Emotional Branding

Dear Sharon,

I love it. What a clever use of your very own Iconicards. This nails who you are rationally and emotionally. Aren’t we lucky to be in such a wonderful profession.

Love and hugs,

Pat

Without a doubt, you are a Emotional Benefit Diviner.
You do encompass all of the remaining, but EBD really hits it.
A thought… You may want to try this using a text description only instead of the avatars.
The visual misses a connection with you. At least for me. Too Harry Potter(ish).

Your post was truly brilliant. I clicked on it with curiosity and no expectations and it lightened my mood and made me smile. I related to you totally and felt at home on your blog. I seldom like blogs and often find them a waste of time but would welcome your next post.

Hi Sharon–btw, Happy belated Thanksgiving! Comments on your blog….Easy to use and read, thank you! Do not like cartoon like cards; feels less professional than I know you are and your work to be. Insights mining is a huge part of positioning a brand effectively, and trying to capture “emotions and feelings” from health care professionals requires someone like you, who really understands how to probe w/out making a respondent uncomfortable.

Hi Sharon,

I love your new blog!!! Best of luck with it. I’d love to work with you sometime.

I like that you are an ardent idea person and like to share.

Hope you had a calorie laden Turkey Day!!

Warm regards,

Gail Zugeman

Congratulations on your new initiative. Opening the window wider on the whole human being, especially in these fragmented times, is a very good thing to do.

More of us must relate more to the whole human being, so that we can find our way to a more wholly and truly human future. Thank you for what you are doing. …win wenger

A very interesting approach to your personal branding – I like how you spin your role in the process. Defining what I do is not always easy for me – particularly when working with new clients or clients who are new to reserch.

First, I think you are brave to ask strangers to respond. Are you sure you want honest feedback? If so, read on….I guess this is for prospective clients, because it doesn’t give me a reason to participate as a colleague. It just seems like an ad for your services, and the blogs I’m interested in reading are most often successful when they provoke interaction. My friend Terry Heaton has a pretty good one at: http://www.thepomoblog.com/

Also as you know, graphics are really important when creating an image, and I think the ones you picked are kind of “clip art”, compared to cooler stuff that websurfers are used to seeing.

Hope you really wanted a critique!

Sharon.

For those who do not know you.

You are the best.

Creative is an understatement..

Dynamic is equally true.

If I had but one choice it most certainly

would be you.

Sharon,
Of all the blogs in the world, I am sure that yours will be the most insightful ands fun! You never cease to amaze me with your creativity and insights and I look forward to reading your posts.
In the age of expediency, it is hard for clients to sit back and absorb what they hear in qualitative, to fully immerce themselves and let go of their inhibitions so that they can embrace knowledge that is truly enlightening.
All the best,
Andrea Schrager

Sharon,

It’s a nice idea, but I like your emails better. The pictures are cute but I don’t think this presents you in as positive a light as your emails. I have more comments for you, but you’ll have to call me and tell me what you thought of my direct mail piece before I share any additinoal information!!!

Regards,

Steve

Hello Sharon,

I very much like the topic. Graphics? Perhaps make them even larger becuase they are quite subtle, yet right on target with who you are. With them, I “get” you.

Regards,
Leda, not yet an emotional marketer
Lawrence, KS

Sharon:

This is terrific. Informative and entertaining. It makes one feel that you know what you are talking about with respect to producing advertising that will work.

Art

Sharon,
Not only do you hit a cord with me (who are we) you do a great job illustrating how to use the ionic cards. I like it!!
I think we will do a round table at work – who am I – with these cards.
I’ll let you know how it turns out
keep us posted too

Interesting reading, does a good job of selling you ina creative way. I like the avatars or icons — good visual imaging….now I’m waiting for the meat on branding….

Best,

Anni

Hi, Sharon –

As a fellow QRCA lister, I’m always ready to give a cheer to another fellow independent. My role has always been as an ancillary service to the marketing research industry. I’ve often wondered why the qualitative stuff I see in my company isn’t more emotion driven. Many times respondents are quite emotional about a topic, but often discussion guides seem to skirt this type of qualitative research.

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. Should you ever been in need of transcription, I would welcome the opportunity to throw my hat into the ring.

Best regards,
Sydney Alderman
Premier Transcription Service

Hi Dr. Livingston,
I have been using Iconicards in my practice as a child and adolescent psychiatric nurse practitioner. Although, I’m not using it for marketing, I thought I’d share what I’ve been doing with them.

A client was dealing with anger issues toward a another person. We went through an exercise much like the one on your site. We identified a card for him, the other person and then him with that person. Here’s the quote:
“Wow! I knew I was angry, but I guess I didn’t realize how much. And it’s getting in the way of all of those things about me.”
He was referring to the 5 adjectives he chose for the card for himself. We also wrote on an index card, the qualities of the “himself” card in the context of “I am…” and he took them home with him.
He’s 11 years old.

I have also used the cards as a fun “getting to know you” exercise in the first couple of sessions. The kids love this! I have them go through the deck and pick all of the cards that describe them. Then we go through each one and I ask them to describe how that card reflect them. I have found that this is great for many school aged kids and the adolescents just love it!

I also see a 7 year old who struggles with self esteem. You will love HER idea. She gave me the deck and told me to pick cards that remind me of her and then she wanted me to explain. Together we made a poster of my descriptions of her based on the cards I chose. If you could have seen her face as she listened to the story (with iconicards pictures to look at while she was listening), you would be doing child psych forever! It was like reading her a story all about herself and she got a poster out of it!

I do wish that the cards were a bit more diverse as far as culture and race. That is my only criticism. I hope you receive it as constructive.

I am glad that you have started this blog because I am so excited about these cards and I am looking forward to sharing more as I work with them!

Congratulations! Enjoy the blogworld.

Hi Dr. Livingston,
I noticed that there are two comments. It would be great if we could see all of the comments so that we could learn from each other, but I can only see my own.
Tiesha

Your post was great. Thanks for the introduction.

Don

Hi Sharon –

I have been learning more about blogs lately. I think this is a fabulous tool for you to impart information. You should tie in a description of your iconicards with this.

Susan

PS I think the New Product Detective might do with a bit of wordsmithing.

Hello Sharon: I enjoy your blogs and posts; they always include interesting and creative ways to think about things. Having fun is one of the most difficult things for clients to do. But I keep trying. Best regards, Jean

Sharon,
Firstly I like the interview you did with Glen. That was great. Lots of valuable content.

2. I read your report on how to use “EMOTIONAL MARKETING”.

It is funny though that copywriting is about how to use EMOTIONAL TRIGGER WORDS to cause your customers to take a particular action.

Correct me if I am wrong.

Yours take it a step further. Most emails I receive from a lot of marketers are not really trying to bond with me.

They are trying to influence me to take a particular action which is to buy! buy!!buy!!!.

It does not work with me though becasue I know how it does work now.

But the only way I think I am bonded with anyone one or anybrand online per se is someone who is feeding me with valuable content and not pitching me all the time with one product or the other.

http://www.copyblogger.com is a good one. He feed you with valuable content. But once in a while when he want to recemmend a product to you, you just want to read all that the guy has to say becasue he does not try and sell you stuff all the time.

another one is http://www.webinknow.com/. He does not pitch either.

Hey, Seth Gordin is another one. Almost forgot!

I think I like their style of marketing. In fact, I think most folks who claim to be marketers are not really marketers. They are promoters.

There is a difference! (won’t get into that!)

Sorry, I was just going on and on.

I like your blog and can’t wait to start receiving valuable content from you also.

Emotional branding is something I am really interested in learning more about.

God bless.

Cultural Studies & Analysis, my think tank, also looks for what motivates buying behavior by understanding very long-term human thinking, based on evolution, neuroscience, and social psychology. It might be interesting to compare notes with you to see if there are intersections to our research and applications for clients.

hi sharon – you asked for suggestions on what you should cover here. How about talking about ways to use social media for marketing?

Hi Sharon. Greetings from Australia. I have a question about this intriguing time of year. Thanksgiving is a big festival celebrated really only in Canada and the US; and even then not at the same time. I subscribe to quite a few US based ezines, blogs, newsletters that say they are “globally focussed” yet, at this time of the year, always sign off with a “Happy Thanksgiving”. If we’re talking about emotional branding does this imply that the writer is thinking that the only people reading the blog/ whatever are living in the US and therefore ignoring(?) me. Don’t get me wrong. This is not a gripe, no big issue. How can we strike the balance about being specific and targetted in our marketing and yet not marginalise prospective customers?

lets try again
ck

I am not sure I understand the “question,” — the purpose of the survey and what I am expected to do, or how I am expected to respond.

Could you please explain.

Thanks

I found it interesting with a humorous and lively touch. As a transcriptionist, though, I just couldn’t resist pointing out something wrong in this sentence: “I LOVE my work and feel grateful that I get to such exciting work with such great results for my clients.” Do you see what got my attention?

Interesting approach – attractive as is the picture of you. I am not sure as to how I can use your concept(s) , however, I’ll not forget that you included me in your research. Good luck.

Bill Brennen

P.S.: what is your “Dr.” PhD or MD?

Hi Sharon,

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! I love your blog – what a great idea! So my take away is (or what I’d hope for would be) that you’ll likely provide new tools & projective techniques for QRCs to use in the interview situation – you could also provide tips & hints & do’s & don’ts for a QRC to use in terms of running a business – some general sound advice, especially to those brand new or relatively new to this business.

What else can I tell you?

Love,
Farnaz

Sharon,
I think the approach is very fresh. Here are my thoughts:
1. Would photos be better than the drawings?
2. I expected to be able to click on the image and find out more. Maybe a case study or example of how it benefits the client?
3. Who do you expect to visit your website and for what purpose? Who is your audience? Prospective clients?
4. It feels very feminine. That is OK since you are feminine and it is your brand.
5. The “Marketing Muse” paragraph is confusing. I have read it a couple of times and not sure what it means. Would this be better . . . “Marketing Muse, inspiring, cheerleading, giving you ideas based on what your audience really thinks and feels rather than what they think is expected.
All in all, Sharon, this is very innovative and will capture people’s attention because it is different. If this is for prospective clients, it might be good to give more concrete examples of how the three parts of your brand will help the client.
Carol

Sharon,

Such a hot topic! I think the blog is creative and you definitely come across as your authentic innovative self. I look forward to reading and contributing to it.

Having read a few other feedback posts, perhaps you can move your “real” picture up toward the top so those who don’t know you can connect with your visual before they experience the pieces of you reflected in the cards.

All the best,

Lauren

Hi Sharon,

What an interesting topic! I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

We would be interested in understanding any cultural nuanses…since we are working in such a multi-cultural market here in South Africa.

Good luck and enjoy!

Warm regards,

Jani and Lee

Dear Sharon,
A great approach!!!
If you take a global approach, it will provide a lot more to your findings. In a global economy, we are constantly being exposed to and reacting to global issues. But each of the event affect us differently and interests us differently, none the less we emotionally feel the pain and joy depending on where we are. Examples are: terrorist attack in Mumbai, Appointment of Hillary as Secretary of State etc.
Keep up your efforts and contribution to our profession.
Warmly,
Santosh
GRAM
732-805-9033

Wow! I’m thrilled with all of your comments. It’s given me much food for thought and I will post again very soon. Just want to think about what to share.

BTW, for those of you unfamiliar with my IconiCards deck, I chose to use images of the cards that reflected me when I wrote the invitation. Check out the videos at http://www.IconiCards.com. Today, for example, I feel a little like an Orphan. Five words to describe the Orphan Card — alone, sad, abandoned, on her own, unsure. How does that tie back to me? We were surrounded by family all weekend, and then my sister and her family returned home. It’s a little lonely even though Glenn and I are home together with our adorable pups. Makes me feel particularly grateful for all of you in my community. If I had to pick a second card, it would be Cook. Adjectives to describe – nurturing, creative, pleasing, inventive, nutrition minded. Your comments inspire me to cook up some juicy information for you that’s tasty, appealing and has a healthy impact on your businesses and lives.

Can’t wait to fully master the online technology and my proof reading. I’ll post very soon.

Love, Sharon

Dear Sharon,

Nice idea, I hope someone in Spain does the same soon, who knows, may be me!

1. Drawings are best, no photos are needed.
2. Post real threats to MR, some good moderator comments would help all of us.
3. Emotional marketing is decreasing for rational marketing, ujjjj, we should inspire clients to look underneath respondents minds more and more, NO more superficial reports.

I will visit your blog soon again!

All the best,

Oscar – ARPO – Spain

Hi Sharon,

I like the idea of a blog for conversations about different subjects. I believe there needs to be much more research around the emotional drivers that contribute to all manner of behaviors that people exhibit. Personally I am Ok with the persona you have chosen for the blog above but I agree with others here that it is naturally very feminine – perhaps this will have an impact on the perception of mainstream business viewers as it does appear to be very new age (astrology, fortuneteller, unicorns and dolphin like). You might loose people with an initial impression. Understanding emotional drivers and translating these concepts into actionable marketing strategies is what you’re trying to do here.
I would like to hear more from you about the processes of cognitive psychology that help extract the emotional drivers your talking about and perhaps have the opportunity to discuss the implications of how best to leverage these insights with marketing staff.
My experience is that a large majority of business people don’t know how to take belief insights and turn them into meaningful strategies. As an example the critical thinking process to frame piece of mind or security into the design of a product package or web site takes considerable effort and few know how to go about it.
In any case I am interested in the ongoing conversation.
Thanks for the opportunity.
Russ

Greetings,Sharon-
Thanks for including me in your mailing for response to your blog.
My reaction to the images was that they work for an American audience, but not necessarily for other cultures- for example, the Sherlock Holmes image is relevant to an Anglo/American audience, but not for Latinos- why would Sharon think of herself as a pipe-smoking male?
However, your approach of “insight mining” is very important and useful…our market research clients DO want to “get inside the heads” of consumers- our analyses are critical for them, and I agree, I too find our field of work very exciting, rewarding, and stimulating.
When all is said and done, every human sees the world through their own ‘lenses’ of experience, culture, education, and personality. Making actionable sense of multiple respondents’ reactions is very challenging.
I wish you (and our fellow qualitative researchers) all the best!
Adelante y Arriba/Onward and Upward!
Rosi Fontana
Garcia Fontana Research
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

Thanks, Rosi,

You’re right, I’m more like a modern day Nancy Drew, but we all have male and female aspects, don’t we!

Also wanted you to know, that one of my IconiCards purchasers is
using the cards in several countries.

Here’s what he said:

“I am in country 3 of a 5 country study. I have to saw I am
delighted with the IconiCards. They are doing exactly what I wanted.
As you may recall we have had to translate them into German,
Spanish, Italian and French. But importantly the characters appear to
have universal meaning.

So I am very pleased indeed.”

AND, it’s important to be comfortable with any technique. There are some things I wouldn’t do
because I don’t have the confidence in using them. For example, in PsychoDrama
there’s a technique called The Magic Shoppe that I’ve seen, participated in as
respondent and loved, but haven’t been able to bring it to life myself. So I won’t
use it until I do some more practicing at home first.

Thanks so much for your comments. I had no idea how much fun this blog was
going to be.

Hi Sharon,

Thanks for letting me know about your new blog and asking for my feedback. You’ve got an interesting first start, and I like the way you’ve incorporated your IconiCards. It gives me more ideas for using them. With your creative approach — to research and to life — I know I’ll keep finding good energy here!

Carol

Sharon:

Nice job.

I like the user-friendly typeface, the clear and simple wording and the use of illustrations. You might want to make them larger — and you might consider (if you can own them) using something them or something similar to become iconic representations of your line of services.

That’s it for now, but I always have lots of ideas, so please feel free to “call again”.

Best of luck!

Doug Stevenson

Hi Sharon;

Your use of your Arch-Type projection representations to demonstrate the power & focus of your blog is terrific.

The subtlety and sophistication of your technique(s) allows for a degree of understanding the multiple sub-sets of motivation(s) of the elements comprising a market within any given niche.

Following your detailing and identifying the underlying emotional drivers that directs all of our behavior opens an entirely new dimension to the art of marketing; an element previously known to the top executives of the Fortune 100, I dare say.

Your new blog will be an invaluable contribution to the realm of internet marketing, raising the bar of what constitutes professionalism in the industry.

Thank you so much for what you & Glenn have already given, and I am looking forward to the insights yet to come.

Best Regards,
Rick Louis

Hi Sharon,
Nice job with the blog methodology and, as many others have said, integrating your iconicards into the text. I’m still wondering how and when blogs are the method to suggest to clients (vs. say traditional bulletin boards) and how to create some “best practices” for when to use blogs vs. other techniques. Haven’t looked into blogging myself – those mini-blogs on Facebook are as far as I’ve been willing to go.

All the best,
Patrice

Very clear, clean and clever.

Sharon,

This looks like it’s going to be interesting, with the right-brained, symbolic approaches to understanding ourselves and others applied to marketing.

Looking forward to understanding more.

Thanks,

- John

Sharon- you really are a very clever marketer- you really know how to engage an audience! Look forward to more brainstorming on how we can work together.

Hi Sharon,
This is very intriguing. Having been completely unaware of your Iconicards, I don’t think I was immersed as much as I would otherwise have been. But it did get me to check out the Iconicards site and I’ve just ordered 4 decks! Can’t wait to try them.

Sharon, up to this point I’ve found your regular communications to be a welcome interruption to the day, ie. they made me smile at your marketing initiative. But this time you’ve really got me thinking about how my clients see me–some better than others! And that makes me think of the ones I’ve lost and how they must remember me. So your use of cartoon-like icons really cuts to the pith of what we do, who we are, how we want to be perceived and how we’re remembered. This is smart, very smart. So you’ve piqued my interest in not only your work but in my own and how I can do it better–especially the marketing part! Well done dear colleague, very well done.

Sharon, this blog is so YOU. It is creative, whimsical, colorful, goes deep, and so attractive. Unlike some others who’ve posted, I like the cartoons and illustrations, think they’re so much better than photographs in this context, and what’s a blog without visuals? Keep it up, I look forward to coming back.

Sharon, what a delight to spend time with your blog. Once again, you are expressing your true nature as Generous, Creative, and Warm. Thank you for perpetually reaching for more, and for sharing with colleagues around the world.

Your “sis,”

Jan

Hi Sharon,
I am very much looking forward to using the Iconicards in my groups to better understand emotional relationships consumers have with their brands. I think they’ll work better than the Myss ones without all the description on them. I have written an exercise using them a couple of times, but it hasn’t survived. I thought the use that Ms. Johnson described would work great in kids groups as a getting to know you tool. I look forward to sharing Iconicards tips and exercises on your blog. Thanks for inviting me in.
Cheers, Rosalia

Hi Sharon!

Congratulations on having the initiative and drive to get this going.

Best wishes on your new endeavor!

Regina

Thanks as always for continuing to send me your

emails. You are always ahead of the curve.

I would like to invite you and David to

consider speaking at the workshop Tom Mann and

are organizing in Washington, D.C. on May 15.

Let me know.

AND THANKS AGAIN…LES

Thanks for sending me your new “baby”.

It’s an intriguing idea for a blog, especially since I’m not sure what to expect, and it piqued my curiosity about what to expect. The tone of your copy is bright, clever, and encouraging. I had a pleasurable, delighted reaction to your using the cards to describe yourself, as you and I don’t know each other well, and I thought that it was interesting that you used the cards to describe your own essence.

I love the idea of your having guest speakers, like our own SF based David Van Nuys. (Go David!)

To answer your specific questions:
For future content: perhaps more on why emotional branding. What it is, why it’s important, how you can use it to differenitate yourself.

The concerns for my own business: “Emotional” research is often times worrisome to clients who are more comfortable with concrete results, So it is difficult to sell, but I do it anyway. Perhaps an entry on how to sell it, how to handle objections.

Best wishes for a successful new blog.
Andrea

Hi Sharon,

Sorry I am slower than my colleagues in responding to your blog…so there really isn’t much to add. All the good things others have said, I echo. Don’t give up your creative style as some of the left-brained responders have suggested. We all learn from your creativity, regardless of our orientation. Thanks for being amongst us!

Michele

Just read your latest email entry, and it hit home today. I just disenrolled from a prescription plan and re-enrolled in another because the first one was so awful I turned into a harpy every time I had to deal with them. I realized this after reading your blog, as I ostensibly thought it was their inferior customer service and poor bookkeeping (e.g., sending me overdue bills after I had paid!), but it was how much I hated dealing with them because of what it was doing to me, and how it was making me feel.

Happy, healthy, peaceful, productive, and prosperous New Year!

xoxo
Tink

Dear Sharon

Simply great. That is a befitting description and really thought provoking. Your use of icons illustrates your dynamism.

Wish you further success

Imtiaz Manzar

hi
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good luck

Hi Sharon -

Thanks for sharing your recent research experience – very interesting and always great to hear a success story where the client actually went the extra mile in listening to the customer. YEAH!

I finally had a chance to catch up with your blog. I really enjoyed Tiesha’s perspective and use of the iconicards in her role as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. It actually gave me ideas for uses in qualitative.
Different perspectives are so valuable.

Keep up the great work and thanks for always sharing!

Susan

Hi Sharon,

Thanks again for sharing a wonderful story. You are inspiring and I love your blog.

With joy,

Gail

Sharon –

Great story and such a truism. Why is it that often we find the time to “fix a problem when we are in crisis mode” but rarely have the time to “do it correctly at the onset”.

Loved the Iconicards idea and would love to catch up with you soon!

Cheers
nina

Hello Sharon,

I have a focus group with college students and I am deathly afraid of a) feeling and looking like an old foggie and b) boring groups, being little more activity than answering a line of questioning. I have no intervention or activities planned. The objective is “Where and with whom is creatviity happening on Campus?” While you cannot help me feeling/looking like an old foggie, can you help me think up a great intervention/activity to do with the students (18 – 22 yrs of age)?
The group is Tuesday. Thanks in advance

Love,
Leda
http://www.researchesource.biz

The sound on you video was not loud enough to hear easily. Yes, I did have my sound on and turned up to 100%

Sharon,

I went through the short exercise. This is a very powerful technique. It can be used to profile brand and user image and the fit between the two. And very importantly how relevant image is in a given category. Perhaps we should talk.

Thakns

Hi Sharon,
I was very interested in looking at your advertising that sticks video – and so was bummed when I tried to tune in, but couldn’t hear what you were saying!!

BTW–I love the Iconicards! haven’t used them yet, but can’t wait for the right opportunity.

Isabelle

Sharon,

My apologies for the lateness on the eCD article… It’s been unexpectedly extremely busy the past few weeks.

I hope to get this to you for early next week. If wish to discuss, please do not hesitate to call me Toll Free: 877 834.4343 x 333.

Best,

Jeffrey

Sharon: Re your email about the new and intriguing Johnny Denovo book, what is it about qualitative researchers that makes them want to communicate to the outside world? My own recent effort along these lines — “Semantricks: A Dictionary of Words you Thought you Knew” — is of a very different genre: the result of associative thinking run amok combined with the impulse control of a fruit fly, it conjures inventive new definitions ranging from the merely fetched to the far-fetched and beyond. It’s a good tension reliever, especially for crossword puzzlers and other wordplay fans, and has been known to make readers laugh out loud in public.