How Events Lean into Right-Brained Marketing (And Why That Matters)
- Molly Phillips
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
'Right-brained Marketing', huh? What's that?
Well, in psychology, the right brain refers to the right hemisphere of the brain. Popular theories have it that this side of the brain focuses on all things creativity and intuition.
In other words, the right brain has a 'preference for living things and how they relate to each other'.
Orlando Wood: Right-Brained Marketing
In his book, Lemon, Orlando Wood built on this notion by bringing it into the marketing sector.
His argument was that marketing has become, in this digital world, a very left-brained phenomenon, increasingly focused on what the product does and, therefore, why you should buy it.
Which is fine; there's no harm in marketing a product in a functional way.
But it does mean that there is scope for marketers to lean into a sense of right-brained marketing. Which means:
Emotional intelligence
Creativity
Storytelling
Human intuition - that is, your customers' ability to make connections on their own.
TLDR: What is Right-Brained Marketing?
Right-brained marketing is creative, emotive and human-centrered, based on the relationships between people and the stories we tell about those relationships.
An Example of Right-Brained Marketing
Right-brained marketing can be summed up with the phrase, 'betweenness': informal and emotional relationships between people
Jon Evans sums it up like this in his review of a right-brained Monzo ad:
One scene that unfolds
a powerful music track
A sense of betweenness
Implicit Communication.
It 'tapped into the human reality' of spending and saving money.
What Does this Mean for 2026 Marketers?
Right-brained marketing is thriving as people develop more pertinent feelings of ad fatigue and digital exhaustion.
Products are sold based on the experiences they can evoke for customers, rather than the merit of the product itself.
People prioritise connection around a particular brand or activity; connection is where the trust lies.
In short, we are in a connection economy.
Why Events are A Right-Brained Tactic
Event marketing also thrives on a sense of connection, emotion and experience. It is a marketing technique literally built on the concept of 'betweenness'.
Betweenness
An event is the chance to pop your brand in front of people who share your values and interests, creating a sense of community around your work.
Creativity
The best events are also creative. They take your brand, with all its nuanced brand codes and messages, and translate those things in a 3D, interactive image. Your brand + exciting, innovative and immersive methods of involvement.
When we design and build exhibition stands, creativity is one of our three main pillars. Why? Because its the creative exhibition stands which draw attention and enable that betweenness.
Implicit Communication
Exhibition stands are also a challenge. You have to implicitly communicate who you are, what you do, and why it matters, within a single space, and without overloading consumers.
That can involve drawing on your brand's distinct heritage, for example.
The origin of a brand is, in fact, one of the things that makes it human; it gives it a story to relate to. That's where community comes from.
It can also involve thinking about costumes and visual cues to use on the day. For example, if you're in to food industry, why not dress the people making your samples in chef clothes, to tell a tale without the needs for words?
If you sell dog food, pop happy, healthy dogs in pride of place in your graphics.
It all helps attach to the right side of your customers' brains.
Got some creative ideas?
Get in touch today to find out how we can bring them to life.
Comments