Add a Little Bark to Your Brand with Learning Code #20
Activate Alpha Dog Genes to Establish Brand Authority
The dynamics of authority, respect, and trust play a pivotal role in effective marketing. Learning Code 20 helps us hone in on how to craft brand messaging that activates our “follow-the-leader” genes.
In this article, we’ll explore the science behind alpha dog genes and examples of practical Meaningful Marketing™ strategies that activate those genes to ensure consumers focus on and internalize brand messages in a meaningful way.
The Science Behind “Follow-the-Leader” Genes
Although there is no direct mention of alpha dog genes in The Learning Code Institute’s literature, the concept revolves around the idea that certain cues can activate specific genes in brain structures, leading to heightened attention and respect for authoritative brands. When knowledge is delivered by a respected, trusted authority whom the consumer believes can offer them something meaningful and beneficial, it’s more likely to be logged into long-term memory.
Key Characteristics of “Follow the Leader” Dynamics:
- Authority: Consumers are more likely to be more loyal to a brand that demonstrates authority and expertise in terms of their product or service.
- Trust and Respect: Information delivered by a respected brand is internalized more quickly and effectively.
- Heightened Attention: Consumers pay more attention to brands they view as leaders or mentors.
The Impact of Activating “Follow-the-Leader” Genes
When marketing messaging is crafted and properly curated to activate those above mentioned dynamics, the following positive outcomes can occur:
- Enhanced Memory Retention: Information delivered by respected brands is more likely to be remembered.
- Increased Engagement: Consumers are more engaged and motivated when they respect and trust the brand or representative of the brand.
- Improved Consumer Behavior Outcomes: The overall effectiveness of the information adoption process is enhanced when consumers follow and respect the leader.
Strategies to Activate Alpha Dog Genes
To effectively activate follow-the-leader dynamics in your marketing campaigns, consider the following strategies:
- Establish Credibility: Ensure that representatives of your brand demonstrate expertise and authority in meaningful subject matter. This can be achieved through credentials, experience, and confident delivery. For example, have senior executives or industry experts lead a live webinar to create positive PR by enhancing credibility and respect.
- Build Trust and Rapport: Encourage your marketing team to do everything they can to build trust and rapport with consumers. This involves getting personal – in other words, remembering everyone in your audience is a human being. So, share case studies of personal experiences with the brand, show empathy, and demonstrate genuine interest in your consumers’ interests.
- Leverage Influencers: Recruit respected, well-known influencers to facilitate brand messaging dispersal. Mint Mobile is an excellent example of a brand whose leveraging their new owner’s established celebrity; celebrities like Ryan Reynolds have the privilege of icon-status by simple virtue of achieving fame. As the saying goes, smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Make the most of resources and opportunities like this to effectively influence and motivate consumers.
- Highlight Real-World Applications: Show how the information being delivered by the brand authority figure can support real-world success for consumers. This increases the perceived value of the information. For example, we at CoreCentrica do this with The Code 24. We take evergreen marketing strategies and turn to the scientific knowledge of W. Wilson, founder of The Learning Code Institute, to give those marketing strategies a scientific backbone that can show us the objective reasons for why they work, or sometimes even show us new science that informs us on how to improve upon what we thought were evergreen strategies but actually need to evolve.
- Create a Positive Marketing Campaign Environment: Design the marketing campaign environment to build a positive reputation. For example, let’s say we have an AgTech (Agriculture Technology) company that builds eco-friendly equipment for organic farmers. We’ll call them EcoFriendlyTech (EFT, for short). EFT wants to build a strong reputation as a socially responsible and community-focused company to attract environmentally conscious consumers, strengthen brand loyalty, and enhance the company’s overall market position. They can achieve this by being transparent, engaging with the community, educating the audience, sharing positive stories, maintaining a consistent and uplifting brand voice, and continuously seeking and acting on feedback. Not to mention, a publicly-announced collaboration with a well-known environmental NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) wouldn’t hurt. It’s in examples like these that we start to see the important overlap of PR and marketing. A lot of marketers make the mistake of thinking a brand can do without any PR efforts, but this is not the case if you want a brand to completely corner a competitive market space.
Practical Applications in Marketing
- Authority Marketing: Position your brand as an authority in the industry by showcasing expertise, certifications, and thought leadership. Use respected figures to endorse your products and services.
- Influencer Collaborations: Partner with influencers and thought leaders who have a strong following and are respected by your target audience. Their endorsement can enhance credibility, liking, and trust in your brand.
- Storytelling: Use storytelling to highlight the authority and expertise of your brand’s leaders. Share success stories and case studies that demonstrate how your brand supports customer success.
Learning Code #20: Key Takeaways
Activating follow-the-leader dynamics in marketing is essential for enhancing brand memorability, consumer engagement, and overall consumer behavioral outcomes. And this activation is only successful if we:
- Establish credibility.
- Build trust.
- Leverage influence in whatever form that comes in (celebrity, scientist, etc.).
- Highlight real-world applications.
- And build a positive reputation.
At CoreCentrica, we’re committed to leveraging the latest neuroscientific insights to create tailor Meaningful Marketing Strategies. Stay ahead of the game with marketing backed by brain science by incorporating these insights into your own campaigns.
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