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

In my last blog, I said that I believe there are five categories of consumer brands, and that those brands roughly run parallel to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Let’s look at Belonging, Status and Experience brand types.

Level Three: Belonging Brands

Belonging brands represent groups of people that you aspire to or appreciate being part of. This level of brand very loosely fits into Maslow’s third pyramid level.

By simply buying a brand—or buying into it—you immediately become a member of a tribe. Maybe not a full-fledged member, but a member.

People who buy Harley-Davidson motorcycles aren’t just buying two-wheel transportation. They’re buying into an attitude, a culture, a way of life. They’re saying, “I like my freedom. I like the open road. I’m at least a little rebellious. I belong with these people.”

Ralph Lauren has created a whole lifestyle around his Polo fashion line. You may not be part of the wealthy English landowner class. But by owning and wearing anything Polo, you attach yourself to that lifestyle.

Kids who wear Nike shoes and apparel aspire to be like professional athletes. They may never be great athletic performers, but by merely buying and proudly wearing Nike products, they can share the feeling of what it might be like to be a star.

Level Four: Status Brands

A Status brand sends a message.

You buy a Status brand to make a statement about yourself.

Loosely fitting into Maslow’s fourth level up the pyramid, a Status brand is about self-esteem and having the respect of others. Human beings are social by nature, and we care about what others think. If people think well of us, we feel good about that. Many people think they can gain the respect they want by simply buying Status brands.

When choosing a Status brand, rational questions about what the brand can do for you hardly matter. The overriding question is, “What does this brand say about me?”

In effect, you wear the brand as a badge or symbol. It's a way to instantly communicate how well you’re doing, and where you stand in relation to others.

A $10,000 Rolex certainly tells time. But a lot of less expensive watches tell time at least as well. You buy a Rolex to communicate that you’ve got it made.

A Ferrari, Rolls Royce or Aston Martin will definitely get you from point A to point B. But you buy the car because it says that you’re wealthy, in control of your life, and that you value the finer things in life.

A Michael Kors handbag is clearly functional. However, a woman doesn’t buy it for function alone. She buys it because of what it says about her sense of fashion, taste, and status. It’s not even subtle. The name is prominently displayed on the outside of the purse for everyone to see. 

Level Five: Experience Brands

You buy an Experience brand in order to enrich your life, to explore life’s meaning, to expand life’s possibilities, to see the world in new ways.

By spending thousands to climb a mountain in Tibet, you’re challenging yourself; you’re pushing yourself to the limit. And when you’re successful, you literally feel on top of the world.

By taking a child to her first ballet and seeing the delight in her face as she sees Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty, you not only light up her life, you light up your own. And you’ll cherish those memories forever. 

Or, next time you’re in Paris, treat your husband or wife to a Michelin 3-Star meal. By going to an extraordinary restaurant, you’re buying an experience that promises to please all of your senses, and you know you’re both going to be treated extremely well. In addition, it might inspire you to start that cooking school or open that wine shop you've always dreamed of.

Overlapping Brand Levels.

Usually, any given brand is dominated by one brand category. But some brands show characteristics of several categories.

For example, some brands of shoes can be Utility, Belonging and Status brands at the same time.

Or take a high-end automobile such as a Bentley sports coupe. It will get you from point A to point B (Utility). It will make you feel like a master of the universe (Empowerment). It will put you in an elite group of car connoisseurs (Belonging). It will say you have it made financially (Status). And it will be a thrilling and memorable drive (Experience).

Let’s not claim too much for brands.

I don’t want to get carried away with comparisons to Maslow.

I’m not suggesting, for instance, that any brand has the power to help someone achieve peak experiences or profound levels of love, belonging, friendship, intimacy, understanding, harmony, achievement, or self-actualization.

Brands are much more superficial.

But there are some ways that brands parallel Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

And as brands have become more sophisticated over time, there has been a propensity to move up the pyramid.

Bottom line: We’re increasingly moving away from what brands mean in terms of function and toward how brands makes people feel.