How To Leverage Both Sides of Your Brain for Success in 2023
Let’s start 2023 off with a bust: There’s a common, compelling myth that persists in our society that there are two types of people in this world, left-brained people and right-brained people, and never the twain shall meet. Well, we’re here to tell you that’s simply not true, and in your marketing plan for the new year, you should be focused design thinking. We’re here to help you envision what that might look like – front to back, side to side, top to bottom, and “right” … to “left.”
First, let’s talk about how your AMAZING brain harmonizes different concepts, needs, and tasks
Most people believe that creative thinkers use the right side of their brain more while more logical, analytical minds use the left side. The formative idea that different locations in the brain manage different thinking and tasks – which is true! – originated in the 1800s, when doctors began to observe that patients with similarly located brain injuries exhibited common symptoms, such as communication disorders stemming from trauma to the left temporal lobe. Later, in the 1960s, Roger Sperry published research that demonstrated the specializations of different hemispheres of the brain. Simply stated, the mind is made up of different sections that do different things. You have to imagine this new way of thinking about thinking blew both sides of everyone’s mind at the time!
But at some point, we took these truths and reduced them to a narratively pleasing metaphor: right-brained people are our artists, and left-brained people are our scientists. But want to know something really exciting? Our artists, our scientists, our marketers, and our audiences have the power of creativity and analysis. In fact, according to an article from Harvard Health Publishing, “if you performed a CT scan, MRI scan, or even an autopsy on the brain of a mathematician and compared it to the brain of an artist, it’s unlikely you’d find much difference.”
So if we have both ways of thinking – and we really, really do – isn’t it about time we, as marketers, leveraged that ability to get a better grasp on how members of our audience think, feel, and understand our messages?
A key point that’s misunderstood by the myth of left-brained/right-brained people is that the different specializations of the brain work because they work in harmony. Going into 2023, we’re going to do the same. And here’s how…
RIGHT: Using the creative power of attractive personalities, archetypes, and storytelling this year
Remember just one headline and a few paragraphs ago when we talked about the compelling, almost irresistible narrative of dividing the world into right-brained/left-brained people? Well, one of the reasons why we, as human beings, tend to do that – to separate certain kinds of personalities into small groups – is because storytelling is one of the major ways man understands and reads his universe. Think of the world like a book, and think of the things you might find in such a novel: common plots, tropes, myths and legends, and more. For 2023, let’s focus on archetypes.
An archetype is defined by Merriam-Webster as an “original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies.” Archetypes have been used in many fields and contexts, from literary to psychological to, of course, marketing. Literary archetypes include the Hero, the Outlaw, or the Everyman. Some common psychological archetypes, put forth by Carl Jung, include the Jungian shadow or the Child. In Marketing, we use archetypes in branding “because they convey a meaning that makes customers relate to a product as if it were alive in some way,” according to The Hero and the Outlaw. There are Creator brands, Caregiver brands, Ruler brands and more.
So think about some archetypes you see in big-name companies: Apple is sleek, professional – and definitely a Creator. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola is bright, bubbly, and their messaging is optimistic and Innocent. What about ADage? What are some of the things that define our brand? Well, we’re woman-owned and operated, knowledgeable, rather Sagelike – and not to mention very, very cool.
Now, think about your brand. Going into 2023, what will define you and your role in the industry?
LEFT: Using data, analysis, and emotion to create the perfect message
Creativity. Storytelling. Archetype. Imagination. That’s all great, but you can’t stop there. Now that we have our vision, ideas, our personality, voice, and branding, we need to ground it all before we reach out to our audiences. It’s time for some “left-brain” power: data, analysis, critical thinking, and facts. These things should not be thought of as the opposite of our imagination and emotion, but as co-creators. It’s data, reason, and an understanding of our demographics that makes our story and brand effective, relatable, and most importantly, necessary.
One of the major questions your marketing personality should answer is “What does our audience need from us?” Do they need comfort and reassurance? Or do they need knowledgeable insights and resources? And how do we know what our audience needs? Data. Demographics. Surveys. Information. Tracking. And thoughtful consideration of consumer’s emotional journeys: their feelings, their fears, their risks – and the solution to all these things. You’ll also want to think about how consumers make decisions – and even what your audience’s motivations, personalities, circumstances, and other decision-making drivers are.
Bringing it all together in 2023
Don’t let this year’s resolutions and goals be the ones that got away from you. In 2023, creativity and thoughtfulness, emotional intelligence, data and analysis, and reason and relatability are all going to be deciding factors in your brand’s success. And to be the best, they’re going to need to work together - harmoniously.
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