FAITH, RELIGION, AND BRANDS How Brands Can Trigger “Religious” Reaction In Fansʼ Brain""

@rickysetiawan"

Strong brands like Apple, Ferrari, or Harley Davidson can trigger a reaction in the brain that's not unlike that of

religious devotees"!!

The neuroscientists ran a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test on an Apple fanatic and discovered that images of the

technology company's gadgets lit up the same parts of the brain as images of a deity do for religious people"

Martin Lindstorm suggested 10 ways to create such effect!

CREATE SENSE OF BELONGING CREATE SENSE OF BELONGING 1

Religion creates a sense of belonging, people with same religion are “brothers”"

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Likewise, strong brands create a sense of belonging among other users of the brand – itʼs like being !a member of a not-so-exclusive club"

CREATE SENSE OF BELONGING DEVELOP A CLEAR, STRONG VISION 2

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Most religion have a clear vision, whether itʼs to reach a certain state of grace or achieve a spiritual goal, like heaven.!

“Man is the creator of Change in this world. As such he should be above the systems and structures, and not subordinate

to them” – Steve Jobs; vision for apple!

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“Solutions for small planet” – IBMʼ vision!

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CREATE SENSE OF BELONGING DESIGNATE ENEMIES 3

Religions strive to exert power over their enemies: Satan, hell, or to other religions.!

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Us vs them mentality!

Coke vs Pepsi!

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Apple vs Google!

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Having an identifiable enemy gives us the chance not only to articulate and showcase our faith, but also to unite

ourselves with our fellow believers"

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"I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this.” – Steve Jobs!

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CREATE SENSE OF BELONGING MAKE SENSORY APPEAL 4

Special ambience in religious places: sound of adzan in mosque, smell of a templeʼs incense, organ in the church!

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Strong brands evoke certain feelings and associations based on how they look, feel, or smell"

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CREATE SENSE OF BELONGING STORYTELLING 5

Every religion is build upon a heft of history and stories: Koran, New Testament, the Torah!

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Rituals (praying, kneeling, meditating, fasting, singing rhymes) are rooted in these stories upon which the faith is

built!

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Likewise, strong brands tell stories to their customers!

CREATE SENSE OF BELONGING GRANDEOUR 6

Most religions create a sense of grandeur, flagship places: Mecca, Vatican, Jerussalem!

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Likewise, strong brands embrace grandeur, a place to showcase their power"

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CREATE SENSE OF BELONGING EVANGELISM 7

Every religion makes their members, converts and new acolytes feel honored to be member of its fold!

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At its launching, Gmail recruited “acolytes” by making the service available by invitation only"

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When a friends invited you to join its ranks, you felt as though youʼd been welcomed into a semi exclusive, lifelong

community"

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CREATE SENSE OF BELONGING STRONG SYMBOL 8

Every religion has a symbol: cross, crescent moon, angle, dove. So do strong brands"

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CREATE SENSE OF BELONGING MYSTERY 9

The unknown can be as powerful as the known: life after death, hell and paradise, shroud of turin, the holy chalice!

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Likewise, strong brands create mysteries: Coca-Cola recipe. Itʼs said that only 2 persons know what exactly Coca-

Cola Recipe is!

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CREATE SENSE OF BELONGING RITUALS 10

Rituals, superstition – whether weʼre aware of it or not, all these factors contribute to what we think about when we buy"

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Oreo: Twist, Lick, Dunk!

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REFERENCES Lindstorm,  Mar.n.  (2010).  Buy.Ology.  New  York:  Doubleday  

THANK YOU