We Control the Kings: The Psychology of Marketing and Communication
By Ololade Fagbohunlu
(5 min read • Marketing Psychology • Brand Strategy)
What we know is different from what we tell them.
What we tell them is different from what they hear.
What they hear is different from what they experience at the point of sale…
And that, right there, is how marketing often fails silently, but completely.
Somewhere between the strategy decks, campaign briefs, and execution noise, communication gets lost.
Yet it remains the most important and most underrated part of everything we do.
Because if communication truly sat at the heart of marketing, tell me
why is marketing itself still so underrated?
The Case for a Little Madness
In the world of marketing, being a little crazy often works better.
Not the loud, chaotic kind but intentional madness:
the courage to be creatively different in a morally sensible way,
to jolt your audience out of autopilot and earn their attention.
At the awareness stage of your marketing funnel, attention is the goal.
But the real question is how do you get it?
Do you invent something new, convinced it will work?
Or do you replicate a formula that worked for someone else?
The truth? It’s neither.
It’s about understanding how people think, feel, and decide.
Because marketing, at its highest level, is psychology with rhythm.
People Want What They Want, Not What You Want Them to Want
That line might twist your mind a little, but it’s pure truth.
People don’t buy what you sell
they buy what it means for them.
Let’s make it real.
The Story of Joshua
Joshua wakes up one morning hungry.
He drives out to get breakfast, but halfway there, his car’s fuel gauge blinks red.
Before food, he needs fuel.
Now, Joshua wants two things: fuel and food.
He buys fuel, drives off, and finally gets to eat.
As he’s eating, a commercial play on TV.
A luxury watch ad, soft lighting, elegant suits, cinematic angles, and a confident man in a sleek car staring at his golden wristwatch.
Then comes the line:
“If your time is worth more, your watch tells it.”
Joshua pauses. He’s never cared about watches, but something about that line hits home.
It speaks to his worth, his ambition, his sense of importance.
Hours later, he orders the watch.
Now think about that.
Joshua bought three things that day: fuel, food, and a watch.
But only two came from his needs.
The third came from communication.
The ad didn’t tell him to buy, it made him want to.
He still believes it was his choice and that’s the beauty of it.
His will was guided, not forced.
That’s the quiet genius of good marketing it shapes decisions invisibly.
The Power of Communication
As marketers, we don’t just sell we orchestrate desire.
Our job is to design communication that makes people move,
to guide them from curiosity to conviction
while letting them believe it was entirely their idea.
Your communication must be powerful enough to guide the king’s hand without touching the crown.
Because yes, consumers are the kings.
But we the marketers
are the ones who control the kings.
Quote to Remember
“The best marketing doesn’t persuade, it directs desire.”
Author’s Note
Ololade Fagbohunlu is a marketing strategist, experiential architect, and founder of Upper Crust Geek Solutions, a Through-the-Line agency redefining how brands connect with African audiences through creativity, psychology, and innovation.
#Marketing #Business # Sales #Nigeria #DettyDecember