Engaging an audience is a challenge … do you go for all-out emotional engagement or do you opt for "truth" — the bare facts? Robert Passikoff reveals in an interview with the Being Reasonable folks, that there is a non-equal balance in favour of emotion. He characterises the interplay between the rational and the emotional as "unequal partners" and stresses the need to use both to provide mutually reinforcing bonds in support of your brand.
So, there is the commitised element of your brand — the QA, the trust, the functional benefits — representing about 30% of your message. And the rest is your creative. The rest is the way you tell your story, the way you weave a web around the facts, the way you entertain or delight.
This is important because research shows there is a correlation between brand and profitability, between customer loyalty and your ability to STAY in business! Now that’s a measurement of brand value that is worthwhile!
S.