Unconscious branding in 7 steps

Top line. Douglas Van Praet’s research, published in Unconscious Branding, reveals a hard truth: 95% of human decisions happen preconsciously—and they stick. This article unpacks what his research shows and how to apply 7 proven steps  to influence the subconscious. Use them to build brand strategies that trigger instinct, shape feeling, and shift decisions and behaviour.

Unconscious branding.

After years of working on some of the world’s biggest ad campaigns, Douglas Van Praet became convinced that traditional marketing had it backwards. The more he examined what actually moved people to act—not just what they said they liked—the more one thing became clear: logic doesn’t lead. Emotion does. And it happens below the surface. His work, later captured in Unconscious Branding, draws on neuroscience, behavioural psychology, and real-world brand testing to map how decisions really form—and how brands can shape them by speaking directly to the subconscious. Here’s a practical unpacking of Praets’ key findings and a 7-step process to influencing the subconscious that his research revealed.

The unconscious mind is the real decision-maker

Most brands aim their message at the wrong brain. The rational, logical one. But that’s not where decisions happen. The subconscious mind—faster, older, emotionally charged—is where choice begins and usually ends. Logic steps in only after the fact, to justify what the emotional brain already decided.

If your brand doesn’t trigger the subconscious first, the conscious mind may never engage.

Emotions are the ignition switch: People don’t remember what you said. They remember how you made them feel. Emotion drives attention, memory, preference and action. If your message doesn’t spark a feeling, it won’t move behaviour.

And not just any emotion. The right emotion at the right time. Pride, freedom, relief, hope, nostalgia—each signals something different to the brain. Choose the emotion before you choose the words.

Story is how the subconscious makes sense: We are wired for narrative. Stories don’t just entertain—they structure the brain’s sense-making process. A strong story slips past resistance, engages emotion, and creates memory.

But to work, the story must follow a shape: a struggle, a shift, and a solution. No tension, no change—no impact. The customer must see themselves in the plot, with the brand playing the role of helper, guide, or enabler.

Features don’t sell—feelings do: Product specs and features are quickly forgotten. Internal benefits—how it makes me feel—are not.

Don’t just sell the what. Sell the so what. What inner shift does your brand enable? Calm? Confidence? Control? Relevance? That’s what drives preference. That’s what builds loyalty.

People choose brands that reflect their identity: We buy what signals who we are—or who we want to be. If your brand reflects my values, I feel seen. If it doesn’t, I look away.

Brand strategy needs to ask: what tribe are we aligning with? What values are we mirroring? What change are we enabling? Get that right, and the brand becomes a badge.

The brand experience must leave a trace: The subconscious is sensory. It records textures, tones, music, faces, colours—far more than copy. A strong brand experience imprints through the senses and through consistency.

Every touchpoint either strengthens or weakens that trace. A jarring call centre tone or a clunky web journey erodes the brand cue. A seamless, sensorially rich journey reinforces it. Think beyond campaigns. Build the memory at every contact point.

The 7 subconscious steps that change behaviour.

Here’s the sequence that gets into the subconscious and stays there. Use it to design brand messages and experiences that don’t just inform—but transform.

1. Interrupt the pattern: Disrupt the brain’s autopilot. Surprise, humour, contrast, tension—anything that breaks routine earns attention. Tip: Don’t start with your product. Start with a jolt that earns the next second.
2. Create comfort: Once you’ve got attention, reduce resistance. Use familiar language, known environments, human tone. Mirror the audience’s world. Tip: Trust forms faster when the brain sees the familiar.
3. Lead the imagination: Paint a picture of how life looks and feels with your brand in it. Use storytelling to activate the imagination. Tip: Show the internal shift. From stress to calm. From doubt to confidence.
4. Shift the feeling: Now tilt the mood. Use music, metaphor, visuals, rhythm, voice, and motion to direct emotion. Tip: Emotion shapes memory. So prime the feeling you want remembered.
5. Satisfy the critical mind: Once the emotional “yes” is there, the rational brain checks for proof. Offer reasons that support the decision already made. Tip: Keep it short. Logic doesn’t drive the choice—it just signs off on it.
6. Change the associations: Link your brand to symbols, memories, emotions and needs already coded positively in the brain.Tip: Use metaphor and visual shorthand. The brain processes images 60,000 times faster than words.
7. Inspire action: Don’t hint—guide. Use identity-based calls to action, urgency, and social proof to nudge the next step. Tip: “Be part of” or “Join” outperforms “Buy now.” Make action feel like belonging. 

How to apply to your strategy

Praets unconscious branding framework isn’t theoretical. It’s a design tool for every element of your brand strategy—messaging, campaigns, customer journeys, even internal culture.

• Start with the subconscious, not the surface – Identify what emotion or instinct to trigger first. Then design backwards from that.
• Frame your value emotionally – What internal benefit does your product create? Make that the lead.
• Build story arcs into all communication – Use conflict, stakes, and transformation. If there’s no story, there’s no memory.
• Use sensory signals intentionally – Sound, colour, motion and pace all cue the subconscious. Treat them as strategy, not decoration.
• Map the 7 steps to your journey – Whether it’s a landing page or a retail space, each touchpoint should follow the subconscious path.
• Design for identity reinforcement – Make your brand feel like “me.” Belonging is a powerful motivator.

The bottom line. Real influence happens way before awareness. To shape decisions and behaviour, your brand must engage the subconscious first—emotionally, visually, narratively. Don’t just inform. Transform. And design every moment to feel right, not just sound right.

Reference. Van Praet, D. (2012). Unconscious Branding: How Neuroscience Can Empower (and Inspire) Marketing. Palgrave Macmillan.

About. Jonathan Hall is the CEO of ThinkWorks, a behavioural science consultancy that helps organisations move more minds with influence and narrative science. ThinkWorks blends the disciplines of brand strategy, behavioural science, and storytelling art to produce messaging tactics that persuade effectively.

Jonathan is a graduate of Wits Business School, has trained in strategic modelling at Aix-Marseille University in France, and is certified in behavioural economics, brand, and narrative science.

He is the author of the e-books The Power of Brand Story and BrainSell. His work has earned several accolades, including the IMM Marketing Company of the Year award, a Deloitte Best Company to Work For award, and a PSA Innovator of the Year award.

To find out if ThinkWorks can help your organisation to influence the minds you target, contact ThinkWorks, for no-obligation exploration.

www.thinkworks.co.za | jonh@thinkworks.co.za | +27 83 251 0716