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Mark Twain: Clothes make the man.
Naked people have little influence on society.
Part of your head may want to dispute this quote. Feel free to stop reading and discuss the matter with that part of your head. This site serves you best when it lights up your own brainpower.
Or else, what are charms for?
Now let’s get back to clothes, charms, and other symbols. We probably shouldn't be writing this page. People don’t talk much about symbols, even though we use symbols all the time. You have already figured out that symbols speak to the parts of your brain that don't use language. Talking about symbols is another one of those things that’s like dancing about architecture. The language channel doesn't know what to do with them, so it will mainly just give them names and dismiss them.
But you want to use those quiet parts of your brain. You need to be able to deal with the quiet language of symbols. So let’s run through a few examples of effective symbols.
The car. A masterpiece of symbol work. Imagine a new, shiny, expensive car. What kind of person do you see in this car? Imagine some other kinds of cars. You’ll see that most cars symbolize particular kinds of people. Walk through a parking lot sometime and imagine the owners of the cars.
A symbol has advantages over words. Imagine a person with a sign that says: “I’M RICH. I CAN AFFORD A $50,000 CAR.” That doesn't work nearly as well as driving up in a car that costs fifty-thousand dollars. With the car, you can pretend you’re not bragging.
The Golden Arches. Imagine. Does your mouth water? Do you feel hungry? Do you know where to find a convenient set of golden arches?
Mickey Mouse. Listen. What music do you hear? Look. What scenes do you see in your mind’s eye? Do you smell something good?
It doesn't smell like a mouse.
Your national flag. Listen. Do you hear an anthem? Do you see scenes of important national events? Do you feel part of those events? Do you feel proud? Do you feel ready to do something for your country?
Trademark: A word, phrase, graphic image, or symbol used by a business or other organization to represent itself or its merchandise.
Quick Tricks, Cuepons:
Quick Tricks
How did these symbols come to say what they do? Corporations and their ad agencies spent money to show people these symbols along with the things the symbols are to represent. That’s all it takes. Just see the symbol together with what it symbolizes. Frequently. Notice, though, that we said show. Not talk about. Nobody is going to build a symbol with a slogan like “Expensive cars make you look rich.”
Is your language channel harder to convince?
We like to call these things charms. Charms have power. Trademarks, flags, brands, badges, uniforms. Totems and tattoos. Mascots and even ascots. Rings and things and buttons and bows. Musical themes. Sounds. Odors. They have the power to stir emotions, to influence moods, to inspire rituals.
A well-established trademark works like a charm.
Rituals? Not the ones with incense and chanting. The rituals we really use. Like those golden arches. The ritual they inspire is to go in and buy a burger and fries. Think that ritual doesn't have any power? Ask McDonald’s.
Everybody is displaying symbols. Most people are displaying symbols that other people have chosen for them. A few people are choosing symbols of their own.
What symbols are you displaying? What rituals do you perform? Would you like to find some symbols of your own? You can start by looking over the Cuepons.