In Marketing, Perception Is Everything

The mind is a deeply complex organ, at times influenced by small, seemingly trivial things, and at others closed off to any external stimuli. Think of it as an onion, with belief at the center and perception at the outermost layer. Subtle stimuli can alter perception not just more easily than they can belief, but also can alter perception in nearly imperceptible ways, as air overtime hardens and dries the top layer, not affecting the layer beneath.

Case in point: Associations with brand logos. No core belief is needed to deal with company logos and associations made with them, thus those associations are more easily influenced. A recent study showed people subliminally Today show's website, it's easy to send subtle cues to other people physically in order to get them to associate certain positive traits in their mind. For example: having a picture of a dog on your desk to convey loyalty or wearing a black suit to convey authority. This is what is also referred to as "the power of suggestion."

In short, perception is easily manipulated because people are less likely to guard their perceptions than their beliefs. Changing someone's faith, on the other hand, would be a much more difficult task, as belief is protected at the center of the onion.

Understanding this relationship is important when considering the implications of other studies and how those implications apply to marketing efforts. More than one piece of research has found, for example, that people are over-credited for effectiveness.

The underlying assumption is that it all comes down to how much trust people put into a recommendation. People these days are much less likely to put trust in a celebrity they know is paid to say something. That distrust could extend to bloggers as well, either for that reason, or lack of certainty of the person's identity (especially in light of recent hoaxes), or a myriad other reasons not to trust a stranger.

So, a consumer in the market for an automobile is more likely to trust a friend or relative, especially one with long-term brand experience than a blogger in another state. Yeah, well, when you put it that way, it's not such a surprise, is it? 

Veteran communications specialist