Quantum Branding

By Terri J. Garofalo

 

Once I begin opening my mental filing cabinets, all of them seem to join in of their own volition. Brand Development mulling elicited a thought pattern dredging a batch of knowledge of one of my favorite topics, the power of intention.

 

The basis of Branding is the intention to become part of the thought process of the customer in order to influence the buying decision. Mechanically, we research, and create design to elicit emotional responses from target individuals. But how much of that is really directed from the thoughts of those involved, stakeholders, employees, and consumers?

 

In order to understand this relationship, let’s delve into quantum theory.

 

“In physics, quantum entanglement is a property of the quantum mechanical state of a system containing two or more objects, where the objects that make up the system are linked in a way such that one cannot adequately describe the quantum state of a constituent of the system without full mention of its counterparts, even if the individual objects are spatially separated.” (Thompson, 2010.)

 

This means the consumer, employees, stakeholders, designers, etc. are inextricably linked in the entanglement of the brand relationship. We consider a brand to be a breathing organism, an energy system for that matter. This fits the entanglement theory.

 

Lynne McTaggert, author of The Field and The Intention Experiment, studied how the energy of thought can influence matter, one’s life and ultimately the world. Consciousness has been one of science’s biggest mysteries since it cannot be defined in physical terms. It has the ability to affect physical matter. Her studies for The Field inspired the movie What The Bleep? Down the Rabbit Hole. If you haven’t watched this already, please do.

 

“The scientific evidence I had amassed for The Field suggested something extraordinary and even disturbing: directed thought had some sort of central participatory role in creating reality.

 

Targeting your thoughts—or what scientists ponderously refer to as “intention” and “intentionality”—appears to produce an energy potent enough to change physical reality. A simple thought seemed to have the power to change our world.” (McTaggert, 2007, p. xii)

 

When you consider the process of branding is a collective intention to connect with the world, you can see the impact of thought on the brand. A collective positive reaction spins the universe in a direction of profit, while a negative one, spells disaster. It takes quite a bit of collective thought to send a brand out into the world and have it “catch on.” Where does the power come from?

 

The power of intention for a brand is the engine behind the idea. It is maintained by to collective focus of the entire organization from the top down to the mailroom. This is what truly powers the brand. Energy is added to this as the consumer maintains interest and approval.

 

A brand loses momentum at the foundation when there is employee dissatisfaction. When the rest of the team is not on the same wavelength, the brand is not as effective. This is why it is so important to keep the focus within the organization. The brand must effectively direct thought and keep the energy moving in a positive direction.

 

This may sound like “woo woo” to some of you, but hear me out. Experiments with Random Events Generators (REGs) which produce alternating positive and negative frequencies at a rate of 50% on their own, can be influenced by human intention. After 2.5 million trials with similar results, I’d say we have to consider the role of thought in virtually all aspects of our existence. (McTaggert, 2010, p. xxii.)

 

“The largest and most persuasive body of research has been amassed by William Braud, a psychologist and research director of the Mind Science Foundation in San Antonio, Texas, and, later, the institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Braud and his colleagues demonstrated that human thoughts can affect the direction in which fish swim, the movement of other animals such as gerbils, and the breakdown of cells in the laboratory.” (McTaggert, 2010, p. xxiii.)

 

If we can influence fish and animals, we can influence each other. Braud also applied his studies to humans. He discovered we are capable of affecting the “fight or flight” mechanisms in each other. (McTaggert, 2010, p. xxiii.) Now can you see the importance of well-focused intention in building a brand, or anything you do for that matter? It certainly makes a good argument for ditching negative thought processes, and nurturing healthier ones.

 

McTaggert goes on to say, “Recent research demonstrates that living things are constant transmitters and receivers of measureable energy. New models of consciousness portray it as an entity capable of trespassing physical boundaries of every description. Intention appears to be something akin to a tuning fork, causing the tuning forks of other things in the universe to resonate at the same frequency.” (McTaggert, 2010, p. xxv.)

 

A brand can now be classified as a frequency. Energy of the brand resonates with the consumer out in the world for better or for worse. So, what is your brand’s frequency? How focused are you?

 

Thompson, Thomas J. (2010, Aug. 26). http://bloomfieldknoble.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/quantum-physics-and-marketing/

 

McTaggert, Lynne. (2007). The Intention Experiment. New York, Free Press.