Shunning disbelief and getting just the right connect with the consumer is what always works for any brand. It is this attempt to lure people towards it that has become the order of the day. The human connect is what every brand is looking for; the better you strike a chord with the emotions, the more likely you are to succeed.
Willing suspension of disbelief" is a formula given by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge to justify the use of fantastic or non-realistic elements in literature. Coleridge suggested that if a writer could infuse "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgment concerning the implausibility of the narrative.
According to the theory, suspension of disbelief is a quid pro quo; the audience tacitly agrees to provisionally suspend its judgment in exchange for the promise of entertainment. These fictional premises may also lend to the engagement of the mind and perhaps proposition of thoughts, ideas, art and theories.
Wikipedia
As incomes increase and more and more people are able to take care of the essentials for living, they will have more discretionary spending capability. In fact, even when wallets are tight, people tend to sometimes forgo or cut back on essentials in order to give in to small indulgences. This has tended to turn Maslow’s Hierarchy on its head.
However, to be able to do this they have to believe that the indulgence for which they are diverting their precious resources is truly worth it. And this is where “willing suspension of disbelief” comes in. It is interesting to see how a literary formula enunciated in the 19th century is still relevant for the world of brands today. This willingness to suspend disbelief, in fact, even forms a part of the bedrock of the financial world. We believe, willingly, that a piece of paper has value as currency when in reality it is just a printed piece of paper. We exchange goods and services by flashing a piece of plastic and notionally transferring amounts from one account to the other. In this case we do not even see or come in physical contact with the actual money.
In a completely different sphere, we watch movies that are overtly made from sources of pure fantasy such as comics and for a while we write as-completely believe in the plot and the characters. So we are willing to “believe” in a man who has modelled himself as a bat or another who draws his power from spiders. We wait impatiently for sequels about a wizard boy and voraciously devour the tale of people from an underworld, helped by fairies and other fantastical creatures, to combat a juggernaut of evil. Even further away from reality is the world of animation. We happily believe in an ugly ogre and his girlfriend who turn from horryfying ogres to beautiful creatures in an enlightened reversal of the storyline of most traditional fairytales.
The secret lies in two critical conditions for the willing suspension of disbelief—"human interest and a semblance of truth". In each case the main protagonist has to combat powerful human emotions and challenges from within while combating the fantastical threats around him or her. In every fantasy there has to be a semblance of truth and there must be a human connect. Even currency notes, almost invariably, carry someone's face who is respected and held in high esteem. The notes are invariably signed and carry an expressed promise. These all forge a sense of connect—currency notes are not just papers—they are an emblem of pride, trust and belief; all very powerful human emotions. The truth need not necessarily be a tangible or rational one. It could very easily be purely in the realm of the emotions. But it needs to tap a universally acknowledged emotion. Epics always deal with such fundamental human emotions such as love, fear, respect, thirst for adventure, honor, ethics, relationships, ambition, tragic flaws, victory, defeat, etc.
So what does this have to do with discretionary spending and the world of brands?
Actually, everything. To be a successful brand especially when it seeks to fulfil more than just a basic human need, there has to be a strong human connect. While serving ordinary rice would not materially affect the perception of the guest towards its host, the host buys expensive basmati rice instead. What drives this purely discretionary expenditure? The aroma of the rice. The host pays money for the aroma of a basic staple. It seems irrational, but in the aroma lies a deeper human connect. This is one that wants to honor and welcome guests, that desires to express appreciation and love for their presence and that wants to convey a sense of pride in providing the very best for them. So basmati clearly meets the first condition. And the semblance of truth is met by the aroma, the extra long grains that give its premium appearance, as well as the “geo-psychological” belief due to the fact that it is only grown in certain regions.
People are willing to pay huge sums of money for liquor that have been stored for longer than others. Apart from the obvious human interest stemming from reward, indulgence and being perceived as a connoisseur, perhaps it is a way for people to connect with a previous more gracious era. Maybe it is the closest a person can get to actually tasting immortality or physically going back in time. Then surrounding such fine liquors are the legends of craftsmanship that smother them. Each step of the process of creation is carefully and beautifully expressed creating a “world” of flavourful refinement. As the liquor is poured into special crystal and the aroma inhaled and savoured, the world of its creation is evoked and willingly appreciated by its devotees. This forms a strong human connect—so strong that those who do not pay the liquor “respect” are immediately branded heretics and the outrage can be quasi-religious in its intensity. The semblance of truth stems from the way the liquor is created and the painstaking craftsmanship that leads to its maturity.
Fine dining restaurants create a human truth by the way they cosset and address the desires of their patrons. The semblance of truth comes from the talent and expertise of their master chef and her or his ability to create wondrous culinary experiences. The prices paid and how much a table is coveted is vivid proof of the willingness of its patrons to suspend disbelief. Similarly any premium category and brand depends on the twin pillars of human interest and a semblance of truth.
So it is very important to identify why you believe people would want to pay more for your brand as compared to any other. In a marketplace where physical, tangible advantages are rapidly replicated and often result in cheaper alternatives, there has to be a robust, unique and clearly discriminating human interest and a semblance of truth, for people to be willing to suspend disbelief enough to prefer your brand over competition. Walking through shopping centres, how many restaurants and shops do we see opening almost on a weekly basis? And how many succeed in enduring? Why? Often because they are one of a long line of largely undifferentiated offerings, serving products or delivering services that are indistinguishable from those offered by the business next door. While the interiors might be fancy or the offers enticing, all they succeed in doing is generating initial trials. Without a deeper human interest and differentiating the semblance of truth, nobody is willing to suspend disbelief more than once—resulting in thinning crowds and eventual closure.
While it seems simple to create or uncover “human interest” it requires a great deal of diligence to be truly authentic. It needs to be done for its own sake and overt commercialisation can erode it. It often demands to strike a balance between reality and aspiration. It involves tapping the human desires and sensitivities as well as understanding the cultural context and its evolution. For a long time many people would not eat at a five star hotel because while they may have been able to afford it they considered it beyond their station in life—“aukaat”. Today that cultural context has been virtually eliminated both by burgeoning aspirations of a youthful country as well as declining inhibitions and increasing affordability. In this case when it comes to the semblance of truth there has been a two-way process. Hotels have created authentic offerings and with increasing global exposure, people have acquired the experience with which to appreciate it.
To deliver long-term prosperity for your brand, it is critical to ensure that people willingly suspend the disbelief stemming from purely rational and tangible comparisons. Increasingly the willingness stems from beliefs created and delights consistently delivered that all express one clear differentiating brand intention. It stems from the brand often leading rather than just listening, from insight and foresight. It comes from the inherent strength of belief that the brand has in itself and the way with which it is able to transfer it to its customers. In creating human interest, brands have to ensure they are interesting and this means ensuring what they stand for stimulates enough interest to establish a connect with the people. Human interest that isn’t interesting only creates indifference. Similarly it is important to understand “semblance” as well as truth. This means that too much effort expended on explanations of the “truth” ruins the magic. In none of the movie examples quoted above has there been too much labour expended on explaining or validating the truth. It is effortlessly woven into the story. The “truth” in this case has to be treated as a critical flavouring in a culinary creation. It is a must to provide an authentic and desirable experience but it cannot overwhelm the dish itself. It needs to be hinted at, rather than emphasised. Many brands destroy the willingness to suspend disbelief by creating feature lists, technical explanations and indulging in “feature trading” thereby descending from a “semblance” to overstatement whereupon the entire promise becomes workmanlike rather than magically desirable. Just like a master magician, brands have to first generate human interest often by bringing people into their world like a magician asking for someone from the audience to participate in the illusion. Then by using easily recognisable objects they create a semblance of truth that enables the audience to suspend disbelief and be amazed by the illusion that folllows.
Increasingly today many purchases are being driven by the willingness of the people to suspend disbelief and choose one option over another for reasons other than the tangible and the logical. Yet no one wants to be perceived to be illogical or overtly impulsive. For this your brand has to build a powerful illusion driven by a genuine human interest flavored with just a touch of the truth to create an irresistible dish that is truly worth paying more for.
Rupin Jayal
The author is Managing Partner - Direxn: Marketing & Brand Consultancy.
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written by Nikon Eyewear Sunglasses, December 18, 2010
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