Coke or Pepsi? McDonald's or Burger King? Mac or PC? How can brown be the new black one year, and pink be the new black the next? Does the "ding ding ding" sound in those Progressive Insurance you think you're hitting the jackpot by choosing to get an estimate? What is it about the human brain that makes it respond to one stimulus over another? Are there reasons consumers choose products more complex than, "I like that one better." Is brand loyalty tied to/dictated by brain chemistry? These and other scintillating questions are the subject of the new (relatively) science of neuromarketing. And while cynical observers might (and do) contend that, when used by marketers, neuromarketing is simply a way of legitimizing subliminal advertising, the exploding science is light years beyond the titillation associated with embedding sexual images in commercials, or the alleged manipulation of movie theater operators flashing a frame of a bag of popcorn in the middle of a film or preview to induce the munchies in patrons.
Neuromarketing is the study of why the human brain is susceptible to one message more than by another, including the subliminal, and the processes by which that occurs. Science achieves this by strapping people into brain imaging other devices that measure physiological responses and watching the results of introducing stimuli in a variety of ways. If your company is asking, "Why do people buy what they buy," the you'll want to strap yourself in and give a very liminal listen to Martin Lindstrom when he appears at WBF10 on October 5 to talk about why people buy.
Selected by TIME as one of the World's 100 Most Influential People in 2009, Lindstrom is the author of Buyology-Truth and Lies About Why We Buy, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. The book unveils the results of his pioneering study that used the latest in brain scan technology to peer into the minds of over 2,000 people from around the world. To get a preview peek under the veil, check out what Lindstrom thinks about the future of neuromarketing. After you watch the video, answer these questions: Why the red flowers? What's the message in that picture over his left shoulder? Why black clothes on a white couch?
Great post - I especially like the suggestion after watching the video to seek an answer to why there are red flowers and the other items you've pointed out. Excellent Blog!
Posted by: Raymond | September 02, 2010 at 10:07 PM