What Adele Taught Us About Branding

On Sunday night, when Adele accepted her Grammy for best album of the year, she had a lesson for us all. In a world that seems pretty dark these days, she didn’t make a Meryl Streep-type speech (though Meryl fully deserves admiration for the bold, blunt political comments she’s made lately.)

No, Adele went up on stage to express her joy, her appreciation, and, most notably, her admiration for her idol, Beyoncé. Adele’s praise brought tears to Beyoncé’s eyes — and no doubt to the eyes of viewers all around the world, too.

James Corden, hosting the award show, got into the fun-and-happiness act, too, as he gathered a band of celebs into a cardboard car for a joyful rendition of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”

Lady Gaga is famous for her political views, but in the biggest performance of her career, the Superbowl, she kept her political statements to a minimum and focused instead of giving her millions of viewers a delightful half-time show. She knows there’s a time for politics and a time for entertainment.

Lately, we seem to have reached a saturation point. Every time we turn on the news, we’re bombarded with political conflict, “fake news” and “alternate facts,” war and civil strife. Is it any surprise that we’re experiencing a sense of denial? It’s only human, isn’t it? We’re desperately seeking a faint beam of light in all this darkness. To some extent, we seek it in the past. Check out the top grossing movies of 2016 and 2017. You’ll notice that nearly all of them are set in the past. The current time is simply too real, too depressing for us to cope with. We’re eager to look back to what we imagine were happier times, in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

This phenomenon, called Rosy Memories, is hardwired in our brains. It’s an innate survival mechanism.

Think about that summer holiday you went on. The weather might have been crap, the service was appalling, and you spent most of the trip arguing with your in-laws. And yet, when you flick through the photos from your holiday, you probably think, “Well, that was a pretty nice trip.”

Rosy Memories gives us a pleasant oasis in the midst of all this negativism. It takes us to a feel-good time and place, releases the perfect dose of dopamine in our brains, and puts a smile on our faces.

When I was writing my latest book, Small Data, I observed seemingly insignificant clues in homes across the world. I noticed that people are smiling more in the photos they display, they are buying more colorful décor, and they’re even replacing yesteryear’s bland white base colors with flashy hues of paint.

We’re feeling uneasy, anxious, and totally out of balance. Our new colorful décor is a way of restoring balance — and it’s not only in our decorations that we restore balance. I may be feeling a bit overweight these days; there’s a diet product that promises to make me lean and fit. I might be feeling lonely; there’s an online matchmaker service for that. Perhaps I’ve hit a midlife crisis? Harley Davidson has a solution for that!

Perhaps there’s a brand lesson to be found in how much we enjoy Carpool Karaoke and how our eyes teared up with joy (mine did, anyway) when Adele used her moment in the spotlight to share her moment in the spotlight to share her happiness.

Don’t get me wrong. In my last article, when I said that political brands are f…..d, I absolutely meant it.

But the counterbalance might indeed be “oasis brands” — the Cokes and Disneys of the marketplace — which base their marketing communications on the core principles of rosy memories.

Think about it. When you buy music, are you more likely to select an album that makes you happy or one that makes you sad? I’m sure your favorite bar is one that makes you happy, not depressed. If you head out to a theme park, you pick one that’s likely to bring you joy. There’s a reason Disneyland calls itself “The Happiest Place on Earth”!

This might be a good day to buy an album by Adele or Beyoncé or Lady Gaga. In this world where we seem to be under a constant dark cloud, they offer a bright ray of sunshine.

Whatever product or service you’re in the market for, you’re probably going to select one that brings you pleasure, not one that makes you depressed or unhappy. And as you consider how to market your own projects, this might be a good day to think how you can deliver a little bit of happiness to your customers. 

Martin Lindstrom, one of the world’s foremost branding experts, is author of Small Data: The Tiny Clues That Uncover Huge Trends.

His previous books have been translated into 47 languages and have sold well over one million copies. He was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. In 2016, Thinkers50 named him one of the top 20 business thinkers in the world, and he has been ranked the world’s #1 branding expert for three consecutive years. His articles appear in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and Fast Company. He advises startups and a Who’s Who of Fortune 100 companies on branding, communication, consumer psychology, retail, innovation, and transformation. Lindstrom currently hosts Main Street Makeover, a series on NBC’s TODAY show that creates solutions to business problems in less than just 24 hours.