THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND BRAND MEMORABILITY
- Jenny Henderson
- Mar 3, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 28, 2024
When weāre head down, running our business, itās easy to get in the weeds about things. Overthinking what to say, second guessing which graphic to use or what to include in our offers. šš»āāļø
Butāwhen the shoe is on the other foot and weāre the ones making the purchase, we CRAVE simplicity. We want fewer choices, cut-to-the-chase copy, and the path of least resistance.
Itās just how our brains are wired.
CONTENTS
A CASE FOR SIMPLICITY
If youāre struggling to increase memorability around your business, you need to learn to simplify.
And when it comes to your brand, this couldnāt be more true.
In a recent study on what makes brand logos memorable, Siegel+Gale surveyed 3000 people across the US and UK. Their biggest takeaway?
š The simplest logos are the most memorable.
āBrands that use a clear and simple logo design will stand out and be more memorable for the general public.ā Logo Now Report
This is our brains thanking us in an era of over stimulation.
When you embrace simplicity with your visual identity, you make your brand easy to remember and recognize. Pair simplicity with brand consistency and youāll increase brand awareness with new audiences.
HOW FAMILIARITY BREEDS AFFECTION
There is a psychological phenomenon called the mere exposure effect. This phenomenon suggests that our preference for something grows the more we are exposed to it. In other words, familiarity breeds affection.
Siegel+Galeās study drew the same conclusion:
āConsumers are more likely to ascribe a logo they recognize with positive attributes, namely Trusted, Respected, Reliable and Premium.ā Logo Now Report
Yup. Brand familiarity has the ability to positively impact the impression your audience has of your business. Could it really be so simple?
SHAPE YOUR REPUTATION, SIMPLY.
The impact of simplicity goes way beyond your logo design.
To increase memorability around what it is you do and what you want to be known for, you need to have messaging that is simple, concise and compelling.
š Make your words count.
When you start using simple, strategic messaging on repeat, it establishes a direct tie between your business and your core message.
Remember, people often need to see things 7ā8x before it imprints on them. So find that overarching theme to what it is you do, write it simply, and write it often.
THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF BRAND SIMPLICITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS
This is all fine and dandy for growing your business, but what about managing your business? Is there a solution to offset our tendency to overcomplicate things?
Well, letās just say thereās a ripple effect.
Embracing simplicity with your brand helps eliminate analysis paralysis, streamlines your day-to-day, and increases productivity.
When you develop a brand identity that is simple by design and distill your brand messaging to focus around a central objective, you always know what move to make next. No more second guessing.
Do less, achieve more.
Thereās a lot to be gained when you learn to simplify.ā
More FOCUS ā on the things that matter most.ā More PURPOSE ā behind each decision you make.ā More AWARENESS ā because itās easy to remember.ā More TIME ā to be intentional.ā More GROWTH ā around your specialty.ā ā But it isnāt easy. It forces you to be creative, to unpack everything so you can identify what REALLY matters ā whatās worth holding on to.ā It takes work to find the simplest approach that will imprint on the minds of your target audience while being distinct, relatable and offer a glimpse of whatās possible.
Simplification is about making things count.ā ā If youāre ready to use strategic simplification to unpack your brand and increase memorability, wellāthatās exactly what I do.
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Jenny Henderson Studio develops memorable brand experiences and strategic brand foundations to improve recognition and revenue for service-based small businesses.