Emotions matter in memory processing.
14th August 2018
Walnut Unlimited
Emotions matter in memory processing
Emotions play an important role in memory processing, they are the basic ingredient of how we learn and remember. Emotions help us to navigate and interpret the world around us, providing meaning to our choices and helping us to make faster and more efficient decisions. Unlocking the secrets of emotional engagement is key to how people engage with our brands and propositions.
To maximize effectiveness, any strong memory that is triggered by a piece of communication needs to be strongly associated with existing brand memories. We cannot forget that brands are expectations based on memories and this is how brands become shortcuts in decision-making. A brand exists only in the memory of people and evokes associations in people according to what we do with them.
But, above brands and anything else, we have people.
It all begins with people and their precious brains: from our sensory receptors to the nerves that control our movements, the way we feel the world around us, how we remember things, our dreams, desires, fear and hopes are all imprinted on our brain. We know that people respond to people. We are equipped with ‘Mirror neurons’: magic neurons that enable us to understand each other’s behavior and feelings without having to think about it. This is how the empathy emerges…
How can we connect with people?
With stories. Stories move people towards us, meaningful stories that can draw them to our world.
Why do stories work?
Because this is the way we have survived, through stories that we were told and have given us something, stories that explain the world around us, the things that we should care about and the things that are important to pay attention to.
A story puts our whole brain to work: a story draws us in, evokes emotion, activates our senses, enhances memory processing and creates personal relevance. However, when brands provide engaging stories they should give the brand a real role to play, as when it is well embedded, rooted in its brand essence and has a good reason to exist, only then, we can get the emotional engagement and motivation we need to drive effectiveness. Moreover, brands need to be genuine and authentic as this is also an important motivational ingredient for them that helps create a strong level of emotional engagement with people.
For doing all the above it is required not only art, but science and we are here to help you to find the right content that connects with people’s mind and heart to drive effectiveness and generate growth. We need brands that create stimuli and experiences that are triggering the right feelings and are coherent with what they represent. Brands that take a position of what it is happening in the world and make a statement.
We are convinced that brands belong to people, not to marketing and this is human marketing that we need to put in practice as we know when it is well executed, is allowing brands not just to be honoring creativity, but impacting people’s behaviour, brand equity and, obviously, sales.
Welcome to the new era of marketing.
We are ready for this journey. We are the human understanding agency.
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