Whether you are aware of it or not, consumers form relationships with your brand. This happens because as human beings we form relationships while simply living our lives. We need other people for everything we do or experience – in cooperation with other people we create, we enjoy the results together or other people are the reason for our activity. To such extent relationships are part of how we exist that we transfer that mechanism to unanimated objects such as brands.

If forming relationship with your brand underlies the process of its usage, it is quite important to understand what these relationships entail, what are their characteristics, e.g.: Is there emotion or they are based on simple exchange of benefits? Have consumers initiated them on their own or brand usage was somehow imposed? Are the interactions friendly or hostile? Do consumers consider them to be long-term or short-lived? Is there commitment on the part of the consumer? Who has the upper hand in the relations? Etc.

A brand forms different types of relationships with its consumers. Which types predominate? Ideally it is preferable that friendly, deep and emotional relationships predominate, in which consumer are committed to the brand and depend on it. These types of relations are difficult to end. But there are also relationships in the grey zone of indifference, in which brands are easily replaceable. They are the ones that usually predominate in a category. In our research of 5120 consumer-brand relationships 29% are emotional and friendly, 5% are hostile and 66% are functional with little emotion, some friendlier than others, all easy for the consumer to end.

The effective brand strategy depends on the type of relationship consumers have with the brand. In a long-term committed relationship e.g. consumers need surprises and variety and expect their loyalty to be rewarded. In a friendly and less emotionally vested relationship, with less commitment to the brand, the consumer uses other brands as well – the brand should be reliable and predictable, when the consumer returns to it. For consumers in a distanced, unemotional relationship with the brand you need to establish relevance and personal connection, to augment the brand experience with associations and images that link the brand to important life themes and objectives. In cases of hostility you need to offer immediate compensation and start to rebuild trust.

Understanding the type of interactions consumers have with your brand gives you the leverage to connect in the most effective and lasting manner.

Sylvia has not considered what attracted her to the restaurant on the corner. She would drop by when she felt heavy hearted or when she wanted to celebrate a small victory. She would go to take a quick bite or meet with friends. It was not just the comfort and the food. Nor the polite service. With its inexplicable attraction the restaurant on the corner withstood the changes and constant appearance of new places in the area.

It was not a matter of habit either. Sylvia loved the variety and was not so loyal to other places she visited. There was something in this restaurant which made it fit, as if it were saying to her “you are where you need to be”.

When you sense an impulse in the surrounding world, similar to the inner forces that, consciously or not, define your thoughts, feelings and actions, the attraction is instantaneous. The brand that carries the impulse enters your most inner space. What is expressed by it merges with your self. You find your own longing.

Somehow the brand has become an expression of an archetype – one of the primary principles, proto-images, through which people express themselves and give meaning to their lives.

Any brand, no matter small or large, local or global, can become a bearer of archetypal images and aspirations. In some brands this is the result of purposeful work, in others it can be a side effect.

In any case, it is worth checking how your brand is perceived, whether consumers associate it with an archetypal image and with which one, at least because at the archetype level the strongest connections are created.

How does the use of archetypes in brand development goes beyond just working with values or personas? The point is which attitudes and personas you choose to use. Do they express something so essential that when you recognise it in a brand, something clicks? Or it turns out that the persona you have chosen does not arouse such primary reactions. Archetypes are a good system of reference for the expected potency of the image you are building.

How you can use archetypes in brand management

For already established brands, the goal is to determine what archetype your brand expresses through its communication.

Even if archetypal images were not consciously embedded in the brand, what the brand has communicated since its creation, the stories it was telling, the characters who represented them, may have evoked in the minds of the consumer associations with deeply rooted longings and fundamental life principles.

What can you do:
- Review of communication and ongoing advertising campaigns – with which archetype can you connect them, were there any changes, what does the brand express today.

- Explore consumer perceptions – what is left in the consumer mind from earlier messages and images, how are people touched by the stories and characters, are there associations with archetypal layers.

- Comparison of what you have learned with the values, purpose, principles that guide you in brand management. Are you moving in the right direction?

If you are preparing to introduce a new brand, you have the chance to integrate the appropriate archetype from the very beginning of brand development. What fundamental principle does your brand represent? To be of help, to discover new horizons, to enable people to enjoy the small things in life or maybe to make the world better?

There is no good or bad archetype, just as every human image has its light and dark side. Good implementation of the strategy will emphasize the positive in the image and will not leave any opportunity for associations with undesirable characteristics. For example, the victorious hero may be heartless in his desire to succeed, the leader may become a tyrant, and the explorer may get lost in the search of his uniqueness.

Three steps for successful use of archetypes in branding:

1. Choosing the right archetype
2. Careful building of the image
3. Consistency in communication

What to consider when choosing an archetype:

There are two starting points – to what extent this archetype reflects the values of the brand and to what extent it corresponds to the prevailing attitudes of consumers.

It is also good to study the main competitors in the category – to what extent are these brands associated with archetypal images and with which ones? How much more appealing will be the story you will tell?

In building the image, beware of possible associations with the negative traits that each archetype also carries. Tune in to consumer perceptions.

You may be tempted to mix elements from several archetypes in the image of your brand. If you think of yourself, of the values you are guided by, you will most likely find at least a few active archetypes for you at the moment. Maybe at different stages of your life, a different archetype has prevailed, but all along in your life choices you can find the influence of other archetypes too. For a brand, unlike humans, it is better to focus on one archetypal image in order to send out homogeneous and consistent messages. In any case, we have seen that even a unified and consistently built brand around one archetype triggers associations with various meanings as consumers perceive brand communication through the lenses of their own life experience.

Consistency in communication

Consumer perceptions are long-lasting, some brands stay with us for much of our lives and the memories we have of them intertwine with the present. A change of the archetype of a successful brand can be confusing to consumers and harmful. When the choice of archetype is right and the execution is good so far, the brand can be reinvented and renewed while remaining true to its archetype.

To change the brand archetype is meaningful and justified in case of significant transformations in the market and consumer expectations and can be quite useful in rebranding and repositioning.

The conscious mind and its capacity to perceive is intrinsically connected with the research in the humanities. As marketing researchers we inherit the tradition of the great philosophers in asking themselves how the mind perceives the world.

Indeed our focus of investigation is the world of products, not the totality of the human existence. The question though is essentially the same: how the (consumer) mind perceives the world (including brands and products).

I was reminded of this recently while listening to consumers rationalising their behavior.

Do consumers have the answers why they purchase one brand or another? In recent years behavioral economics postulates are taken to extremes, affirming that what drives behaviour is not accessible to conscious introspection at all. It is in fashion to talk about System 1 vs. System 2. From Systems 1’s perspective consumer behaviour depends on the context, emotions and senses dominate, memories change when recalled under different circumstances. Positivism and its underlying belief that consumers have the answers that explain their behavior is disputed.

As marketing researchers we look for answers – we observe and immerse in consumers lives, do ethnography, shop along, design introspective games and constantly look for new or forgotten methods.

In this respect it is refreshing to revisit one philosophical school that may hold the key to balance the approaches and to find that “deeper” place in the consumer everyone is seeking.

In the tradition of phenomenology of Husserl the researcher studies the things, phenomena, as they are directly perceived by consciousness and describes the sheer experience.

The method describes (vs. explains) subjective experiences (vs. behavior).

All existing ideas are put aside, they are bracketed, as the researcher tries to describe the essence of things.

Husserl’s slogan was: return to the directly perceived things themselves.

The phenomenological approach implies that conscious experience is accessible to investigation and the access is direct. Meanings arise as pure presentations to the mind.

To be able to describe subjective experiences the research needs one instrument – a trained mind. We need to train our minds to overcome the confusion of constantly changing surroundings, the surge of emotions, confinement of beliefs, to keep an attitude that is fresh and clean from previous experience.

The mind becomes a passionless observer and at the same time participant in a co-experience with the observed consumer, enters a state of direct knowledge.

It is well accepted that through brands consumers express themselves.When using a brand, the qualities and image, associated with it, attach to the consumer, augmenting his or hers perception of themselves. Using a brand expresses who you are or who you want to be.

Consumers often prefer brands that project images similar to their own self-image. Additionally, individuals have the tendency to enhance their image in the perception of other people. Products and brands are used as instruments of symbolic communication in social interactions to project the desired image.

In theory, consumer-brand identification is an underlying factor of a strong relationship with the brand and loyalty to that brand. In our research we wanted to confirm whether the consumer-brand identification plays a role in building the relationship with the brand, in establishing loyalty and willingness to pay a higher price.

Also, we wanted to understand whether the consumer-brand identification is an equally important driver across different product categories.

The research covered 10 industries/categories: Airlines, Automotive, Cosmetics, Financial Services, Food, Retailers, Soft Drinks, Alcoholic beverages, Technologies and Telecommunications

We studied different levels at which brands may connect with consumers:

• Consumer-Brand Identification:Self-Identity, Group Identity, Common values, Aspirations
• Experiences and emotions
• Utility: Product quality, Instrumental to achieve objectives

Our test model of Consumer-Brand Identification includes four expressions – the first is self-identity, when the consumer finds similarities between himself or herself and the image of the brand. We also tested group identification – whether using the brand creates the feeling that you belong to a particular group. The values the consumer shares with the brand is another variant we tested. And the fourth expression of Consumer–Brand Identification is on aspirational level – whether the brand expresses the lifestyle one aspires to.

Not all four were equally important in determining the relationship with the brand: self-identity, followed by common values with the brand played a role in more categories. Also, there were differences across categories: self-identity determines the relationship with the brand in telecommunications and retail, food and soft drinks, while group identity has shown importance in telecommunication and alcoholic beverages only. The common values of the brand and the consumer are a driver for consumer-brand relationship in automotive, financial services and alcoholic beverages. And finally, the aspirational level of the consumer-brand identification works in cosmetics and retail.

Overall the consumer-brand identification is a stronger driver than experience and utilitarian factors (quality mostly) for building a relationship with the brand for airlines, alcoholic beverages, automotive and retail.

When it comes to paying a higher price, group identity and aspirations are active across more categories. Group identity determines the willingness to pay a higher price for airlines, financial services, retail and soft drinks. The aspiration towards a certain lifestyle determines the willingness to pay more in automotive, food, cosmetics and technology. Common values with the brand are important in financial services, telecommunications and alcoholic beverages. Self-identity is a driver in only cosmetics and telecommunications.

It is very interesting to see that Consumer-Brand Identification determines overall the willingness to pay a higher price more than experience & emotions and utilitarian factors in all of the tested industries except fmcg.

Loyalty (measured as purchase intention) seems less influenced by the Consumer-Brand Identification. Utilitarian factors and quality in particular are a stronger driver for building loyalty among the tested factors.

A few days ago one of my contacts in a professional network, in a marketing function for many years, posted: The cheaper always turns out to be more expensive for the consumer. Several days later I noticed someone has liked the photo above.

It strikes me how much we rely on conventional wisdom. There is not shortage of it when it comes to price. Even though conventional wisdom is very culture specific, in many cultures you find reference to the positive relation of price and quality.

We rely on the shortcuts of the mind to simplify our life and take fast decisions. We don’t have the time to linger in front of every product and deliberate on every purchase. The heuristics that slip in our minds today can be tracked way back in the past. Many have most likely expressed the norm of perception at the time but even more likely, they have expressed a general expectation, as they do today. For example the expectation that if you pay more you will get more.

But do consumers relate quality to price only in one direction?

Actually no. In the consumer mind today high price does not necessarily mean high quality. Consumers are in fact aware that they may pay more and get less.

Price is not the strongest cue for product quality. There are several sets of other factors that signal quality more clearly. Such are the internal product cues, e.g. the ingredients or taste of a food product, the material or style of furniture, the durability of a car etc. For some product categories specific information is developed to indicate quality, take for example the hotel stars rankings. Customers may not always know what the exact difference between 4 or 5 stars, but use them as guidance in their perception of quality. The brand and advertising often have a stronger influence than price as a sign of high quality. The store or distribution channels are also factors that speak of the product quality.

It can be said with certainty that price serves as the reference for product quality in the absence of other information. Total lack of information is rare, but what’s available to it may be inconclusive for the consumer. The brand may be unfamiliar, the package – lacking the relevant information or the product category – unknown. Some situations are especially conductive to rely on price – e.g. when there is a significant variance in price in the category, the mind would readily assume a similar variance in the product. There are also products that are complicated or difficult to evaluate, so it is more natural to take a shortcut in determining their quality.

When you speak with consumers you also find that some make immediate connection from price to quality, while others use more information and reasoning, and also that their attitudes vary across categories. Someone who loves new technology with nearly insider’s knowledge on smartphones and operating systems, maybe clueless when it comes to washing powder or washing machines, for example.

So, some consumers may agree that buying on the cheap will be more expensive in the end, but at the moment of purchase it is not just price they are looking at.

The role of price is even less determining on its own when we turn to value. Firstly, the value of a product has more layers and meanings than quality. What we get when we acquire a product involves experience, emotions, social interaction, may be connection to other things we value. Also, the meaning is personal, what has high value for me may not be something you would value at all. It runs deep within the foundations of one’s life.

Consider for example the package holidays. The complexity of the product – travel, destination attractions, hotel and service, provided entertainment, socialising, the weather, the fantasies beforehand, the pre-purchase process etc. , provides a wide scope to determine the value of the product and makes the relation with price multidirectional. Low price and high value may go hand in hand.

The world of products, designed for consumption, as we make it, does not run on one adage.

What motivates people in their choice of a brand? This is one of the primary questions every marketer faces.

One research tool that helps getting a deeper understanding of the underlying motives of consumers is the psychographic segmentation.

The psychographic segmentation uses variables related to personality, values and lifestyle and determines the shared characteristics of a specific group of people that indicate why they make their lifestyle choices and explains their buying habits.

A recent psychographic segmentation we have done is based on a national panel data, representative of the Bulgarian population.

Some of the psychographic types we have discovered are very specific for the Bulgarian culture and explain many of the controversial developments in the society.

In general terms, this segmentation can serve as an example of the benefits of psychographics for product development, brand positioning and communication.

Where psychographics could be used?

In product development

The whole process of creation of a new product starts with an idea about a need. For a successful product this need should be better shared by a large group of people. A demographic group is too broad. When you concentrate your research on a psychographic segment you would find ideas that address needs, related to the lifestyle of a coherent target group. The psychographic segment represents a substantial part of the population that is besides centered on common values and way of life.

In brand development and communication

To develop a brand story that would fit the values and lifestyle of the consumer.

And to communicate a message that would be heard.

The psychographic segmentation of the Bulgarian population reveals seven majortypes: Conformists, Individualists, Traditionalists, Reformers, Achievers, Popular and Communicators.

Conformists form the largest segment. Their distinctive characteristic: easily influenced by what other people think. The Conformists do not stand for themselves and follow the group behaviour. There is certain negativity in their perceptions: theydo not expect much from the future and feel unhappy. This trait is related to their role and place in society as they feel unsuccessful, dislike their job and furthermore have low income. Half of them are employed, 15% are unemployed and 30% are retired. Consequently, price is the dominant factor in their brand choice.

Individualists: As could be expected, they are focused on asserting their will. An interesting local trait is the touch of conservatism – the Individualists are looking for stability and do not like changes. There is also a certain dose of negativity in their personality in their relations with others – they neither look for nor accept other opinions and are not concerned how their actions would affect the other people. What is most interesting is that in the end they feel disapproved. This local individualistic type can be found in all age groups and with highest concentration in the active 25-44 years old population as well as in people above 65. In their buying habits the individualists are rational, not susceptible to impulsive purchases and would not consider buying on credit to satisfy their needs. They trust advertising the least. This is a hard to get target and thankfully comprises of only 10.9% of the population.

And to start moving towards a more positive outlook let’s look at Traditionalists. Their major characteristic, the orientation and preference for the known and familiar, is partially explained by the fact that half of them are retired. They constitute a happier group with loyal friends and a good family. Money is little, but they have a lot of free time at hand. In terms of buying behavior Traditionalists are price sensitive and take part in promotions.

A younger version of Traditionalists is the type of Communicators. Their strength lies in their circle of friends. They are approved by the people and surrounded by loyal friends. Communicators can be found across all age groups, with a stronger base in the 35-64 years old. Professionally they are confident and competent, even though they have not achieved success and financial security. Communicators perceive their income as low, while in fact they receive the average salary. Their lifestyle is full of interests and hobbies and not having sufficient cash, Communicators are not the saving type. In their brand choice they tend to ask friends for advice. However, once a brand is liked, they would stay with it.

Achievers are constantly self-developing, full of confidence and ideals. They have already reached a state of professional competence and financial stability. In this segment the people with high income are the most numerous, even though in their own perception they do not define themselves so. Two thirds are 25 to 54 years old. Their way of life is reflected in the lively and upbeat musical styles they listen to – dance, pop, disco. They are aware of the market propositions, read the labels, like the entry of new brands and use commercials for reference, without fully trusting them.

The happiest type of Bulgarians is definitely that of Reformers. They are self-confident, have fun and develop, find their income sufficient, define themselves as modern and are embrace changes. Most of the time you can find them outside: in cafes, at concerts, in the fitness or at the sport playground. They are open to the world individualists and the youngest type, nearly 2/3 are up to 34 years old. Reformers find pleasure in shopping and would buy on credit. In the choice of a brand they look at quality, advertising has influence on them and friends would often turn to them for advice.

The type of Popular feel liked and accepted by a large circle of friends and acquaintances. They follow the fashion trends and have interest in technology. Financially are secured. Internally they are restless, unsatisfied by what they have achieved so far and by their family life. The majority are up to 54 years old, 30% – up to 24. They often eat out, visit cafes and have lots of hobbies. Listen to rebellious music. Love to shop, even on credit, but moderately. Not suspicious to advertising but not patient to watch the whole commercial break.

In the relatively short history of marketing we have seen the wheel to make a full circle.

In the beginning brands were seen as part of a desirable world that could appear more attractive than the real one. The symbolic meanings the brand added to consumers’ lives meant more than any functional advantage. Advertisements were fairy tales that opened the gates to a colourful, brilliant and alluring place.

For years on consumers unquestionably embraced brands, making them part of their lives, habits and memories.

But the love story is now over. Consumers started to evaluate, to consider possibilities and look for validation. We are seeing how the brand-consumer relationship is turning around.

As consumer power grows, we are seeing brands earth grounded in the world of objects. They become a product of reality, which makes them liable to validation. Brand promises are questioned. To say you are good for me is not enough, you have to prove it.

On the other hand, in the times of their prime, some brands made promises they could not keep. As disappointing experiences accumulated more and more consumers became consciously aware of the possibility brand promises to be just ungrounded claims. Consumer disappointment eroded the trust in these brands.

In the background the ways and rules of the world we live in changed rapidly and significantly. Internet made things accessible and people powerful. Consumers acquired new tools of social interaction. Participation in groups and communities, reading of comments, writing of posts – all this make one opinion heard by many.

The spirit of time we live in brings about sharing, openness and fast communication. The new culture is dialogical.

What this means to the brand manager is that you still have a story to tell, but your brand story is not your exclusive creation. Your consumers have a voice and they use it: to add value to the brand or … to discredit it.

It is of crucial importance to get into an engaging dialogue with the consumer.

Customer knowledge and living the consumer experience is the basis. Research methodologies that will help you to enter into the consciousness of people who buy (or do not buy) your brand are ethnography, creative groups and other qualitative methods. Having your online research community, where you can listen, observe and engage in a dialogue with consumers is a new way you may want to try as well.

Next, is the constant adaptation of product offering. We live in times when consumers state their individual needs. And they have got ideas! Use them for creating new products, for refining the existing portfolio.. Be ready to personalize as much as possible.

And third, the authenticity of communication. Consider the new reality: the brand is seen as equal to the consumer and you are having a one-to-one dialogue.

Fairness and honesty have never been more important. A wrong label or the wrong ingredient on the label gets noticed. The wrong sentence in the small font gets noticed. News circulates wide and fast.

It takes a different route to connect with the conscious and active consumer and a totally changed perspective.