Three very useful tools. What is interesting about these three tools is that they draw on fundamental and timeless human truths. There will obviously be trends and zeitgeists - and these can also be very useful – but these tools are about uncovering the fundamentals of what really makes us tick.
1. COG Model of human motivation
COG has used neuroscience to identify the six – and only six - fundamental human motivations. That is the real emotional truths that get people to actually do something. If your brand can powerfully play to one of these then you’re in a good place.
Security: care, trust, closeness, security, warmth
Enjoyment: relaxation, fun, openness, pleasure
Excitement: vitality, fun, curiosity, creativity, change
Adventure: freedom, courage, rebellion, discovery, risk
Autonomy: pride, success, power, superiority, recognition
Discipline: precision, order, logic, reason
2. Brand Archetypes
Is your brand a jester, a hero, a lover …?
Drawn from Jungian theory, this tool outlines twelve archetypes that represent character types crop up throughout history as myth, as products of our own desires and subconscious.
It is an interesting tool as it bridges strategy and creative, and finds a way of articulating that most difficult of things: the brand tone of voice.
3. Male & Female Differences
Okay I have a vested interest here. These are a series of tools developed by my wife Jane Cunningham, and her business partner Philippa Roberts, of Pretty Little Head. They argue that men and women have different motivations, and much of this difference is hard-wired through evolutionary psychology.
In brief, they argue that men are driven by the “Achievement Impulse” and women by the “Utopian Impulse”. From here they derive a whole set of marketing tools and implications, especially on the female side of the equation.
The Altruism Code: Women are naturally nurturing and ‘others’ focused
The Aesthetic Code: Women are attuned to appearance and enhanced environment
The Ordering Code: Women take on varied responsibilities for others, take care with detail, and plan ahead
The Connecting Code: Women are relationship driven in order to survive
Matt Willifer
Chief Strategy Officer at WCRS, and Partner at Engine