Since life continues to go digital, it can feel like the terms we use to understand the marketing & branding ecosystem are changing with the weather. Five key words that I find crucial to decoding marketing are algorithm, valence, presuasion, woke, and pander.
All tech aside – an algorithm is defined as a step-by-step process for solving a problem. Algorithms originate in mathematics and have been in use since ancient Babylon. These days, algorithms come into play through search engines and other digital environments that use complex logic to layer process upon process in connecting a user to their desired solution. As far as marketing and messaging are concerned, algorithms help automate basic tasks, and most importantly, they can assist in creating advertising strategies or campaigns. Plus, any marketer concerned with SEO should be prepared to confront the algorithmic uptake of your website, its metadata, keywords, backlinks, and load speed. Nevertheless, at its core, an algorithm is a step-by-step means to accomplishing an end. That end, in our case, is the sale of goods and services.
When it comes to language, valence is all about the emotional weight certain words carry. What did you mean when you used a particular word? What is the intent behind this phrase? Diving deep into the intentionality and meaning behind words and phrases is essential for marketers and content creators seeking ways to resonate with their target audience quickly. Most human experience is rooted in emotional reactions. According to a recent study, words that come with a positive emotional valence register more quickly for people than negative or complicated words. When you ask yourself how to create a message that seems to elicit automatic buy-in from your audience, consider the value of positive word valence.
If automatic buy-in seems like an impossible outcome, consider techniques that leverage presuasion. Yes, presuasion and not persuasion. Presuasion is all about arranging for an audience to be receptive to a message well before they encounter it. Taking cues from behavioral science and social psychology, presuasion can be useful to marketers as a strategic framework steeped in a target audience’s psychological needs. Presuade an audience by capturing their full attention. Think of your initial points of contact in the customer journey. How can you magnetize your audience’s attention so that you can then direct them to the messaging you most want to relay? The originator of the term presuasion, Robert Cialdini, links the acts of captivating attention with focusing on association. Once your audience is rapt, can you frame your product or service as something that will improve their self-image and their ability to belong? The art of presuasion is in attracting attention just before suggesting a relevant action.
Ask yourself this: is your brand woke? Woke is a term that originates in African American vernacular English and refers to one’s own perceived awareness and attentiveness to social and racial justice. Let’s be real – there is a massive movement demanding social and racial equity in the United States. As word spreads about “getting woke & staying woke,” companies are hopping on board. This might mean taking a public stance, making donations, sponsoring initiatives, or integrating social issues into their brand messaging. To be clear, brands of all sizes are doing this to gain the loyalty – and the dollars – of their target customers.
In some cases, showing “wokeness” may be authentic to a brand’s DNA. In others, it may simply be a pandering tactic. Pandering is all about saying what a perceived audience wants to hear to appear pleasing and trustworthy. In many cases, pandering is obvious.
Are you curious about how concepts like these can impact your future-facing marketing strategies? Read my full whitepaper, The Algorithm for Consumer Spending.
This article is part of The Algorithm for Consumer Spending Series.
