The Blog of Babel


Unconscious Branding (book) - Initial Reactions

The Limits of Marketing Tools 

So right now I’m making my way though a book called Unconscious Branding by Douglas Van Praet and it shines a light on a lot of the problems with traditional marketing. He begins to argue that most of the traditional marketing tools only scrape the surface when it comes to unlocking behaviors and motivation. He points out that a good majority of the tools are self-reporting, meaning that subjects have to express their own opinion. The results of these methods can be clouded by personality and self-conception, as respondents give what they have rationalized and less what is actually going on in any given behavior.


Potential of Qualitative Research & Empathy Design

Van Praet then goes on to talk about the potential of qualitative research to strip away distracting elements and unearth the small flags of communication: how they talk, how they hold themselves, how they express emotion on their face, how they get excited, how they react emotionally to choices etc. This topic really touches upon IDEO’s empathy style design, where researchers are forced to get on a user’s level and understand the nuances of interaction.


This style of market research, breaking apart interactions on a personal level to uncover micro-expressions and minute visceral reactions can better help marketers shape campaigns that actually move individuals. Only when we better understand how a customer responds to product or service on all levels can we better shape experiences and ads that align flush with that individual’s expectations and system of rationalization.


Anyway – I am still making my way through this book, so I am sure there will be more good insights to come! Stay tuned!