The 4 Foundation Stones of Every Brand Strategy

“Brand” is the cornerstone of how we communicate our business to our prospective customers. It’s the gut feeling that people get when they see our ads, the research that they put into reading reviews when they’re assessing what to buy, the clarity that we deliver when describing our product. Each brand is made up of four components that define how people see us: Rational and Emotional, Persuasive and Seductive:

• Emotional: How much power your brand has to make people feel.
• Rational: How much power your brand has because of what it has to offer.
• Seduction: The propositional strength of your brand – how much does your character pull people in?
• Persuasion: The “activational” strength of your brand – how well do people like how you behave in the world?

Each of these components pair together to create four combinations that drive every consumer’s thoughts and feelings toward your brand:

• Rational Seduction
• Emotional Seduction
• Rational Persuasion
• Emotional Persuasion

Let’s break it down.

Rational Seduction

Rational Seduction is made up of the functional benefits that you offer, in terms of the products and the services that you provide. So, rationally, if I need a new toaster, and your brand provides one to the specifications that I need, you're likely to earn a spot in my consideration set. Short, sweet, and straightforward.

Emotional Seduction

The Emotional Seduction response to your brand is defined by your brand’s image and personality. This response is something personal, it’s a that your audience will get about your brand.

Let’s go back to the toaster example. Rationally, your company may have the toaster that fits my needs, but I don’t connect with the style and message of your brand. Maybe I don’t personally find the look of your brand attractive; maybe your brand isn’t clearly defined and appears erratic; or maybe your brand doesn’t seem interested enough in my needs as the customer.

Emotional Seduction is personal, but can have massive consequences over your target audience’s overall preferences.

Rational Persuasion

Rational Persuasion is all about activation. Whether your product is accessible to consumers, whether you make time for your customers, to name a few.

Let’s say I love that toaster – aesthetically, functionally – but maybe your company doesn’t sell it in my area. Maybe the user experience of the website is unclear, and I can’t figure out how to buy it. Maybe your customer service is terrible, and I can’t exchange it for another color. This all affects the Rational Persuasion of the brand.

Emotional Persuasion

Emotional Persuasion is how people watch your brand behave. Emotional Persuasion happens over time, it’s what your brand’s reputation is made of.

So (again with the toaster, but bear with me) if I’m ready to buy that toaster but notice that the brand doesn’t care about the environment like I do, or that others have given the brand poor reviews, or that they’ve acted crassly in response to something on a public level – I might not buy it.

These four brand sentiment categories are baked into every brand, and they’re at the foundation of our ProQuo AI Brand Management platform. At ProQuo AI, our brand platform organizes people’s feelings and opinions about your brand into 16 Drivers, which all get their individual score.



Our 16 Drivers are proven to measure the strength of your brand's relationship with people. Grow them, and your brand grows. With ProQuo AI, you can see what’s driving your brand forward and what’s holding it back, and guidance to adjust it to your customers’ thoughts, feelings, and desires. Simply, we turn the art of brand management into a science with our AI.

Want to understand more? Take a look at our Science page, or take a test run through our live demo.