The Law of Transference

Do you remember when Bud Light ran an ad with a popular transgender TikTok star?

In April 2023 Bud Light partnered with Dylan Mulvaney on a campaign that featured her celebrating "365 Days of Girlhood".

As a result… sales fell 28%. And Modelo knocked off Bud Light as the #1 beer in America.

Kid Rock felt so strongly about the campaign, he posted a video of himself destroying cases of beer with an AR-15...

In 1984 Nike was a relatively small brand compared to Adidas and Converse...

Then, they signed a deal with a rookie basketball player named Michael Jordan.

Nike projected sales of their first shoe; the Air Jordan 1, to be $3 million in its first year.

They ended up selling $126 million.

And today, the Jordan brand generates over $5 billion (that’s B as in Billy…) annually for Nike.

The Law of Transference:

The Law of Transference - a psychological concept where feelings, emotions, or attitudes toward one person (or brand) are unconsciously shifted to another person (or brand) through direct and indirect associations.

Bud Light was directly associating itself with Dylan Mulvaney.

Nike was directly associating itself with Michael Jordan.

Sales dropped for Bud Light… because their audience did not align with the association they were making.

Sales went through the roof for Nike… because their audience aligned with the association they were making.

Here’s where this gets interesting…

For some brands - associating them self with Dylan Mulvaney will increase sales.

And for some brands - associating them self with Michael Jordan will decrease sales.

This means that it's not the person who matters; it's how that person aligns with the brand's audience that counts.

It’s understanding the aspirational values and beliefs that your ideal customer holds, and making positive associations to reinforce those aspirational beliefs.

Most of this happens unconsciously. Below the surface level awareness that people operate from in their daily lives.

Fact: People don’t like to change their minds. It’s seen as a threat to who they think of themselves to be (their identity).

This introduces what I like to call…

Identity Based Marketing:

Identity Based Marketing - Crafting messaging and product solutions to reinforce your ideal customers aspiring self-image. (ie - Speaking to who they want to be, not who they are.)

For example…

Nike Air Jordan commercials craft an aspirational message of hard work, dedication, and excellence.

And when you put on a pair of Air Jordan shoes, you associate yourself with this core identity, and it feels good.

This is the power of Identity Based Marketing.

How to use Identity Based Marketing in your business:

Ask yourself…

→ Who is my ideal customer?

→ What do they aspire to be like?

(Ex: Air Jordan customers might aspire to be more hard working and committed to excellence)

→ How can I associate myself this aspirational core identity that my ideal customer is wanting to be more like?

(Ex: Nike associating themself with Michael Jordan + the core identity of hard work, dedication, and excellence)

If you are an Online Educator or Coach:

You are taking your customers on a journey from who they are to who they want to be.

→ What is the desired outcome of who they want to be?

→ And how can you associate yourself and your product solutions with this desired outcome?

When you do this effectively - your customer acquisition costs decrease.

Because your prospects strongly associate you with their desired outcome… without you having to run 15 different ads to try to convince them.

Most of whats being communicated happens without words...

Pay attention to this. And you will get paid.

Hope this helps.

Have a good Monday.

-Adam