Brands and Freedom

Sometimes brands can help people feel certain emotions, emotions that may even be only tangentially related to the products themselves. Brands can create tremendous appeal by linking to or promising desired emotions. For instance, people long for freedom. Brands that offer people freedom tend to be in demand. Consider the appeal of the USA’s promise of freedom and opportunity for all of its citizens.  Or think about why Occupy Wall Street is such a powerful brand for some people. It focuses on freeing the US government and its citizens from undue corporate influence and creating a financial system that is fairer to the average citizen. On the other side, the Tea Party focuses on freeing US citizens from an over controlling government. The French Revolution initiated the dismantling of theocracies and absolute monarchies, replacing them with republics and democracies. Harley Davison promises freedom of the road along with the comradeship of kindred spirits. Besides being a campaign to transform Marlboro from a feminine cigarette to a masculine one, The Marlboro Man was created to be a symbol of independence. In part, it was designed to make post-adolescent youth declare their independence from their parents. At a slightly more tactical level, as consumer dissatisfaction increased with the creation of new airline fees, Southwest Airlines launched its very successful “Freedom from Fees” campaign. For decades, the Jeep brand has been linked to freedom, authenticity, adventure and passion.

Think about all of the strongest positive emotions that people could have and then determine to which of those emotions you could link your brand to its greatest advantage.