This Just Read:

...exposure to brand images can have a profound effect on everything from honesty to creativity.

Flipping through the June 2008 issue of Psychology Today (irrelevant aside: those magazine people seem to have mastered the art of time travel because it seems magazines come out weeks and weeks ahead of the calendar all the time) on my way to a couple of title articles on authentic living and creative dream teams I paused at a Marketing Insights brief titled "Branded for Life" reporting on "How Corporate Logos Rule Your Subconscious."

I've been reading a lot lately on the subconscious mind and of course the mention of logos caught my eye. The upshot of it is that the combination of a company logo and its branding through TV, print ads, and even logo-laden clothing can subtly affect our thinking. One example was the Apple logo vs. the IBM logo. Apple is all about creativity, thinking differently -- the antithesis of stodgy, old "It's Business, Mam." That has been their marketing mantra in one form or another for years. Our collective subconcious minds now associate Apple (or Mac) with creativity. Even if, like me, we're PC users, seeing the Apple logo can often cause us to think and act more creatively immediately following that exposure. See an apple, get a great idea? Maybe.

A short but intriguing little snippet, reading it made me immediately think of the "Get a Mac" TV spots. PC is personified by this nerdy, somewhat insecure fellow (John Hodgman -- who is actually a Mac dude and a writer too). Mac is this younger, hip dude protrayed by actor Justin Long. (I know he's done a lot of roles but I still think of him as that goofy kid from the TV series Ed -- a lot less cool than his Mac persona.) I love those ads even if they are poking fun at my platform of choice. Not enough to switch from PC to Mac, but they are -- what's that word? -- creative and funny and memorable.

How might the average business owner (you know, those of us without an Apple budget or name recognition) put this brand recognition behavior to work in our favor. What trait or reaction do we want to embed in the subconscious of our potential customers?

Comments, observations, irrelevant asides, anyone? Speak your mind. Conscious or sub.