This
week I’ve been looking at how brands exist outside advertising.  We absorb so much of advertising
subconsciously, and it’s so irrevocably tied to culture, that this is actually
quite a tricky mission. The core question is what would someone think of our
clients if they hadn’t seen any ads? What might they pick up from culture at
large? This could be references in books or magazines, how people talk about
them in their tweets, how people manipulate them in memes etc.  What is the brand’s impact on society? Do
people joke about them? Do they respect or chastise them?

One
concept I was invited to explore was the ‘Schema’. This is a psychological idea
I’d actually read about years ago and completely forgotten. Yet it’s a huge
part of how we sculpt our opinions and form memories. 

[An
abstracted diagram of schemata in our consciousness]

Here’s
a cut down definition from Wikipedia:

"In
psychology and cognitive science, a schema (plural schemata or schemas), describes a mental structure of preconceived ideas, a framework
representing some aspect of the world, or a system of organizing and perceiving
new information. Schemats influence attention and the absorption of new
knowledge: people are more likely to notice things that fit into their schema,
while re-interpreting contradictions to the schema as exceptions or distorting them
to fit.”

The
“Schematas influence attention and the absorption of new knowledge” bit is
really crucial to brands. You can say something new about a brand, but often
people will have a preconceived idea about the product or company, and so they
will only take the message on board if it sits comfortably within their frame
of reference. If it fits it sticks. Schemata give our brains a framework in
which to relate things. Stereotypes are a kind of schema. 

[the
brain naturally makes networks and associations – these can be hard to break]

Schemata
also have a frightening ability to manipulate ideas. I remember when I first
learnt about them I was shown the opening scene from a film with a motorbike
accident. I think it may have been Lawrence of Arabia. Anyway, after we watched
this five-minute clip we were asked several questions. The key one was: “Did
you see broken glass?” The majority of us answered affirmative: Yes. However,
winding back the film there was no glass at all. Our brains had filled in the
gaps with ideas based on expectation. Bike crash- carnage- glass.  We’d taken new information (film of the crash)
and manipulated it to meet our preconceived expectations (broken glass). 

[Lawrence’s
bike]

So
schema can be both a help and hindrance to advertisers. Positive schema are
useful, and negative a hurdle. However it’s not even that simplistic. Your
brand might be surrounded by positive schema, but these might not sit perfectly
in line with the direction in which you want to take the brand. Learning to
unlock the psychology and culture behind what people think of your brand is an
invaluable lesson. It helps you nurture your brand, and ultimately to change it
for the better.   

[Thoughts
from Planning newbie Alexa]