Familiarity Raises Trust (Even If It’s Fake)

Our brains are lazy, in the most beautiful, efficient way. We’re wired to prefer what we recognize. This is called the mere exposure effect: the more we’re exposed to something, the more we tend to like it.

Smart brands use this by mimicking patterns our brains already trust. A brand voice that sounds like a friend. A visual layout that mirrors your favourite platform. Even product names that echo old favourites.

The result? That eerie “I know this” feeling.
Except you don’t. Your brain just thinks you do.

 

Predictability Equals Safety

Cognitive fluency, the ease with which we process something plays a huge role in perception. If something is easy to digest, we assume it’s safer, more credible, and even more true.
This is why:

• Rhyming slogans feel smarter: Such as Capri-Sun: “Taste the fun”.  Rhyming is just easier to process, which therefore feels inherently “true” to our brain.

 

• Familiar shapes feel friendlier: Think of McDonald’s golden arches or the Airbnb logo; rounded and symmetrical shapes are associated with warmth and safety, while sharp edges are associated to assertiveness.

 

• Repetition builds believability: “Have a break, have a KitKat” The more you hear something, the more your brain logs it as reliable, even if it’s never been verified. It’s the illusion of truth.

It’s not a trick. It’s a shortcut. And your brain uses it constantly to survive the noise.

 

Memory Hooks Over Mission Statements

You don’t remember brands because of what they say, you remember how they made your brain work.
Here’s what leaves a neurological imprint:

• Emotional spikes (especially surprise, humour, or empathy)
  • Coca-Cola, with their storytelling, like their very nostalgic Christmas adverts, they spike emotion and create lasting recall.

 

• Pattern disruption (breaking expectations, not just being “different”)
  • Snickers, with their super bowl campaign introducing Betty White and their provocative messaging followed by their “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry”, and that disruption makes the brain pay attention.

 

• Anchoring (connecting a new idea to something already stored in your brain)
  • When Spotify first gained traction, people unfamiliar with music streaming quickly grasped its value by comparing it to something they already understood, Netflix. This mental shortcut helped reduce resistance and made adoption easier, because the core concept of “unlimited content for a monthly fee” was already anchored in the user’s brain.

That’s why you remember the brand that made you laugh on a bad day, or the one that made a bold claim and then backed it up.

Good branding isn’t loud. It’s sticky. And stickiness is a brain thing.

 

The Illusion of Choice

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: we think we choose brands. But most of the time, brands are choosing us. They speak in a language our unconscious already understands. They know how to whisper when others shout.
You don’t fall in love with brands through logic. You recognize them.
You remember them.
And then, only then, do you rationalize your decision.

 

What This Means for B2B Marketing

The most exciting brands aren’t the ones with the flashiest visuals. They’re the ones who understand the brain they’re speaking to. They tell stories that don’t just inform, they anchor. They don’t just sell, they signal identity, safety, progress.

In a world of instant scrolls and shrinking attention, being “seen” isn’t the win.
Being remembered is.

At the B2B Marketing Expo US, find the brands that leave a lasting impression in your brain and get ready to connect.