Marketers manipulate memory to build brands, Godrej executive argues

The Story in Brief

In a recent article, the global head of categories and head of marketing, India, at Godrej Consumer Products argues that marketers are 'manipulators of memory'. He uses historical examples: the apocryphal Marie Antoinette 'let them eat cake' story and Jacques-Louis David's unrealistic Napoleon portrait to show how distinctive, emotional messaging can outlive truth. He cites neuroscience on synaptic plasticity and the amygdala to argue that creativity is essential for brand recall. The article contends that the brand encoded in consumers' minds becomes the truth that drives purchases.