Rituals are one of the seven pieces of Primal Code® identified in Primal Branding. The other pieces of Primal Code are Creation Story, Creed, Icons, Sacred Words (or Lexicon), Nonbelievers (or Pagans) and Leader.
Icons and Rituals work closely together.
You’re staring at this post, which is a ritual, and you’re looking at it on your computer or smartphone—which are iconic. You drive to work which is a ritual, and your automobile is an icon that, thanks to generations of automobile positioning and marketing, tells us a lot about who you are.
Rituals are our beliefs in action. If you want a good ritual get a hug; if you want a bad ritual, call your credit card company.
Success means building positive experiences within your community that not only attract people, but keep them coming back for more.
This buzzy connectivity within your community helps drive word of mouth and advocacy.
Think about what things you celebrate.
Sharing on TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Facebook, Thread and are all rituals. Not sharing is also a ritual. #intentionality
Ben Silbermann had a great quote differentiating between the social media when he said, “Facebook is what you’ve done, Instagram is what you’re doing and Pinterest is what you’re going to do.”
Googling, txting, selfies, Zoom, listening to Smartless are all rituals. So is learning how to play a guitar lick or watching Rick Beato on YouTube. If you’re still watching “Baby Shark Dance” by Pinkfong, you’re not alone.
When we try to build communities inside organizations, we also think about rituals. Because another word for ritual is “process.” Here’s how we do things.
Scrolling, posting, liking are rites that bring social communities together and interrupt existence in a series of dopamine-enriched joy pops.
Are we creating positive rituals, or are we building walls? Are we creating friction points?
UX (User Experience) tries to crunch down rituals. For example, the series of interactions between spotting a product online and the path to purchase on Amazon, imogene + willie, IN FIORE, or Cowgirl Creamery — into a sequence that becomes painless and seamless.
Rites to purchase. Scrolling is a ritual. Shopping is a ritual. Paying is a ritual. Waiting for your package (or your pizza) to arrive is a ritual.
Walking the dog is a ritual. Brushing your teeth is a ritual. Taking the train to work is a ritual. Eating softshell crab is a seasonal ritual. Voting is a ritual. Paying bills is a ritual. Eating an ice cream cone is a ritual. 11/11 is a ritual. Rituals order our lives and help chaos makes sense. The full moon is a ritual.
The journey toward likes and advocacy is driven by a series of rituals that are interconnected—each click giving the person further positive experiences. Scrolling, posting, liking are rites that bring social communities together and interrupt existence which is why we walk into the funnel and emerge 40 minutes later wondering what just happened?
When we are building a belief system, we try to differentiate ourselves by designing rituals that are seamless, painless, happy, even fun.
Saying goodbye is a ritual.
Contributed to Branding Strategy Insider by: Patrick Hanlon, Author of Primal Branding
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