Brands and Non-Functional Benefits

Luckily, most of us in developed countries have roofs over our heads and are not starving. Many of us have gainful employment, loved ones with whom we share time and a fair number of creature comforts. For us, our basic needs are met without much thought or effort. 

Which leads me to non-functional needs. Most of today's brands deliver on non-functional needs. Here are some examples:

• If I am feeling bored or depressed, perhaps my favorite alcoholic beverage, television show or video game will help. Or perhaps, I will succumb to shopping therapy.
• Entertainment is always a welcome distraction. Entertain me with your ads. Make me laugh or at least make me smile. 
• Perhaps I want to prop up my sense of social status. Several automobile brands will help in this regard, as will club memberships, expensive hobbies (such as horses or sailing), a more exclusive address, a new high end kitchen, an exotic vacation, a second home on the water,  a well-stocked wine cellar, all gold fixtures, designer label clothes or insignia clothing featuring elite brands. 
• Perhaps I want to think of myself as erudite and sophisticated. Time to attend a lecture, stroll through an art gallery, join a book club, watch an obscure art film, go back to school to get a degree in an obscure subject area of interest, attend a ballet performance, read poetry or hang out at the most hip cafe in town. 
• Maybe I just need a break and want to chill. I could take a walk through the woods, read a good book, meditate, tend to my flower garden or sip coffee at an outdoor cafe. 
• Maybe I am craving an adrenaline rush. Time to go skydiving, hang gliding, race car driving, ski racing or some other such pursuit. 
• Maybe I want people to notice me. It is time to wear wild clothes, die my hair pink or purple, get tattoos or get a brightly colored convertible sports car. Or maybe I will get a Segway or Vespa.
• Maybe I am not feeling loved. Adding a dog to my family would help or perhaps volunteering at a soup kitchen would put me in the right place.
• Maybe I am feeling ugly. Diet pills, anti-aging creme, a facelift, new clothes, and new hairstyle, a manicure, a pedicure or a complete makeover could help. 
• Perhaps I am feeling rebellious. I am tired of trying to fit into my employer's or society's rules. A Harley-Davidson motorcycle might fit the bill. Perhaps I will take up smoking. Maybe tight fitting black leather clothes will do the trick. 
• Maybe I am feeling poor. A trip to the local casino might make me feel better (but probably not). Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket. You never know. 
• Perhaps I am having an existential crisis. What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? Does anything really matter? Does my life really matter? Time to take up a new spiritual practice or go on a spiritual pilgrimage or find a spiritual coach or spend time at an abby or an ashram. 

I could go on an on with examples but I want to respect your time. My point is that most brands deliver on emotional, experiential and self-expressive benefits as opposed to functional benefits. And all of these benefits start with how the person is feeling and what he or she can think of to address those feelings. 

Another interesting point is how our past experiences impact what brands and products we interact with to meet a particular need. Take status as an example. While a house chock-a-block with gold might be a status symbol to some people, to others it demonstrates tackiness and a lack of sophistication. And while a Corvette or a Mustang might be a status car to some people, a Mercedes-Benz, an Alpha-Romeo or a Tesla might be a more appropriate status symbol to others. And while an expensive powerboat (for instance, a cigarette boat) might be a status symbol to some, to others it might be a sign of lowbrow tastes. 

A marketer needs to be constantly aware of the states of mind that their products and brands conjure up in the minds of their consumers and the underlying feelings that prompted them to interact with those products and brands. 

Under Amour Brand

My wife, who is a substitute teacher, recently commented on how many children in the schools in which she teaches wear Under Armor branded clothes. When she said this, it occurred to me that the Under Armor brand has become ubiquitous. So, what are they doing right?

Whether it is "Rule yourself," "I will what I want," or "I will," the brand has become the underdog, anti-Nike brand. It is about overcoming tremendous obstacles and odds to achieve personal success. It is about the power of will, tenacity and hard work to achieve one's goals. It's about passion and its about confidence. It's about an attitude and its about winning. They have enlisted many elite athletes whose stories reinforce this narrative from Stephen Curry, Michael Phelps and Misty Copeland to Tom Brady, Cam Newton and Memphis Depay.

Technically, the product is performance apparel that wicks perspiration off of the skin rather than absorbing it. It is engineered to keep athletes cool, dry and light. But the Under Armor brand does not focus on this, but rather on the underlying attitude that is highly appealing those who would purchase the Under Armor brand.

This is an example of a brand that stands for an attitude to which people aspire. So the brand become a "badge" (a self-expression vehicle) for those who aspire to that attitude. And the brand is reinforced by a simple recognizable icon.

Click here to view some of their videos on YouTube.

For another example of an athletic brand that has superior functionality but that focuses on self-expressive benefits, click here to read my post about the FootJoy brand.

Different Types of Brand Benefits

I have often said that their are four types of brand benefits: (1) functional, (2) emotional, (3) experiential and (4) self-expressive. In addition to this there are values that the brand might share with its customers. Let's explore examples of each of these using one brand and one product - the Apple MacBook Air. (This just happens to be the computer from which I am writing this post.)

What are some of its functional benefits?

• It is small and light, almost as small and light as a iPad, making it easy to transport to meetings and when traveling through airports.
• As with all Apple machines, it powers up quickly and powers down quickly. This is due to integrated software, and in the case of my laptop computer, a solid state hard drive. This becomes very beneficial when one has only five or ten minutes to use the computer (while waiting in a hotel lobby, during meeting breaks or during airport layovers).
• It syncs well with my iPad, iPod and iPhone. I can play my iTunes music off of any one of them and it transfers easily from one device to the other. 
• It is less susceptible to computer viruses so I don't need anti-virus software and it is less likely to freeze or malfunction due to malware.

What are its emotional benefits?

• I feel good about having one of the best computers around. I feel secure that it will turn on and work every time I try to use it.
• The name Apple just makes me feel good. It is a more approachable name than that of many other computers.

What are its experiential benefits?

• I like the look of the backlit keys on the keypad.
• I like the touch of the keypad. 
• I like the smooth rounded corners on the laptop.
• I like the way the hinge works when I open or close the laptop - very smooth.
• I like the way the plug attaches magnetically to the laptop and I like the green light showing me it is attached properly.
• I like the look of the backlit apple on the laptop cover.
• I like the sleekness of the device.
• I like the texture of the brushed aluminum body.
• I like the intuitive way that the operating system works.
• It pairs perfectly with my Bang + Olufsen headphones, whose volume control is designed to work with Apple devices.

What are its self-expressive benefits?

• The computer signals that I like quality products.
• It signals that I appreciate finer things.
• It signals that I am willing to spend more for better quality.

What values does Apple share with me?

• An appreciation of aesthetics.
• An appreciation of finer things.
• The love of innovation.

I have not listed all of its benefits and as you can see, some benefits interact with and support one another. If I were to summarize the benefits from my perspective it would be - high quality, easy to use, aesthetically pleasing and tactilely attractive. It is sophisticated yet very approachable. 

Using Symbols in Branding

I have repeatedly talked about brands needing to stand for something and how people increasingly use them as self-expression vehicles. Brands can become a way for people to express who they are (or who they want to become) and what they stand for (or how they want to be perceived). People aspire to high social status, wealth and power. They want to be perceived as smart, capable, nice, amiable, witty, well-travelled, well-read, knowledgable and creative. They want people to know that they care about others and that they are trying to make a difference in the world. These are just some of the ways people view themselves or want to be perceived. Let's take just one of these as an example. 

Many people like to be perceived as having high social status. What are some indicators of this? Having attended an elite boarding school or other private school. Living in an expensive, highly cultured city such as New York or San Francisco. Living in a highly desirable upscale neighborhood. Having attended an elite college or university. Having the right job - surgeon, attorney, CEO, private equity firm partner, etc. Participating in an elite hobby or sport - art collecting, yacht racing, fox hunting, etc. Belonging to the right country clubs and other social clubs. Enjoying ballet and opera and symphony concerts. Driving an Audi, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz or similar vehicle. Summering in Nantucket, Tuscany or the south of France. Having a residence with a wine cellar, a library, a home theater, a swimming pool and a tennis court. Having more than one residence. Attending the right sporting events - US Open, PGA Championship, Kentucky Rolex, America's Cup. Not attending the wrong sporting events - NASCAR, World Championship Wrestling, Monster Mudder events, etc. Fly fishing for trout, not entering a bass tournament with a Ranger motorboat. Shopping at Sacks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Barney's, not Sears, Wal-Mart and Gander Mountain. Subscribing to Vanity Fair, Wine Spectator, Architectural Digest, Travel + Leisure and The New Yorker. Not subscribing to People, Field & Stream, Reader's Digest and Consumer Reports. And I could go on and on.

I could list a number of indicators or symbols for other lifestyles, aspirations and self-expressive targets. The point is, marketers need to understand the indicators or symbols for each self-expressive target, aspiration or lifestyle. For instance, there is an entirely different list of triggers or symbols for people who want to be perceived as being highly intelligent or intellectual. A competent marketer could compile this list from common sense, observation or marketing research. 

The astute marketer will pick a self-expression target that aligns with his or her brand and begin to develop indicators or symbols that reinforce that self-expression target. For instance, in the case of high social status, creating a retail environment that mirrors that of an elite country club.

I hope you can see the utility of identifying all of the indicators or symbols of a certain self-expression or lifestyle target and then incorporating those into your brand experience. They will work at a sub-conscious level with your target customers. 

Paths to Self-Esteem

"Well, that's the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average."


For your brand to effectively tout a self-expressive benefit, you must first understand the different paths people take to self-esteem. These are the messages people want to express about themselves. Here are some of the more common paths to self-esteem:

• I am competent in my job or profession.
• I am a good mother. 
• I am a good husband or wife.
• I am attractive, handsome or beautiful. 
• I am a good person.
• I am a likable person.
• I am a good friend.
• I am making a positive difference in the world.
• I have high social status. 
• I am sophisticated. 
• I am smart.
• I am rich.
• I am powerful.
• I am a person to be reckoned with.
• I am unique/different from everyone else.
• I am my own person.
• I am creative.
• I am stylish.
• I am well educated.
• I am well read.
• I am well traveled. 
• I am better than you.