People choose what they recognise faster. This article explains how that recognition forms and why it is so fragile.
In 2019 Edelman surveyed 16,000 consumers in eight countries. 81% say trust is decisive, yet only a third trust most brands they use. There is a lot to gain for brands that come across as reliable.
Nielsen had already found that 60% of online consumers prefer to buy new products from a familiar brand.
According to Byron Sharp and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, brands grow mainly by coming to mind at the right moment. Jenni Romaniuk calls logos, colours and fonts distinctive brand assets: memory hooks that only grow strong when used consistently over a long time.
Research into 405 assets from 50 brands showed marketers rarely judge correctly how well known their own assets are. What feels familiar internally is often far from established among customers.
Reber, Schwarz and Winkielman showed the brain uses ease as a rule of thumb: what is quick to process feels familiar and true. A stretched logo or an off colour creates small friction.
Walsh and colleagues describe how conflicting signals cause confusion. People who doubt postpone a decision or choose a brand that comes across more clearly.
Figures are taken from the source pages. Survey figures reflect what respondents report or expect, not a measured effect.
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