This document discusses brand engrams, which are the collective brand memories stored subconsciously. It argues that most consumer decision making occurs subconsciously based on exposure to branding over time. Effective packaging uses visual cues like shapes and colors rather than words to trigger these subconscious brand memories and influence purchases. Research methods struggle to assess these unconscious processes, but certain techniques can provide insights. Maintaining strong visual branding and exposure over time helps build brand engrams that guide customers' choices.

1. Brand Engrams
Presented by:
David G. Elliott
B.A. (Lon)
MBA Executive Management (Hull)
MCIM
Copyright and intellectual property of:
www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk
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2. David G. Elliott - Background
• Health and Beauty Marketing
background: Reckitts, Seven Seas,
Dumex.
• Consultant since 1994.
• Business & Brand Development
• Guest lecturer CIM, University of Hull.
• Open Innovation – GSK, Reckitt
Benckiser, Boots etc.
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3. Brand Engrams
“The collective
brand memory
that resides in
the adaptive
subconscious”.
(Elliott, January 2012)
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4. The Brand Engram Proposition
In 2003, Pira International highlighted a significant
shift in focus and investment towards point-of-
point-of-
purchase (POP) communications activity on the
grounds that “70% of customer purchasing
decisions are undertaken at the point of
purchase.”
Whilst the great majority of consumer decision-
decision-
making takes place at the point of purchase (POP)
this is highly influenced by Brand Engrams.
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5. The Brand Engram Proposition
Exposure to external media, retail POP media and
product experience develops Brand Engrams which
provides a context for the processing of POP
stimuli.
It is proposed that much of this processing
may be automatic, preconscious and not
available to explicit memory, hence consumers’
belief that their retail experience is solely
responsible for their decision-making at POP.
decision-
(A. Grimes, R. Barker, D. Elliott 2006) www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk

6. ATTENTION
A term used in cognitive
psychology to refer to the
tendency of an organism to
focus on selected features of
the environment.
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7. Low Attention
“Research shows
that TV advertising
which is high in
emotional content
will tend to be
processed at lower
levels of attention
than TV advertising
which is low in
emotional content.”
(Robert Heath & Agnes Nairn 2006)
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8. Low Attention
Consumers are potentially exposed
to 600-625 ads per day (whether
600-
noticed or not); 272 are from TV,
radio, magazines and newspapers.
(Media Matters, 2007)
To cope consumers adopt low attention
strategies – exposure to messages
subconsciously stored.
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9. 7UP Brand Engram
CLEAN STICKY KIDS ADULT LEMON FIZZY
CLEAR SWEET BITTER SWEET THIRST SPARKLING
TRANSPARENT FRESH COOL
NO COLOURINGS FROM OLD TIMES
PURE HEALTHY
CLICK ON FILM
NEUTRAL COLOUR NEUTRAL TASTE DIFFERENT
MIXER ALTERNATIVE FOR COLA & OTHER SOFT DRINKS
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10. 7UP Brand Engram
CLEAN STICKY KIDS FIZZY
CLEAR SWEET THIRST SPARKLING
TRANSPARENT FRESH COOL
NO COLOURINGS FROM OLD TIMES
PURE HEALTHY
NEUTRAL COLOUR NEUTRAL TASTE DIFFERENT
MIXER ALTERNATIVE FOR COLA & OTHER SOFT DRINKS
www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk

11. 7UP Brand Engram
ADULT LEMON FIZZY
BITTER SWEET THIRST SPARKLING
FRESH COOL
DIFFERENT
ALTERNATIVE FOR COLA & OTHER SOFT DRINKS
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12. 7UP Brand Engram
CLEAN LEMON FIZZY
CLEAR THIRST SPARKLING
TRANSPARENT FRESH COOL
NO COLOURINGS
PURE HEALTHY
NEUTRAL COLOUR DIFFERENT
ALTERNATIVE FOR COLA & OTHER SOFT DRINKS
www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk

13. 7UP Brand Engram
CLEAN STICKY KIDS ADULT LEMON FIZZY
CLEAR SWEET BITTER SWEET THIRST SPARKLING
TRANSPARENT FRESH COOL
NO COLOURINGS FROM OLD TIMES
PURE HEALTHY
NEUTRAL COLOUR NEUTRAL TASTE DIFFERENT
MIXER ALTERNATIVE FOR COLA & OTHER SOFT DRINKS
www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk

14. The Shopper
Consciously smart,
sophisticated,
promiscuous, cynical
of marketing and
advertising, time
scarce & high selective.
Before entering store
has absorbed
marketing
communication and
advertising messages
into the adaptive
subconscious.
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15. COMPLEXITY
Shopping environments
can be emensly
complex. The average
shopper has to navigate
their way around the
store processing
thousands of products,
promotions, signs, other
shoppers and staff to
find and select the few
products they want.
Shoppers have
developed low attention
cognitive strategies to
identify and pay attention
to products of interest
and make decisions.
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16. COMPLEXITY
Categories
displays such as
soft drinks can be
very complex
with a large
range of sku’s.
How do shoppers
cope?
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17. PACK FOCUSSED
Shoppers are pack
focussed –interacting with
packs is their primary task
in a retail environment.
The pack is the most
important form of
communication with the
shopper.
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18. Spot the green square
(Phillips 1997)
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19. • In spotting the green square did you consciously look
at each object individually? If so it would have taken
between 20 to 40 secs.
• You actually subconsciously scanned the
arrangement.
WHERE WERE THE PINK
OVALS?
• Conscious processing would have taken more time
and effort.
• You knew the ‘code’ for ‘green square’ – this a visual
mnemonic – it enabled subconscious processing.
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20. Top and bottom of the green square!
(Phillips 1997)
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21. ATTENTION
This low-attention, low
involvement shopping.
The shopper
subconsciously pays
attention to packs
relevant to their task.
They subconsciously
deselect all other packs
as ‘irrelevant’.
What triggers
their attention?
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22. PROCESSING PACK DESIGNS
Subconscious interaction
1. Mnemonics: Shoppers Look for UNIQUE visual
clues in preference to words, often shape and
colour.
2. Visual Language: Look for use imagery or symbols
in preference to words to illustrate a ‘story’.
SUBCONSCIOUS PROCESSING OF
PACKAGING DESIGN MINIMISES THE TIME
AND EFFORT INVOLVED IN DECISION
MAKING. www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk

23. How? - Mnemonics
• A core visual mnemonic alone can
trigger recognition, recall & decision-
making.
GSL Healthcare
In recognition and recall test
94% of respondents recognised
Nurofen from its core visual
mnemonic (CVM).
(Shopper Insights 2003) www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk

24. CVM Evokes Nurofen’s Brand Engram
ADULT
STRONG SPEED PROBLEM SOLVING
TARGETS PAIN
SCIENTIFIC
PROVEN INNOVATIVE
REASSURANCE EFFECTIVE RELIEF
COMFORTING SUPERIOR QUALITY
INTELLIGENT
TASTE FREE
www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk
(Shopper Insights 2003)

25. How? Visual Language
Design
1985 - 1993
Embossed logo with reflective
silver drop shadow = ‘Quality’
Design
1993 - 1999
Colour codings recommended by
colour psychologist Angela Wright
of Colour Affects. colour-
affects.co.uk
Hard for competitors
to imitate.
Silver = ‘High tech’
Red to Yellow =
‘Diminishing heat of
Pain’
Lines = ‘Speed’ Roundel = ‘Targets’
In 1993 competitors were using silver as the category signal
for ‘ibuprofen’. It had become generic. Nurofen needed to
improve the visual language of its packaging to differentiate
itself from other brands. www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk
Design 2008

26. Subconscious Processing
Pack triggers
synapses in the
brain evoking the
brand engram.
ADULT
STRONG SPEED PROBLEM SOLVING
TARGETS PAIN
SCIENTIFIC
PROVEN INNOVATIVE
REASSURANCE EFFECTIVE RELIEF
This is a COMFORTING SUPERIOR QUALITY
subconscious
process! www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk
TASTE FREE

27. However
• Core Visual Mnemonics differ in their
effectiveness and therefore cannot
always trigger a brand engram:
NUROFEN BENYLIN
94% Recognition & Recall 20% Recognition & Recall
www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk
(Shopper Insights 2003)

28. If so…
Brand either subsconsciously
deselected or shoppers needs to
revert to conscious interaction:
conscious
3. Read smaller words
4. Pick up read selective part of back or sides of pack
5. Pick-up and test
CONSCIOUS PROCESSING OF PACKAGING DESIGN
REQUIRES MORE THE TIME AND EFFORT TO MAKE
DECISIONS & INCREASES PROPENSITY TO SWITCH OR
POSTPONE PURCHASE. (Shopper Insights, 2003) www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk

29. Research Dilema
Conventional qualitative and quantative research
is heavily reliant on respondent’s conscious
attitudes, opinions and responses to research
stimulus material.
It is poor at identifying the subconscious
processes that underly decision-making at POP.
decision-
Those that do often over-claim their commercial
over-
efficacy e.g. MRI & EEG scanning.
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30. Research Dilema
There are methodologies that an help in
identifying, developing and protecting:
•Brand Engrams, Core Visual Mnemonics, &
Brand Visual Language
Can provide advice on methodologies after the
conference for those that are interested or
e-mail me.
Consider the implications for your brand.
www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk

31. EXPOSURE BUILDS BRANDS
Brand Engram Core Visual Mnemonic Exposure to Pack
Triggers and
Reinforces
Engram
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CLICK ON FILM

32. Brand Engrams
Thank you
David G. Elliott
B.A. (Lon)
MBA Executive Management (Hull)
MCIM
Copyright and intellectual property of:
www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk
www.dgeconsultancy.co.uk