Brand Logos Powerfully Influence Your Thinking

Marketers hit the bull's eye when they advise folks to select a logo with much thought. Here's why... "even the briefest exposure to the Apple logo may make you behave more creatively," according to an article just published in the Journal of Consumer Research. Interestingly, even the briefest exposure to well-known brand logos can cause people to behave in ways that mirror those brands’ traits.

“Each of us is exposed to thousands of brand images every day, most of which are not related to paid advertising,” explains Gavan Fitzsimons, Duke University Researcher. “We assume that incidental brand exposures do not affect us, but our work demonstrates that even fleeting glimpses of logos can affect us quite dramatically.”

Can you see implications this has for your marketing? Here's what the researchers suggest:

“Instead of spending the majority of their money on traditional print and television advertising, companies with established brand associations such as Apple may want to give serious consideration to shifting more marketing resources to product placement opportunities and other forms of outreach that emphasize brief brand exposures,” Gavan Fitzsimons said.

And consumers should be aware that they are susceptible to influences they may not detect and use this knowledge to their advantage. “If you know you need to perform well on some task, say something athletic, you may want to surround yourself with images and brand logos that represent success in athletics,” Gráinne Fitzsimons said.

Knowing how even a brief glimpse powerfully influences the mind, what might you do differently with your own brand logo?