Marketing Triggers – How to Stay Top of Mind and Connect

Why Marketing Triggers Work

Why do some brands stay at the top of your mind while others fade into the background? Why does hearing “Just Do It” instantly remind you of Nike? Or why does a seasonal jingle immediately connect you to Coca-Cola and Christmas?

The answer lies in marketing triggers. This principle, one of Jonah Berger’s six elements in the STEPPS framework, is built on a simple truth: when people are reminded of your brand in their daily life, they are more likely to buy and share it.

Marketing triggers are cues—moments, events, or associations—that connect everyday experiences to your brand.

The world’s famous entrepreneurs know this. Howard Schultz tied Starbucks to morning rituals. Jeff Bezos made Amazon synonymous with convenience and delivery. Steve Jobs used sleek repetition in design and taglines to embed Apple into culture. These leaders understood that great management and business strategy isn’t just about building products—it’s about attaching them to triggers that keep them top of mind.

Marketing Triggers in Management and Business

Human nature connects ideas through association. When I think of X, I’m reminded of Y. Great brands design these associations intentionally. This is why leadership principles applied to marketing demand consistency, creativity, and cultural awareness.

The psychology is simple: the more often your brand is tied to experiences customers already have, the more visible and valuable you become. That’s why entrepreneurs who master marketing triggers don’t just compete for attention—they own memory space in their customer’s mind.

Let’s dive into the four action tasks from the STEPPS framework that make this principle practical.

Pop Culture and Current Events: Tap Into What People Already Talk About

If your brand aligns with what your audience is already discussing, you ride the wave of cultural relevance. This is why Oreo’s famous tweet during the Super Bowl blackout—“You can still dunk in the dark”—went viral. The brand attached itself to a cultural moment, instantly making itself memorable.

Famous entrepreneurs like Elon Musk use this constantly. His tweets tie Tesla and SpaceX to whatever’s trending, ensuring his companies stay top of mind.

For entrepreneurs in management and business, the lesson is this: don’t wait for people to talk about you—join the conversations already happening. Align your brand with trending events, memes, or cultural shifts in authentic ways.

Holidays and Seasons: Build Rituals That Repeat Year After Year

Some of the most powerful marketing triggers come from holidays and seasonal cycles. Think of how Starbucks owns autumn with Pumpkin Spice Lattes, or how Coca-Cola owns Christmas with polar bears and Santa Claus. These brands attach themselves to recurring moments so customers are reminded of them annually.

Even smaller businesses can do this. A fitness brand can tie promotions to New Year’s resolutions. A restaurant can build summer traditions around seasonal menus. The key is creating associations that make your brand part of cultural rituals.

👉 As a leadership principle, this teaches consistency. Leaders who repeat, reinforce, and show up at the same moments year after year create loyalty and predictability.

Nostalgia and Past Experiences: Emotion as a Trigger

Nostalgia is a powerful trigger because it connects brands to emotional memory. When people are reminded of the past, they feel comfort, belonging, and identity.

Disney is the master of this. Every movie, park experience, or brand extension taps into childhood memories and passes them down to new generations. Lego has done the same, tying adults back to the joy of childhood play.

For entrepreneurs, nostalgia isn’t limited to global icons. A local business can evoke nostalgia by using historical photos of its city, referencing cultural touchstones from a specific generation, or highlighting long-time community traditions.

👉 In management and business, nostalgia works because it ties brands to identity. Customers aren’t just buying products—they’re reconnecting with who they are.

Repetition and Consistency: Make It Stick

Repetition builds memory, and memory builds brands. The most effective marketing triggers are repeated so often they become automatic associations.

Think of slogans like Nike’s “Just Do It,” McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It,” or Chick-fil-A’s playful “Eat Mor Chikin.” These taglines work because they’re short, consistent, and repeated endlessly until they become cultural shorthand.

Famous entrepreneurs understood this principle well. Steve Jobs repeated Apple’s “Think Different” across every keynote, ad, and product design until it became the company’s identity. Repetition wasn’t boring—it was branding.

👉 As a leadership principle, repetition is about focus. Leaders who reinforce the same vision and message create alignment, clarity, and loyalty over time.

Conclusion: Marketing Triggers as a Leadership Tool

At the end of the day, marketing triggers aren’t about manipulation—they’re about memory. They make sure your brand is there when customers are making choices.

Great management and business leaders know that visibility isn’t random—it’s designed. By tying your brand to pop culture, seasonal cycles, nostalgia, and repetition, you create associations that keep you top of mind.

This is how famous entrepreneurs scale fast. They don’t just advertise—they embed their brands into conversations, rituals, emotions, and memories. That’s not just marketing—it’s vision, consistency, and leadership.

As Exodus 12:14 reminds us, “This is a day to remember…from generation to generation.” Leaders create rituals that last.

So ask yourself: What will trigger your customers to think of you tomorrow, next season, and for years to come? Answer that, and you’ll not only gain market share—you’ll build a brand that endures.

References

Baines, P., Fill, C. and Page, K. (2013) Essentials of Marketing. 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Berger, J. (2013) Contagious: Why Things Catch On. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Grant, R.M. (2019) Contemporary Strategy Analysis. 10th edn. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Johnson, G., Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. (2020) Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases. 12th edn. Harlow: Pearson Education.

Kotler, P. and Keller, K.L. (2016) Marketing Management. 15th edn. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

Pulizzi, J. (2014) Epic Content Marketing. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.