Olivia: Most people think branding is about a slick logo or a catchy slogan. But what if the world's most iconic brands aren't built on advertising at all? What if they're built on a secret understanding of your brain's hidden triggers? Jackson: Whoa, that's a bold claim. You're saying my love for certain brands isn't about quality or taste, but because they’ve found a backdoor into my brain? That sounds a little… manipulative. Olivia: It can be, but it can also be revolutionary. That's the core question at the heart of Branding Between the Ears by Sandeep Dayal. Jackson: And Dayal isn't just some academic. He's a top-tier marketing strategist, the managing director of a firm called Cerenti, who has worked with giants like Kraft and Mastercard. He’s basically been in the trenches, testing these brain science ideas for years. Olivia: Exactly. And the book has been widely praised for turning this complex science into a practical playbook. It’s a real paradigm shift. So let's start with the big problem he's trying to solve. Have you ever wondered why some things—a song, a brand, a movie—just… blow up, seemingly out of nowhere? Jackson: All the time. It feels completely random. Like, why did everyone suddenly start baking sourdough bread or wearing Crocs? It makes no sense.

Olivia: Well, Dayal opens the book with a perfect analogy for this: the song 'Dance Monkey' by Tones and I. Jackson: Oh, I know that song. It was inescapable for a solid year. My ears are still recovering. Olivia: Right? But here’s the crazy part. Tones and I, her real name is Toni Watson, was a busker in Australia, literally living out of her van. She wrote 'Dance Monkey' in about 30 minutes. Her own managers didn't think it was a hit. They thought it was too quirky for the radio. Jackson: And yet it became one of the most streamed songs of all time. So what’s the point? That success is just a lottery? Olivia: That's what it looks like from the outside. And Dayal argues that for decades, that's how marketers have treated branding. They throw a bunch of stuff at the wall—big ad campaigns, celebrity endorsements, flashy logos—and hope something sticks. But he says while music might still be a mystery, brain science is finally starting to decode the science of branding. Jackson: How so? What are we getting wrong? Olivia: We're using the wrong model of the human mind. For years, marketing has been based on a simple, linear idea: Think, Feel, Act. First, you think about a product's benefits. Then, you develop a feeling about it. Finally, you act and buy it. Jackson: That sounds logical enough. Olivia: It does, but it's not how our brains actually work most of the time. Dayal gives this great example. Imagine you're driving down a highway in Texas, you're tired, you're hungry, and you see a billboard for a local smokehouse with a giant, juicy picture of a brisket. Jackson: Okay, I'm with you. My mouth is already watering. Olivia: Exactly! Your mouth waters, your stomach rumbles—you feel it and you might even act by taking the exit. The conscious thought, "Hmm, that brisket seems to be a good source of protein for a reasonable price," comes way later, if at all. The experience is instantaneous and holistic. It happens right between your ears. Jackson: So the old "Think-Feel-Act" model is backward. We often feel and act before we really think. Olivia: Precisely. And this is powered by what the Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman called our two systems of thinking. System 2 is our slow, deliberate, analytical brain. It's what you use to do a math problem or assemble IKEA furniture. It takes a lot of effort. Jackson: I can confirm the IKEA part. Lots of effort, lots of swearing. Olivia: (laughs) Right? But System 1 is the complete opposite. It's fast, intuitive, emotional, and operates on autopilot. It's the system that lets you drive a familiar route without thinking about every turn, or get a "gut feeling" about someone. And here’s the kicker: we use System 1 for about 95% of our daily decisions. Jackson: Ninety-five percent! So most of our choices, including what we buy, are being made by this subconscious autopilot? Olivia: That's what the science says. And this is why old branding models are broken. They're trying to appeal to the logical System 2, when the real puppet master is the emotional, shortcut-loving System 1. Brands that succeed, often by accident, are the ones that have figured out how to speak System 1's language. Jackson: Okay, but marketers have been talking about 'emotional connection' for decades. What's actually new here? Is it just putting a scientific label on an old idea? Olivia: It's more than a label. It's a blueprint. It's not just about creating a generic "emotional" ad. It's about understanding the specific cognitive biases and mental shortcuts the brain uses, and then designing a brand experience that aligns perfectly with them. It’s the difference between trying to pick a lock and having the actual key. Jackson: A key to my brain. That's still a little unsettling. But I'm intrigued. If the old way is broken, what's the new playbook look like?

Olivia: And that's where Dayal's framework comes in. He argues that to build a "cognitive brand"—one that wires itself into the brain—you need to answer three fundamental questions for the consumer. He calls them Brand Vibes, Brand Sense, and Brand Resolve. Jackson: Okay, "Brand Vibes" sounds incredibly… abstract. Like something my crystal-loving aunt would say. What does that even mean in a business context? Olivia: I had the same reaction! But the examples are incredibly concrete and powerful. Brand Vibes are about establishing an empathetic bond. It’s about making the consumer feel like, "This brand gets me." And you can do that in two ways: by sharing their values or by understanding their angst. Jackson: Angst? Like teenage angst? Olivia: More like a deep, unspoken frustration. The perfect example is Dollar Shave Club. Before they came along, you had Gillette and Schick dominating the market. Their razors had 15 blades, a vibrating handle, a laser guidance system… and they cost a fortune. Every guy was annoyed by it, but no one was talking about it. Jackson: It was just a fact of life. You had to pay a king's ransom for decent razors. Olivia: Exactly. Then Michael Dubin, the founder of Dollar Shave Club, releases this hilarious, low-budget video. He’s walking through a warehouse and says, "Are our blades any good? No. Our blades are f***ing great." He directly calls out the absurdity of the big brands. That video didn't just sell razors; it created a vibe of shared rebellion. It said, "We're on your side. We also think this is ridiculous." It tapped into a universal angst and built an instant tribe. Jackson: That makes so much sense. It wasn't about the razor, it was about the feeling of sticking it to the man. What about the other way, sharing values? Olivia: For that, the story of Subaru in the 1990s is just incredible. They were a struggling car company. They had no clear identity. They were trying to compete with Honda and Toyota and failing. But their marketing team noticed something weird in their data: one of their most loyal customer groups was lesbians. Jackson: Really? That's… specific. Olivia: Very. And this was the 90s, a time when marketing to the LGBTQ+ community was seen as incredibly risky. But Subaru decided to lean in. They started running ads with subtle, clever taglines that only that community would really get. One ad for the Subaru Outback had the line: "It's not a choice. It's the way we're built." Jackson: Whoa. That's a double-entendre and a half. Olivia: A brilliant one! Another one said, "Get Out. And Stay Out." On the surface, it's about outdoor adventure. But for the lesbian community, it had a much deeper meaning. Subaru was the first major car company to say, "We see you. We value you." They created a powerful vibe of shared values and solidarity. And their sales took off. They became known as the "Lezbaru." It saved the company. Jackson: That's fascinating. They didn't change the car; they changed the feeling around the car. Okay, vibes I get. They’re powerful. What's next? Brand Sense? Olivia: Brand Sense is all about making your brand feel like the most intuitive, logical, and easy choice. It’s about appealing to that fast, shortcut-loving System 1 brain. Dayal calls the techniques for this "System 1 Easers." One of the most powerful is called the anchoring bias. Jackson: Anchoring? Like on a boat? Olivia: Sort of. Our brains are terrible at judging value in a vacuum. We need a reference point, an anchor. And marketers can provide that anchor. The classic example is DiGiorno pizza. Jackson: "It's not delivery. It's DiGiorno." I can hear the jingle in my head right now. Olivia: That slogan is pure genius. What's the anchor? Jackson: Delivery pizza. Olivia: Right. Delivery pizza is more expensive, and generally perceived as higher quality than frozen pizza. By saying "It's not delivery," DiGiorno is forcing your brain to compare their frozen pizza to a higher-priced, higher-quality category. Suddenly, the $7 DiGiorno doesn't seem like an expensive frozen pizza; it seems like a cheap and convenient alternative to a $20 delivery pizza. It just makes sense. They anchored it perfectly. Jackson: My mind is a little blown right now. I never once thought about why that slogan worked, but it’s so obvious now. They're framing the entire decision. Olivia: And it works. Another way to create Brand Sense is through transparency. Think of the clothing brand Everlane. Their whole thing is "Radical Transparency." On their website, for every t-shirt, they'll show you the exact cost: so much for cotton, so much for labor, so much for transport. Jackson: I've seen that. It makes you feel like you're getting an honest deal, not getting ripped off. Olivia: Exactly. It builds trust and makes the choice feel sensible and true. That's Brand Sense. It’s about removing friction and making the consumer's brain go, "Yep, this is the smart choice," without them even having to think about it.

Jackson: Okay, so let me see if I've got this. It’s not about tricking people. It's about understanding the brain's natural shortcuts. Brands that create good 'vibes'—through empathy or shared values—get our attention and make us feel a connection. Olivia: They get us to lower our guard. Jackson: Right. And then, brands that make 'sense'—by using things like anchoring or transparency—get our subconscious nod of approval. They feel like the right, easy choice. Olivia: You've nailed it. And those two lead to the third piece, Brand Resolve, which is the motivation to actually buy and stay loyal. Dayal's ultimate point is that the most powerful brands don't just sell you something. They become part of your identity because they align with the very wiring of your brain. Jackson: They're not just on the shelf; they're literally between your ears. Olivia: That's the title! And that's why this is so revolutionary—and also why marketers have a profound ethical duty to use this power responsibly, a point Dayal makes very strongly in the book. He even provides a framework for ethical decision-making, warning against using these techniques to deceive or harm. Jackson: That’s good to hear, because this stuff is potent. It definitely makes you look at the world, and especially advertising, completely differently. The next time I feel a strong pull towards a brand, I’m going to have to ask myself: Is it the vibes, or is it the sense? Olivia: A great question to reflect on. And a challenge for everyone listening. We'd love to hear what brands you think have mastered this. Find us on our socials and share your examples. We're always curious to see what resonates with our community. Jackson: Absolutely. This has been a fascinating look inside our own heads. Olivia: This is Aibrary, signing off.