Reilly Newman | We’ve all been in an argument where you have facts and rational evidence to support your opinion, but the other side simply rejects it. In almost every field, from science to politics and business to relationships, this “curse” has plagued humanity for a very long time. Our logical conclusion that a rational argument will convince our counterpart is a fallacy. One reality many forget is that this same curse directly impacts the marketing for your brand as well.
Study after study shows that rational tactics rarely convince the other side of an argument. This goes the same for marketing as rational selling rarely converts a person into a buyer. This simply comes down to the fact that rational thinking doesn’t create desire. It may be logical and “make sense,” but does it make the counterpart jump out of their seat and proclaim they want that? Of course not… they might think to themselves, “Well, that makes sense…” followed by an impending “but…”
A car manufacturer may choose to focus their marketing on highlighting that their cars have the best fuel efficiency. But if that fact (fuel efficiency) alone was the justification for the buyer, we would see nothing but EV cars everywhere. Though that rational argument was valid, there are a lot more factors that dictate why we all drive the exact car that we do.
Persuading someone to buy (or to agree in an argument) is more than just providing a rational case — it’s a matter of connecting emotionally so they don’t see it from your reasoning but from their perspective. The rational approach is focused on disarming the counterpart and convincing them of the new truth that is logically founded so they align with you and agree to buy either the product or belief. At this point, you’re better off arguing with a drunk at your local pub because the progress you make will only be in driving them further from your goal.
The logic you put before them will do the opposite as they defend their stance because although they may understand your logic and see that it indeed makes sense, this is a barter for them to surrender their belief and admit defeat. This works directly against the ego and their internal narrative. No one enjoys admitting defeat especially on the grounds of logic because by doing so you admit that you were wrong and proven incorrect. This takes massive amounts of maturity and humility to do so — which the average human is simple not capable of.
Additionally, by changing their opinion or submitting to the logic to then purchase impacts their internal narrative about who they think they are. It becomes an identity issue. This is incredibly difficult for humans because we hate change and if we change one aspect of our internal narrative this creates fractures in our view of the world and beliefs of how it works.
Now, this may seem extreme when we talk about marketing, but I find that it is just as applicable as a talk about religion or politics. This is why you see celebrities making ridiculous claims when opposed politically or even consumers boycotting brands due to stances they make. It is very much intertwined with our purchase decisions because when we purchase and experience the pain of payment, we are investing into our internal narrative. I buy this computer because I’m an Apple user. I drive this type of car because I care about the environment. I wear these shoes because I’m athletic. I buy organic because I’m healthy, and the list goes on…
Sure, these purchase decisions may have some logic in them as the rational thinking has compounded, however these fragments of logic are woven together through emotion and identity. As you see, the brand becomes a vehicle of emotion. Not a logical case of why they should choose them.
When a brand markets to its audience, part of that “marketing” should be identifying the internal narratives and identities their audience has. Then, the brand works as a vessel to assist them in achieving these aspirations and affirmations. Marketing isn’t a matter of convincing, it’s about connecting.
The same goes for arguments; it’s not your job to convince them and “win” the argument. You must first connect with them. Connection is only created on an emotional level that is relational. Just as we must be relational to our counterpart they then see that there are commonalities and it is safe to be open to emotionally connecting and hearing what you have to say.
Marketing isn’t rational, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be strategic. A brand must first connect, and then its audience will be open to buying. Marketing is best conducted through emotions because a brand is relational not rational. To relate is to sell.
