Function to Feeling: A decades-long trend in branding. Part One

If you took a Psych 101 class in college, you undoubtedly spent some time studying Abraham Maslow.

He’s probably best known for his hierarchy of needs pyramid. It moves upward from a base of physiological needs through safety, love and belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization.

What’s fascinating is that there appears to be a long-term branding trend that moves roughly up a pyramid in the same fashion as Maslow's hierarchy.

Bear with me.

There are all kinds of ways to divide brands into categories. One way is to look at products and services. Another is to consider profit and non-profit organizations. Then there are business-to-consumer and business-to-business categories. The list is endless.

As an ad writer, I think the most useful way to divide brands is by the psychological benefits that people get from brands.

When you do that, there are, in my opinion, five basic categories of consumer brands.

I call them Utility, Empowerment, Belonging, Status, and Experience. (I’m only talking about B2C brands, not B2B. And I'm not claiming that every consumer brand in the world will fit into these five categories.)

The first, Utility, is largely based on rational decision-making. The other four are driven, at least in part, by emotion—by how they make you feel.

THE CATEGORIES ABOVE REFLECT MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS. I GREATLY RESPECT MASLOW'S THINKING.. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO BRANDING, I FIND IT MORE HELPFUL TO START WITH UTILITY AND MOVE UP THROUGH EMPOWERMENT, BELONGING, STATUS, AND EXPERI…

As we move up the pyramid, we’re going from What-It-Does-For-Me to How-It-Makes-Me-Feel. And I’d say, over the last several decades, marketers have been decidedly moving away from function and more toward feeling.

In this blog, let’s look at Utility and Empowerment brands. I’ll cover the other three categories in my next blog.

Level One: Utility Brands

This level is all about how a brand can help you physically improve your life. And it roughly corresponds to Maslow’s lowest level of satisfying needs.

You buy a hammer to drive a nail so you can fix a leaky roof. You get a $20 watch to tell time so you won’t be late to work. You pick up a small, inexpensive car to get from point A to point B.

In comparing competing Utility brands, the emphasis is on product features and benefits.

You ask rational questions: Will this product perform well? Will it help me get the job done? Will it hold up? What makes this better than competing brands? And, how does it compare in price?

Examples? There are millions.

Walk into practically any hardware store and you’ll see a rack of Stanley tools. They’re probably not the world’s best tools, but they perform pretty well at a decent price. So instead of standing there forever evaluating every choice, you can simply buy the Stanley tools you need and count on them to measure up.

Or go shopping at any drugstore. You’ll find hundreds of toothbrushes. You’re looking for clean teeth and healthy gums, and all of the brushes will probably perform well. But chances are, you’ll gravitate to a name brand such as Colgate, Crest or Oral-B.

For most of the 19th and 20th centuries, Utility brands received most of marketers’ attention. And money.

There will always be a place for Utility brands. But I suggest that if marketers can position brands further up the pyramid, they will.

Level Two: Empowerment Brands

An Empowerment brand is an extension of Utility.

In effect, you’re using the brand to extend your power; you’re multiplying your ability to do something.

But what is critical is that you feel the empowerment. And for certain people, that feeling defines the brand.

You buy a saw to cut wood, but you buy a Stihl chainsaw to feel the power as you rapidly cut through an entire tree.

You buy a motorboat to move through the water, but you buy a Cigarette speedboat for the thrill of flying over the ocean. Something similar could be said for sport or muscle cars.

On the negative side, you have pepper spray in your purse or a small handgun in your nightstand for protection. Going further, you carry a Glock or .357 Magnum, not just for protection, but for the feeling of power you get when you can project deadly force.

There are also brands that help you stay powerful. Think of insurance, for example. You buy it to protect yourself and your family from some calamity. So in effect, you’re preserving your current power. And the peace of mind you get feels good.

In comparing competing products, the rational emphasis is on how the product will help you perform; the emotional emphasis is on how powerful the product will make you feel.

And this feeling of empowerment might well be more important than any rational consideration of product features and benefits.