Why do we talk to our cars, thank machines, or feel guilty interrupting a robot vacuum? We know they aren't human. Yet, for a moment, we treat them as if they are.
That instinct is called anthropomorphism. It is our tendency to give human traits, emotions and intentions to things that aren't human. And long before AI, brands had already learned how powerful it could be.
From the Michelin Man and Mr. Peanut to Tony the Tiger, Hello Kitty and GEICO's gecko, brands turned ordinary products and abstract categories into characters people could recognize, relate to and remember. Technology brands followed, using smiling computer faces, friendly voices and characters like Clippy to make intimidating machines feel more approachable.
But here's the fascinating part: these brands didn't need AI to make machines and products feel human. They only needed the right human cues. We supplied the rest.
Explore the psychology, history and power of anthropomorphism in branding, and how brands learned to make the inhuman feel human.
(00:00) Intro
(01:13) What is anthropomorphism?
(02:38) The psychology behind anthropomorphism
(04:57) A few 20th century examples of anthropomorphism
(07:42) How early tech brands adopted this playbook
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