Your Brand’s Surprising Subconscious Effect on Customers

It’s no secret that emotional and subconscious aspects account for half the typical Customer Experience. Here’s another wonderful example of that fact: a recent study at Boston College found that participants driving a car painted with the Red Bull logo in a video game raced “faster and more aggressively,” displaying characteristics “like speed, power, aggressiveness and risk-taking” that are closely associated with the brand.

It is a compelling case that proves customers and clients respond accordingly to the subconscious cues your organization provides them. If the mere appearance of the Red Bull logo made the participants display the brand characteristics “without the consumers being aware of their own behavior,” it’s easy to see how nearly everything you place before your customers can affect their attitude.

Red Bull has consciously built the mighty personality by sponsoring “street luge contests, airplane races, and a full-contact ice-skating obstacle course.” They chose their fearless image and made it happen. Consumers would likely think of them very differently if their logo was a bull with its tongue hanging out or if they had sponsored cake decorating shows. Much of a brand’s aura is built around the associations it makes, triggering a deliberate emotional response. Taking a cue from them, how do you consciously cultivate the subconscious of your customers’ and clients’ Customer Experiences?

Remember: just the Red Bull paint job made these virtual drivers go faster and more aggressively than the other cars. One logo had the power to change their collective behavior. What behaviors does your brand tease out? If one image has the power to dynamically control behavior, you can see how powerful it can be to control all the elements of the Customer Experience.

It is up to you to be proactive in designing a deliberate Customer Experience to create positive emotions and harness their power for loyalty and growth. It is equally important in designing a Customer Experience that your organization purposefully remove as many negative and brand-challenging (ever seen a light pink Red Bull can?) signals as possible, which is proven to cut costs and generate revenue.

As we explore in our newest book, Customer Experience Future Trends and Insights, mastering the subconscious signals your brand puts out can help your company acquire clients easier, retain them longer and encourage them to willingly promote your wonderful brand.