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There is more than meets the eye when it comes to building your brand, developing an exceptional product, and gaining a dedicated base of loyal customers.

Without a doubt, what might appeal to one buyer or consumer won’t be universally accepted, and striking a careful balance while still meeting the needs and demands of a large audience requires acquired skill and experience. Food industry veteran Ray Gadd knows a thing or two about using psychology and marketing to help leading brands thrive and create inventive products that fill an important need in their particular markets.

After holding positions with Borden Foods and Ore-Ida Foods, Gadd now serves as Chief Marketing Officer of Flagship Food Group, where is responsible for establishing strategic direction and developing new products, as well as involvement in the third-party packaging business – all important components of helping brands in the food space succeed. On this week’s episode of Ditch The Box, Gadd explains the most successful way to sell a product or communicate an idea is to focus on people’s emotions. Meeting needs of both consumers and employees requires a psychological understanding, along with a developed set of skills and strategies.

Connecting with people and making them smile is a tried-and-true step toward successful brand design and packaging.

Each of us yearns to understand and know more about the companies we purchase products from, and brands need to figure out what their voice is and how they wish to communicate the qualities that make them stand out and shine above the rest. Gadd says companies can gain this type of introspection by thinking about who they are as individuals and how they express their great qualities to friends and family. Getting a better understanding of your voice – and building your brand image – can create dialogue and discussion, which leads to an emotional connection and new campaigns focused on consumer loyalty.

Using the concept of emotional response and attachment can also help companies evaluate what is important to others.

This task, Gadd explains, can require a little or a lot of money depending on the company’s specific goals. Appealing to consumers and the buyers who will actually put your product on shelves starts with listening to both the end user and retailers, finding out what they want, discovering their pain points, making sure your offerings meet their needs and being able to adapt and modify to continue exceeding their expectations. Focus groups, buyer meetings, observation of competitors and gathering feedback are all important ways to continue improving your product and building your brand.

Gadd’s company focuses on developing consumer brands people know and trust, and they accomplish this by focusing on the details and utilizing the skills each team member brings to the table. A willingness to grow and think outside of the box requires a careful balance between offering solutions to problems facing both customers and retailers. Just as each of us have a unique understanding of who we are as individuals, today’s businesses must strive to discover their voice and what sets them apart. Forming an emotional connection and establishing relationships with all parties crucial to the success of your company will help your brand shine and become differentiated, forward thinking, and trusted for years to come.