Branding Between the Ears: Using Cognitive Science to Build Lasting Customer Connections

CHAPTER 11

TALES FROM THE TRENCHES—BRAND EXECUTION

Brand execution is the fun part of branding, isn’t it? This is when you get to go to the island of Kauai to shoot television commercials. It is your chance to pretend play Martin Scorsese. There is the setting sun against aquamarine waters of the Pacific, beautiful models and actors sunning on the beach, and you pensively downing the requisite mango coconut daiquiri. It’s all strictly business; you can expense it. Yeah! Brand execution is the doing part of branding versus the thinking part. Or is it?

Well, consider this. Consumer brains don’t see most of what you want them to see in your commercials. They hear a different brand story from the one you are telling. And they don’t necessarily ...