A world-renowned brand advertising professional teaches that the early 1900’s Nobel Peace Prize winner Petrovich Pavlov is the person responsible for creating the idea of branding. Why? Because of his famous (cause and effect) “Pavlov’s Dog” experiment — where he put meat on a dog’s tongue then rang a bell and did this repeatedly until the dog salivated when hearing the bell without the meat. If the dog was fed turnips and the bell rang, this is not effective branding because he doesn’t have a pleasurable association with eating turnips.
The first decade of my professional career, I was on the “Brand Management” path in packaged goods companies. Marketers take huge ownership in the idea of branding and can get quite smug when it comes to discussing strategy, and who’s right, and who’s wrong. A pivotal moment in my young brand marketing career, I was in a meeting with our advertising agency team, and my manager. One of the account managers (who didn’t like me very much) talked about his clever brand strategies on feminine napkins in a large packaged goods company. Seniorly brand-worthy, he turned to me and said, “Michelle, I think you’re too young to remember this brand, but what we did…” Standing in his perceived cleverness (and believing he “put me in my place”), he lacked the basic element of empathy (among other things) as I interrupted his thought saying, “I think I have a bit of experience in the feminine napkin category.”
This is where marketers have made a huge mistake. They tie themselves up in so much strategic thinking that they have forgotten that the basic concept of connecting with others is simple EMPATHY. Branding is a concept of connecting with others at all levels. And why would this very personal concept only “belong” to corporations and the perceived clever?
Like Pavlov, the world is a better place when Empathy is applied. It’s when humanity enters the equation. It’s when we are clear that we are all connected. This is why I consider myself an Empatherapist because everything that I study — Hypnotherapy, Mind Works, Accupressue/Hypnotherapy, Astrology, Numerology, Birth Order, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Emotional Freedom Technique, Handwriting…– and apply to my sessions, books, workshops is about helping people know, like and trust themselves and (at least) be able to predict (not necessarily agree, but see their points of view) how others respond in various situations. Ultimately this type of learning is applied to all areas of life — Financial, Intellectual, Physical, Social, and Spiritual. (See http://www.michellepayton.com/ and http://www.michellepayton.com/Individual-Sessions.htm for more information.) It all comes down to our daily emotional responses and human connection. Sure, advertisers and marketers dabble in the world of empathy. But how truly great is it when Empathy is a world movement, owned by all and kindness becomes the norm.
Speak to you soon.
