The science behind strong brands
How emotions, archetypes, and colour psychology shape brand perception
8 min read
1. Brands Are Feelings: The Somatic Marker Hypothesis
The idea that people make brand decisions rationally is one of the most persistent myths in business. Neuroscience paints a fundamentally different picture: emotions are not disturbances in rational decision-making – they are its prerequisite.
The neurologist Antonio Damasio formulated the Somatic Marker Hypothesis (SMH) in his 1994 work 'Descartes' Error': emotional experiences leave bodily 'markers' – physiological signals such as changes in heart rate, muscle tone, or endocrine activity – that are unconsciously reactivated during subsequent decisions.1
These markers are processed in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the amygdala. Patients with lesions in these brain regions can analyse logically but make catastrophic real-life decisions because they lack the emotional evaluation signals.2
Feelings are not just the shady side of reason but help us to reach decisions as well. – Antonio Damasio
For brand management, this means: a brand that triggers no emotion does not neurally exist as a decision factor. Strong brands activate the limbic system before cognitive evaluation processes even begin.3
2. The Limbic Map: Emotional Positioning in Values Space
The Limbic model developed by Dr Hans-Georg Häusel translates the neurobiological foundations of emotional decision-making into an operational tool for brand positioning.4
The Limbic Map distinguishes three fundamental emotional systems:
- Balance: Safety, stability, security – e.g. Volvo, Nivea
- Dominance: Power, status, assertion – e.g. Porsche, Rolex
- Stimulation: Novelty, adventure, individuality – e.g. Red Bull, Apple
Brands that position themselves clearly in one of these fields create emotional consistency. Those that jump between poles generate cognitive dissonance and are remembered less well. Häusel emphasises: there are no purely rational decision processes – every decision is emotionally grounded.5
3. Brand Archetypes: Jungian Depth Psychology for Brand Management
Carl Gustav Jung identified archetypes as universal, cross-cultural patterns in the collective unconscious. Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson systematically transferred this concept to brand management in 'The Hero and the Outlaw' (2001).7
Their central thesis: the most successful brands correspond most effectively to fundamental patterns in consumers' unconscious. Twelve archetypes, each addressing a specific need:
The Hero (Nike) · The Creator (Apple) · The Outlaw (Harley-Davidson) · The Sage (Google) · The Innocent (Coca-Cola)
The power of archetypes lies in their universality: they transcend cultural and demographic boundaries. Clear archetypal positioning reduces cognitive processing load and enables intuitive identification – without conscious analysis.8
4. Colours and Emotions: More Than Decoration
Eva Heller (1948–2008) made one of the most important contributions to systematic colour psychology with 'Wie Farben wirken' (2004), based on surveys of over 2,000 participants.9
Her central finding: the connection between colours, feelings, and reason is not arbitrary but based on universal experiences. Blue is associated cross-culturally with trust and reliability – dominating financial services and technology brands.10
Angela Wright adds: colours, as electromagnetic radiation, trigger measurable physiological responses – a universal mechanism independent of culture or gender.11
Consumers form a judgement about a product within the first 90 seconds, with between 62 and 90 per cent based solely on visual perception.12 A consistent colour palette can increase brand recognition by up to 80 per cent.13
5. Tonality as Personality: Aaker's Five Dimensions
Jennifer L. Aaker published the first empirically validated taxonomy of brand personality in 1997, drawing on the 'Big Five' of personality psychology:14
- Sincerity – honest, down-to-earth, authentic
- Excitement – daring, imaginative, contemporary
- Competence – reliable, intelligent, successful
- Sophistication – glamorous, charming, upper-class
- Ruggedness – outdoorsy, masculine, resilient
Consumers prefer brands whose personality profile matches their own self-image or ideal self.16 Consistent tonality generates trust; inconsistency undermines the entire brand architecture.
Conclusion: Psychology Before Design
Strong brands are not built through design trends but through psychology. Damasio, Häusel, Mark & Pearson, Heller, and Aaker together form a coherent theoretical edifice: brands work through emotions, not through arguments.
Those who understand how somatic markers steer decisions, how archetypes enable intuitive identification, and how consistent tonality builds trust possess the scientific toolkit to strengthen brands strategically and sustainably.
References
[2] Damasio, A. R. (1996). Phil. Trans. Royal Society B, 351(1346), 1413–1420.
[3] Bechara, A. & Damasio, A. R. (2005). Games and Economic Behavior, 52(2), 336–372.
[4] Häusel, H.-G. (2011). Limbic Ansatz. Nymphenburg Group.
[5] Häusel, H.-G. (2012). Emotional Boosting. Haufe Verlag.
[6] Häusel, H.-G. (2014). Neuromarketing. Haufe Verlag, 3rd ed.
[7] Mark, M. & Pearson, C. S. (2001). The Hero and the Outlaw. McGraw-Hill.
[8] Jung, C. G. (1968). The Archetypes. Princeton University Press.
[9] Heller, E. (2004). Wie Farben wirken. Rowohlt.
[10] Heller (2004). Based on Goethe's Theory of Colours (1810).
[11] Wright, A. (1998). The Beginner's Guide to Colour Psychology.
[12] KISSmetrics (2013). How Do Colors Affect Purchases?
[13] Loyola University Maryland / Reboot Online (2018).
[14] Aaker, J. L. (1997). Journal of Marketing Research, 34(3), 347–356.
[15] Kiriri (2019). JBRMR, Vol. 13(4). Geuens et al. (2009).
[16] Belk, R. W. (1988). Journal of Consumer Research, 2, 139–68.