997, the "Priceless" campaign has been one of the most enduring and effective advertising strategies in the financial services industry. The campaign has been running for over 25 years and continues to be a core part of Mastercard’s branding strategy. While it has evolved over time, the fundamental message of the campaign has remained consistent. The campaign significantly boosted Mastercard's brand recognition globally and increased its brand value significantly. The tagline "There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's Mastercard" became widely recognized.? In 2021, Brand Finance ranked Mastercard as one of the top global brands, largely attributing its success to the "Priceless" campaign.

Marketers can avoid prematurely changing the creative by using the following approaches:

• Rely on Data: Use robust data and analytics to gauge the effectiveness of a campaign (while controlling for variations due to exogenous factors) rather than relying on subjective feelings of fatigue.
• Regular Customer Feedback: Engage with the audience to understand their perceptions and reactions to the current creative. Furthermore, compare the research results to your own norms or category norms to determine the wear-out of the ads due to overexposure.

• Strategic Refreshes: Instead of complete overhauls, consider minor tweaks and updates to keep the creative fresh while retaining its core elements.

By being mindful of these practices, brand marketers can ensure that they do not fall into the trap of prematurely changing creatives, thereby maximizing the impact and effectiveness of their campaigns.

2.? Lack of or Inconsistent Use of Sensory Branding Cues

Today we live in a world where consumers value experiences more than physical products and services.? According to McKinsey, consumer spending on experiences has grown more than 1.5 times faster than overall personal consumption spending and nearly 4 times faster than expenditures on goods.? This growing consumer preference for engaging experiences over products combined with the already crowded brand and media landscape, is making it hard for brands to stand out from the crowd and apart from their competitors.? In addition, most industries and categories are fraught with a curse of sameness. Therefore, brands must go beyond traditional advertising to create memorable and emotionally engaging experiences.? Sensory branding – which utilizes the senses of sound (mnemonics), smell (olfactory), and touch (haptics) – to create engaging experiences offers a powerful way to connect with consumers at an emotional level, not possible through traditional advertising alone.???

Brand marketers tend to rely more heavily on the traditional aspects of advertising and often ignore the use of sensory branding cues and those that do use them, do so inconsistently.? By integrating these sensory and non-visual elements, brands can create richer, more immersive experiences that enhance recall, preference, and overall brand equity. These methods tap into the subconscious, leveraging the power of sensory memory to create lasting impressions and deeper emotional connections with consumers. Let's look at each type of sensory branding in more detail.

a) Mnemonic Branding:

Mnemonic or sonic branding involves using auditory cues that can be very effective for consumers to remember and recall a brand. Mnemonics are based on the concept of mnemonic devices used in learning and memory and can help increase brand awareness and affinity. They work by creating a neural pathway in the brain, making it easier to retrieve information and creating a lasting emotional connection between the brand and a specific set of sounds, visuals, or feelings.

First many brand marketers do not use this at all and those that use it do so either inconsistently or only in one or two channels or media types.? According to Ipsos's “Creative Excellence Video Ad Meta-Analysis,” ads that contained sonic brand cues tested 8+ times more effective than those that contained only visual assets.

For example, McDonald's “I am loving it” sonic branding “BaDa-Ba-Ba-Bah” is deeply etched in our minds. McDonalds introduced it in 2003 and has been using it consistently since.? Similarly, NBC has been consistently using its three-note (G-E-C) sonic signature since 1926. These are great examples of Mnemonic branding.?

Learning from these examples, Marketers should develop a sonic brand signature if they don't already have one, and most importantly use it consistently across as many channels and media types as possible. While small updates can be made to the sonic signature it is important to limit those to ensure it is close enough to the original and easily recognizable.

b) Olfactory Branding:?

Olfactory branding uses scents to trigger memories and emotions, often evoking nostalgia or comfort.? The sense of smell is directly connected to the brain's limbic system, which handles emotion and memory, making scents powerful triggers for recall.? A unique fragrance can instantly remind consumers of a brand or specific experience. Scents can create lasting impressions because the olfactory system bypasses the thalamus and directly connects to the hippocampus (memory) and amygdala (emotion).

Pleasant scents can evoke positive feelings, enhancing brand perception and customer satisfaction.? For example, luxury hotels often use signature scent to create a distinctive and memorable experience, associated with the brand's identity.? Similarly, high-end condominiums use aromatics in their lobby areas to create an environment that is welcoming and pleasant.??

Scents work at a subconscious level and can positively change the mood of the consumer.? This not only offers a great way to influence consumers' moods as they engage with the brand but also provides an opportunity to create a positive memory of that interaction. Scents can be used effectively in situations or channels that might create emotional anxiety for consumers. For example, financial topics often create a high level of anxiety among consumers and financial institutions can use their own version of signature scents in their branch locations to create a calming and sophisticated environment that signals a welcoming and comforting environment to its customers.?????

c) Haptic Branding:

Haptic or Kinesthetic branding leverages the sense of touch to create memorable interactions with products.? Physical interaction with a product can enhance memory encoding, making the brand more memorable.? Pleasing tactile experiences can create positive associations with the brand, leading to greater satisfaction and loyalty. For example, automobile manufacturers go to significant lengths to engineer the right tactile response into every aspect of the auto experience from how the car door opens and closes to the feel of the surfaces in the car’s interior to how the various knobs and controls feel and respond to drivers’ actions. This type of haptic feedback can create a sense of instant gratification from the interaction. Continuing the example of the financial services industry, there are numerous opportunities to design haptic feedback within the mobile app to signal a successful transfer or payment, etc.???

Therefore, by engaging the senses of sound, smell, and touch, brands can create a unique, rich, and more immersive brand experience.? The various multi-sensory cues work together whereby each sensory cue reinforces the others, creating a stronger, more cohesive brand memory. For example, a pleasant fragrance combined with a memorable jingle can trigger multiple memory pathways, enhancing recall.? A multi-sensory approach helps differentiate the brand from competitors, making it more memorable and distinctive. Furthermore, consistent sensory cues across different touchpoints create a unified brand experience, reinforcing brand identity and loyalty.

For CMOs and marketers, embracing sensory branding offers a strategic advantage, helping to build a cohesive, immersive brand identity that resonates deeply with consumers. The synergy gained from integrating these sensory cues can drive brand success, creating lasting impressions and strong customer connections.

3.? Low Brand Attribution in Advertising

Many times, brand marketers and creative designers get so focused on telling memorable stories and creating very engaging ads, that they miss out on showcasing and reinforcing the brand being advertised.? For example, take Miller Lite’s “Man Laws” ad campaign. The “Man Laws” ads featured a humorous "Men of the Square Table," a mock-serious panel of men (celebrities such as Burt Reynolds, several NFL players and coaches, wrestling stars, etc.) who debated and established various "Man Laws"—unwritten rules of male behavior.? The setting resembled a secretive, authoritative council, adding to the comedic effect. This was a very thoughtful and strategic ad.? For example, you will recall that at that time, there was a perception that “lite beer” was not a beer of choice for the men and was more suited to the calorie-conscious segments. This ad did a great job of addressing that myth by featuring a panel of sports and movie celebrities that countered this notion.? While this was a memorable ad and created a lot of buzz, the brand recall was low.? According to a study conducted by the marketing research firm IAG (now part of Nielsen), Miller Lite's "Man Laws" ads had lower-than-expected brand recall scores compared to competitors' ads at the time.?

In my experience, this is all too common a problem that renders the media investment inefficient but one that is easily avoidable.? So, you might ask why creative designers succumb to this. ?In many cases, creative strategists tend to hold the belief that prominently showcasing the brand in the creative will somehow reduce the appeal of the ad’s creative value or that it might make it seem too commercial.? While there is some truth to this, there are many ways to infuse the brand in the ad.? For example, it is important to incorporate all the brand cues such as mnemonics, distinctive brand assets such as mascots, logo, tagline, brand colors, etc., as well as highlighting the brand both visually and audibly via a voice-over.? Most importantly, brand marketers must ensure that the story being told is closely connected with and relevant to the brand.? Having a closer linkage between the story and the brand is very important because it helps connect the brand to the ad.? This mistake can be avoided by pre-testing the ads and making the appropriate changes to ensure that they register strong brand recall.

In Conclusion

Given the growing number of choices consumers have today, it's imperative that brand marketers steer clear of the common mistakes of the false assumption of creative fatigue, lack of or inconsistent use of sensory branding cues, and low brand attribution.? Utilizing data, seeking regular customer feedback, and considering strategic refreshes are crucial steps toward maintaining effective brand advertising campaigns. Moreover, embracing sensory cues such as mnemonic branding can create enduring auditory cues that enhance brand recall.? The key point is to recognize that consistency of creative and message combined with sensory branding cues can create much greater synergies which are not possible by using either alone.? Understanding and avoiding these mistakes will enable brand marketers to establish a competitive advantage and create meaningful connections with consumers.

Abbas Merchant is a senior financial services leader who skillfully blends the art and science of marketing with expertise in brand strategy & innovation, data/analytics & performance marketing, and digital & Martech/CRM. Most recently, Abbas served as the CMO and EVP of Regions Bank. Before that, he served in senior marketing leadership roles at M&T Bank, U.S. Bank, and the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company.