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Branding Emotion (The Cinematic Version)

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Ok, I will date myself with some of my favorite movies. I’m on the older (waxing?) side of GenX, so if you haven’t seen these movies, close this webpage and unfollow me because I don’t have time for you snot-nosed kids and get off my lawn.

Ok, don’t leave… let me tell you a story… through the power of the movies!

Star Wars – I saw the first screening of Star Wars in 1977 at The Coronet Theater on Geary Blvd in San Francisco. I was utterly gripped by what I saw in my corduroy tan bell bottoms, soaked in buttered popcorn. In the best scene (among many great scenes), Luke is getting his rear shot off by (Spoiler Alert!) Daddy-Darth Vader’s Tie-Fighter in the Death Star trench. Then, Han Solo comes out of nowhere. “Y’all clear kid. Now let’s blow this thing and go home!” 

Aliens – Ripley to the Queen mother “Get Away from her, you B*tch.”

Or “You had me at hello.” (It’s not one of my favorite movies, but, a damn good line.) 

Why am I bringing this up? I was thinking about how great movie moments relate to B2B Sales… No, just kidding—it has nothing to do with that. 

However, these scenes are emotional moments. You cheer, you yell, you scream in delight, and that’s what makes movies great.

So, what the hell does this have anything to do with branding? Well… it’s emotion… Branding is emotion.

It really is… Branding is emotion. Suppose a brand makes you stop and take notice or perhaps gleefully yell out–like watching a great movie scene. That’s impactful. That’s emotion. 

Branding isn’t quite an absolute ROI measurement; emotions measure them. It’s how they make you feel. So, they’re hard to quantify. However, there are smarter people who have books on thought leadership about the ROI of a branding project, and I’ll be happy to share them.

However, at times in my career, I’ve found that when building a brand project, some are moved by it, and some try to quantify it. This is a critical point in your project. This is where you put your leadership/ownership hat on and find out if the work doesn’t move your stakeholders and make an emotional connection; maybe it’s not working. So, make sure you’re on the right path, or all that effort is a wasted and missed opportunity.

How can you ensure you don’t miss that emotional brand moment? There are many things, but first, find that emotional spark early in the process. Does it move you? Does it make you want to stand up, cheer, and spill your proverbial popcorn all over your lap? Then you’re onto something.

Go with your gut and be bold about it… Don’t water down your branding; make it shine! Make it glow! Grab your customers’ emotions and make them explode in glee as brightly as the Death Star did in a theater back in 1977.

Like what you see here? Idea Circus can help create your design projects that can be built fast, on time, and on budget. Contact us to find out how.

Creative can be a circus. Let us help.

Cheers
Greg
Idea Circus 💡 🎪

Welcome to the Idea Circus

I’m Greg Cooper. I’ve been a designer / creative for 20+ years, working in branding, marketing, and content and making things look good since the 90s. My studio, the Idea Circus, is based in Santa Rosa, CA (Sonoma County), and I’m a one-man band! 

I love branding and storytelling. I’ve been a “creative” forever, so I know the production side inside and out: collaborating on deadlines, storyboarding the creative, executing, measuring, analyzing, and just everything else involved in telling a great story.

I can partner with you for agency-level production services without agency-level prices. Check out my capabilities below.

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