.

BUY OLOGY
How everything we
believe about why
we buy is wrong?

Martin LINDSTROM
 Introduction
 We’re all consumers. Shopping is a huge part of our everyday
lives.

 Our brains are constantly busy collecting and filtering information.

Some bits of information will make it into long-term storage –
memory – but most will become extraneous clutter, dispensed into
oblivion. The process is unconscious and instantaneous, but it is going
on every second of every minute of every day.

 Neuromarketing is the key to unlocking buyology- the

subconscious thoughts, feelings, and desires that thrive the purchasing
decisions we make each and every day. Neuromarketing is an
instrument used to help us decode what we as consumer are already
thinking about what we’re confronted with a product or a brand – and
sometimes even to help us uncover the underhanded methods
marketers use to seduce and betray us without our even knowing it.
 Introduction

 Neuromarketing is a toll to better understand ourselves – our

wants, our drives, and our motivations – and use that knowledge for
benevolent, and practical, purposes. By better understanding our own
seemingly irrational behavior, we actually gain more control, not less.

 Neuromarketing is the key to truly and completely understand the

thoughts, feelings, motivations, needs, and desires of consumers.

 Buyology is the beginning of a radical and intriguing exploration of

why we buy. It’s the multitude of subconscious forces that motivate us
to buy.
 1. A rush of blood to the head.
 Our truest selves react to stimuli at a level far deeper than
conscious thought, and how our unconscious minds control our
behavior.

 Warning labels on the sides, fronts, and backs of cigarettes packs

had no effect on suppressing the smoker’s cravings at all. Cigarette
warnings in fact stimulated an area of the smokers’ brains called the
nucleus accumbens, otherwise known as the “Craving spot”. This
region is a chain-link of specialized neurons that lights up when the
body desires something – whenever it’s alcohol, drugs, tobacco, sex,
or gambling. When stimulated, the nucleus accumbens requires higher
and higher doses to get its fix. In short, the fMRI results showed that
cigarette warning labels not only failed to deter smoking, but by
activating the nucleus accumbens, it appeared they actually
encouraged smokers to light up.
 1. A rush of blood to the head.
 Traditional research methods, like market research and focus
groups, are no longer up to the task of finding out what consumers
really think. And that’s because our irrational minds, flooded with
cultural biases rooted in our tradition, upbringing, and a whole lot of
other subconscious factors, assert a powerful but hidden influence
over the choices we make. We may think we know why we do the
things we do – but a much closer look into the brain tells us otherwise.
As human beings, we enjoy thinking of ourselves as a rational species.
All of us consistently engage in behavior for which we have no logical
or clear-cut explanation. The more stress we’re under, the more
frightened and insecure and uncertain we feel – and the more
irrationally we tend to behave. Under stress (or even when life is
going along pretty well), people tend to say one thing while their
behavior suggests something entirely different. Needless to say, this
spells disaster for the field of market research, which relies on
consumers being accurate and honest.
 1. A rush of blood to the head.
 85% of the time our brains are on autopilot. It’s not that we mean
to lie – it’s just that our unconscious minds are a lot better at
interpreting our behavior (including why we buy) than our conscious
minds are. What people say on surveys and in focus groups does not
reliably affect how they behave – far from it. We don’t always express
or act on feelings consciously; there’s an entire peninsula of thought
and feeling that remains out of reach. The same goes for every single
other emotion we experience, whether it’s love, empathy, jealousy,
anger, revulsion, and so on.

 The true reactions and emotions we as consumers experience are

more likely to be found in the brain, in the nanosecond lapse before
thinking is translated into words. So, if marketers want the naked truth
– the truth, unplugged and uncensored, about what causes us to buy –
they have to interview our brains.
 1. A rush of blood to the head.

 Emotions are the way in which our brains encode things of value,
and a brand that engage us emotionally will win every single time.
Emotions – such as generosity, greed, fear, and well-being – impact
economic decision-making.
“ Most of the brain is dominated by automatic processes, rather
than deliberate thinking. A lot of what happens in the brain is
emotional, not cognitive”. Georges LOEWENSTEIN.

 The sports cars stimulate the region of the brain associated with
“reward and reinforcement”.

 Neuroscience reveal that brands are much more than just

recognizable products wrapped in eye-catching designs.
 1. A rush of blood to the head.
 Buy.Ology combine two methods:

 SST: The advanced version of electroencephalograph. It is able to

measure reactions instantaneously (While fMRI, has a few seconds
delay). SST is ideal for registering brain activity while people are
watching TV commercials and programs, or any visual stimuli
happening in real time. SST could measure the degree of subject’s
emotional engagement (How interested they were in what they were
watching), memory, and approach and withdraw (What attracted or
repelled them about the visual image).

 fMRI.

• Both methods are able to measure the level of emotional attraction

(or revulsion) we as consumers experience more precisely than any
other tool available.
 2. This must be the place.
Product placement, American Idol, and Ford Multimillion$ mistake.

 Uncreative companies are simply imitating other uncreative

companies. In the end, everyone’s a loser because we as TV viewers
can’t tell one brand from the next. These days, we’re yanked, tugged,
pelted, pushed, prodded, reminded, cajoled, whispered at, overloaded,
and overwhelmed by a constant stream of in-your-face product
placement. The result? Snow-blindness.

 Over the years, neuromarketing research has found that consumer’s

memory of a product is the most relevant, reliable measure of an ad’s
effectiveness. It’s also linked with subjects’ future buying behavior.
SST results revealed that we have no memory of brands that don’t
play an integral part in the storyline of a program. They become white
noise, easily, instantaneously forgotten. Through subtle and brilliant
integration, coke has painstakingly affiliated itself with the dreams,
aspirations, and starry-eyed fantasies of potential idols.
 2. This must be the place.
Product placement, American Idol, and Ford Multimillion$ mistake.

 If brands have no natural connection or aspirational affiliation with

the brand so we, as viewers, have no emotional engagement with it,
either. So if a product isn’t a good match with the movie or TV show
in which it appears, viewers will tune it right out.

 Products that play an integral part in the narrative of a program are

not only memorable, they even appear to have a double-barreled
effect. In other words, they not only increase our memory of the
product, but they actually weaken our ability to remember the other
brands.
 3. I’ll have what she’s having.
Mirror neurons at work.

 “Mirror neurons” fire when an action is being performed and

when that same action is being observed. “Mirror neurons” respond to
“Targeted gestures”: meaning those activities that involve an object,
such as picking up a nut, or bringing an ice cream cone to your month,
as opposed to random movement, such as crossing the room or simply
standing there wit your arms crossed.

 Regions of the human brain thought to contain mirror neurons, the

inferior frontal cortex and superior parietal lobule, as these regions are
activated both when someone is performing an action, as well as when
the person observes another person performing an action.

 “What DNA is for biology, the Mirror Neuron is for psychology”.

 3. I’ll have what she’s having.
Mirror neurons at work.

 When we watch someone do something, whether it’s scoring a

penalty kick …, our brain react as if we were actually performing
these activities ourselves. In short, it’s a though seeing and doing are
one and the same.

 Mirror neurons are also responsible for why we often unwittingly

imitate other people’s behavior. This tendency is so innate it can even
be observed in babies. Mirror neurons explain why we often smile
when we see someone who is happy or when we see someone who is
in physical pain.

 Thanks to mirror neurons, we all tend to empathize when bad things

happen to good people, but when bad things happen to bad people,
men at least, actually experience a degree of pleasure.
 3. I’ll have what she’s having.
Mirror neurons at work.

 Mirror neurons become activated not only when we’re observing

other people’s behavior, they even fire when we’re reading about
someone performing it. Everything we observe (or read about)
someone else doing, we do as well – in our minds.

 Mirror neurons exist in our daily lives – and they play a role in why
we buy. When we see a pair of unusual earphones sticking out of
someone else’s ears, our mirror neurons trigger a desire in us to have
those same cool-looking accessories, too. But it goes deeper than
simple desire.

 Mirror neurons override our rational thinking and cause us to

unconsciously imitate – and purchase – what is in front of us. That’s
just how our mirror neurons work on us as consumers. Think about
how other people’s behavior affects our shopping experience, and
ultimately influences our purchasing decisions.
 3. I’ll have what she’s having.
Mirror neurons at work.

 The concept of imitation is a huge factor in why we buy the things

we do. Sometimes, just seeing a certain product over and over makes
it more desirable.

 Mirror neurons don’t work alone. Often, they work in tandem with
dopamine, one of the brain’s pleasure chemicals. Dopamine is one of
the most addictive substances known to man – and purchasing
decisions are driven in some part by its seductive effects. When you
see an appealing product, dopamine subtly flushes your brain with
pleasure, then wham, before you know it, you’ve signed the credit
card receipt (it takes as little as 2.5 sec to make a purchasing
decision). A few minutes later, as you exit the store, bag in hand, the
euphoric feelings caused by the dopamine recede, all of a sudden you
wonder whether you’ll really ever use that damn object. Sound
familiar ?
 3. I’ll have what she’s having.
Mirror neurons at work.

 When we first decide to buy something, the brain cells that release
dopamine secrete a burst of good feeling, and this dopamine rush fuels
our instinct to keep shopping even when our rational minds tell us
we’ve had enough.

 Scientists have found that the Brodmann area 10 in the frontal

cortex, is activated when we see products we think are “cool”, is
associated with self-perception and social emotions. Whether we
know it or not, we assess snazzy stuff largely in terms of their capacity
to enhance our social status.

 We are sensitive to positive social signals. We want to remember

people who are kind to us, in case we interact with them in the future.
Mirror neurons can even respond to things we see online.
 3. I’ll have what she’s having.
Mirror neurons at work.

 Our mirror neurons help us connect emotionally to the virtual

realities.

 The future of advertising is mirror neurons. And they will prove

even more powerful in driving our loyalty, our minds, our wallets, and
our Buyology than ever the marketers themselves could have
anticipated.
 4. I can’t see clearly now.
Subliminal messaging, alive and well.

 Subliminal messages are defined as visual, auditory, or any other

sensory messages that register just below our level of conscious
perception and can be detected only by the unconscious mind. But not
all subliminal messaging is subtle. And if, subliminal advertising, can
be understood as subconscious message to attract us to a product, then
it is even prevalent than anyone has ever realized. In today’s over-
stimulated world, countless things slip beneath our conscious radar
every day.

 Advertisers have found a way to make split-second impressions

work and called them “primes” or “visual drumbeats”. Clearly,
subliminal advertising, pervades many aspects of our culture and
assaults us each and every day.
 4. I can’t see clearly now.
Subliminal messaging, alive and well.

 There seemed to be positive evidence that the subliminal

suggestions could affect people’s behavior. Subliminal messaging has
even been shown to influence how much we are willing to pay for a
product.

 “Unconscious emotion”- A minute emotional change that take place

without the subjects being aware of either stimulus that cause it or any
shift in their emotional states: Smiling faces can subconsciously get us
to buy more stuff.

 The origin of a product may even subconsciously influence how

likely we are to buy it.

 The power of subliminal advertising has little to do with the product

itself. Instead, it lies in our own brains.
 4. I can’t see clearly now.
Subliminal messaging, alive and well.

 The brain can summon information that lies beneath our level of
consciousness, that mean that this information informs our behavior.
The logo-free images associated with cigarettes, like the Ferrari and
the sunset, trigger more cravings among smokers than the logos or the
images of the cigarettes pack themselves. It’s also discovered a direct
emotional relationship between the qualities the subjects associate
with Formula 1 and NASCAR – Masculinity, sex, power, speed,
innovation, coolness – and the cigarette brands that sponsor them.
When consumers are exposed to those red Ferraris and racer
jumpsuits, they subconsciously link those associations the brand. In
short, everything Formula 1 and NASCAR represent are subliminally
transformed, in only seconds, into representing the brand.

 Overt, direct, visually explicit antismoking messages did more to

encourage smoking than any deliberate campaign Marlboro or Camel
could have come up with.
 4. I can’t see clearly now.
Subliminal messaging, alive and well.

 Subliminal advertising work because since they don’t show any

visible logos, we aren’t consciously aware that we are viewing an
advertising message, and as a result we let our guard down. So we
consciously construct a wall between ourself and the message,
protecting ourself from its seductive powers. But once the logo
vanishes, our brain is no longer on high alert, and it responds
subconsciously – and enthusiastically – to the message before us. The
tobacco companies effort to link “innocent images” with smoking in
our subconscious minds have paid off big time. They have succeeded
in bypassing governments’ regulations by creating stimuli powerful
enough to replace traditional advertising. It’s a little scary to find out
that what we thought had the least to do with smoking is actually the
most effective in making us want to smoke, and that the logo – what
advertisers and companies have long endowed with almost mythic
powers – in fact works the least well.
 5. Do you believe in magic?
Ritual, Superstition, and why we buy.

 Rituals help us form emotional connections with brands and

products. They make the things we buy memorable.

 Rituals and superstitions are defined as not entirely rational actions

and the belief that one can somehow manipulate the future by
engaging in certain behaviors, in spite of the fact there’s no discernible
causal relationship between that behavior and its outcome.

 Our world is changing at an astonishingly rapid rate. Such rapid

change has brought with it more uncertainty. The more unpredictable
the world becomes, the more we grope for a sense of control over our
lives. And the more anxiety and uncertainty we feel, the more we
adopt superstitious behavior and rituals to help shepherd us through.
Superstition and ritual have been scientifically linked to human’s need
for control in a turbulent world.
 5. Do you believe in magic?
Ritual, Superstition, and why we buy.

 Rationally or not, we unwittingly ascribe similar power to objects

such as “Lucky” coins, wedding rings, and so on. Some rituals have
actually been shown to be beneficial to our mental and physical well-
being. “In families with predictable routines, children had fewer
respiratory illnesses and better overall health, and they performed
better in elementary school. Rituals have a greater effect on emotional
health, and that in families with strong rituals adolescents reported a
stronger sense of self, couples reported happier marriages and children
had greater interaction with their grandparents”.

 Most of us perform a common, predictable series of rituals from the

moment we get up in the morning to the moment we pull down our
covers at night:
 “Preparing for battle”.
 “Feasting”.
 “Sexing up”.
 “Protecting yourself from the future”.
 5. Do you believe in magic?
Ritual, Superstition, and why we buy.

 These rituals have everything to do with gaining control – or at

least the illusion of it – and we all perform them in one shape or from
every day. But many of us also carry out other, less productive rituals
that are grounded in superstition or irrational beliefs – and most of us
aren’t even aware of it. Most rituals and superstitious behaviors are so
ingrained in our culture and daily lives that we often don’t even think
about why we’re doing them.

 Superstitions and rituals are a big part of the sporting world too.
 Rituals have a lot to do with what we think about when we buy.
Products and brands that have rituals or superstitions associated with
them are much “stickier” than those that don’t. product rituals give us
an illusion of comfort and belonging.
 5. Do you believe in magic?
Ritual, Superstition, and why we buy.

 In an increasingly standardized, sterilized, homogenous world,

rituals help us differentiate one brand from another. There is
something so appealing about this sense of stability and familiarity
that a lot of consumers have almost a religious sense of loyalty to their
favorite brands and products. Indeed, buying a product is more often a
ritualized behavior than a conscious decision. After all, most of us are
creature of habit.

 Food rituals, too, can be found everywhere. Even some restaurants

have rituals you probably haven’t even considered. Sometimes,
however, brands can have trouble moving beyond rituals.
 5. Do you believe in magic?
Ritual, Superstition, and why we buy.

 Brand obsession take root in adolescence and even earlier. If

children experience social difficulties in school, they’re far more
likely to become preoccupied with collecting. It gives a sense of
mastery, completion, and control, while at the same time raising their
self-esteem, elevating their status, and just maybe even compensating
for earlier years of social difficulty. When we are stressed out, or when
life feels random and out-of-control, we often seek out comfort in
familiar products or objects. We want to have solid, consistent patterns
in our lives, and in our brands.

 Ritual and superstition can exert a potent influence on how and

what we buy.
 6. I say a little prayer?
Faith, Religion, and brands.

 When we relieve the most profound religious experience, a flurry of

neural activity in their caudate nucleus, that produces feeling of joy,
serenity, self-awareness, and even love. Another activated areas is the
insula, related to feelings associated with connections to the divine.
When it comes to religion and faith, a number of integrated,
interconnected brain regions work simultaneously and in tandem.

 Theory about brands and spirituality had come out of nowhere. If

people are willing to pay sums large and small for things – like dirt
and water – that they believe have religious or spiritual significance,
then clearly spirituality and branding are inextricably linked.
 6. I say a little prayer?
Faith, Religion, and brands.

 Despite differences, almost every leading religion has ten common

pillars underlying its foundation. These pillars happen to have a great
deal in common with our most beloved brands and products:

1. The sense of belonging. Whether you’re in love with Nike,

Neutrogena… chances are you feel a sense of belonging among
other users of that brand - it’s like being a member of a not-so-
exclusive brand. This sense of belonging is a profound influence
on our behavior.

2. Most religions also have a clear vision. And of course, most

companies have unambiguous missions as well.
 6. I say a little prayer?
Faith, Religion, and brands.

3. Successful religions also strive to exert power over their enemies.

Having an identifiable enemy gives us the chance not only to
articulate and showcase our faith, but also to unite ourselves with our
fellow believers. This kind of us vs. them mentality can be seen
throughout the consumer world as well: Coke vs. Pepsi… . In fact,
what commercial or ad campaign doesn’t emphasize the reasons a
given product is better than its competitors? This us-vs.- them
strategy attracts fans, incites controversy, creates loyalty, and gets us
thinking and arguing – and, of course, buying.

4. Sensory appeal is another key characteristics of the world’s great

religions. In a way, our senses allow us to “feel” the heart, soul, and
sheer heft of a religion. Products and brands evoke certain feelings
and associations based on how they look, feel, or smell. Whether it’s
annoyance or longing, product’s sensory qualities almost always
evoke an emotional response.
 6. I say a little prayer?
Faith, Religion, and brands.

5. Storytelling. Every religion is built upon a heft of history and

stories. In the same way, every successful brand has stories
connected to it.

6. Most religions celebrate a sense of grandeur. Many companies

similarly work to inspire feelings of awe and wonderment.

7. The notion of evangelism - the power to reach out and secure new
acolytes. Doesn’t every religion, and every brand, treat converts in
a similar way, by making them feel honored to be members of its
fold?
 6. I say a little prayer?
Faith, Religion, and brands.

8. Symbols, too, are ubiquitous in most religions. Just as religions

have their icons, so, too, do products and brands. Certain simple
yet powerful icons are increasingly taking hold, creating an instant
global language. Far more so than the products logos, these
symbols evoke powerful associations in us – in the same way that
religions icons evoke powerful religious associations. Symbols can
have an extremely powerful impact on why we buy.

9. Mystery, too, is a powerful force in religion where the unknown

can be as powerful as the known. When it comes to brands,
mystery can be just as effective in attracting our attention. The
more mystery and intrigue a brand can cultivate, the more likely it
will appeal to us.

10. Rituals.
 6. I say a little prayer?
Faith, Religion, and brands.

 Ritual, superstition, religion – whether we’re aware of it or not, all

these factors contribute to what we think about when we buy. The
most successful products are the ones that have the most in common
with religion.

 Just like members of religions, sports fan have a strong sense of

belonging, usually to a hometown or favorite team; teams have a clear
mission (to win); and, of course, a strong sense of us vs. them. Sports
also offers a strong sensory appeal. Few things seem grander than a
championship title or a medal or a trophy, and stories and myths
abound everywhere in the sports world.
 6. I say a little prayer?
Faith, Religion, and brands.

 Strong brands brought about greater activity in many areas of the

brain involved in memory, emotion, decision-making, and meaning
than weak brands did. When people viewed images associated with
the strong brands – their brains registered the exact same patterns of
activity as they did when they viewed the religious images. There
were no discernible difference between the way the subject’s brain
reacted to powerful brands and the way they reacted to religious icons
and figures. Exposure to sports stars do activate the part of our brains
associated with our sense of reward in a way that is similar to the
patterns of arousal prompted by religious icons, suggesting that the
feelings of reward associated with a victory on the soccer field are
similar to the feelings of reward associated with a moving church
sermon or prayer.
 6. I say a little prayer?
Faith, Religion, and brands.

 The emotions we experience when we are exposed to iPods,

Ferrari… are similar to the emotions generated by religious symbols.
The reactions to the brands and religious icons are not just similar,
they are almost identical. When these subjects view emotionally
weaker brands, however, completely different areas of their brains are
activated, suggesting that weaker brands don’t evoke the same
associations.

 Clearly, our emotional engagement with powerful brands (and to a

lesser extent, sports) shares strong parallels with our feelings about
religion. Which is why marketers and advertisers have begun to
borrow even more heavily from the world of religion to entice us to
buy their products.
 7. Why did I choose you?
The power of Somatic Makers.

 Most consumers think about their choice for all of two seconds. We
rely on almost instant shortcuts that our brains have created to help us
make buying decisions. The real rationale behind our choices is build
on a lifetime of associations – some positive, other negative – that you
aren’t consciously aware of. Because when we make decisions about
what to buy, our brain summons and scans incredible amount of
memories, facts, and emotions and squeezes them into a rapid
response – a shortcut of sorts that allows you to travel from A to Z in a
couple seconds, and that dictates what you just put inside your
shopping cart.

 Over 50% of all purchasing decisions by shoppers are made

spontaneously – and therefore unconsciously – at the point of sale.
These brain shortcuts are Somatic maker.
 7. Why did I choose you?
The power of Somatic Makers.

 Imagine the mind as a block of wax on which “we stamp what we

perceive or conceive”. Whatever is impressed upon the wax, we
remember and know, provided the image remains in the wax, but
“Whatever is obliterated or cannot be impressed, we forget and do not
know”. An experience “made an impression”.

 Sown by past experiences of reward and punishment, these markers

serve to connect an experience or emotion with a specific, required
reactions. By instantaneously helping us narrow down the possibilities
available in a situation, they shepherd us toward a decision that we
know will yield the best, least painful outcome.
 7. Why did I choose you?
The power of Somatic Markers.

 These same cognitive shortcuts are what underlies most of our

buying decisions. All of a sudden, you “just knew” which brand you
wanted, but were completely unaware of the factors that led to your
decision. But somatic markers aren’t simply a connection of reflexes
from childhood or adolescence. Every day, we manufacture new ones,
adding them to the bulging collection of somatic markers. And the
bigger our brain’s collection of somatic markers, the more buying
decisions we’re able to make. In fact, without somatic markers we
wouldn’t be able to make any decisions at all. e.g. : A somatic marker
connects Germany with technological excellence comes alive in our
brain and ushers us toward a brand preference.
 7. Why did I choose you?
The power of Somatic Markers.

 In truth, your brand preference has a very little to do with the

product itself, but instead with the somatic markers the brand has
carefully created. For advertisers, it’s easy and inexpensive to create a
somatic marker in consumer’s brains.

 Since somatic markers are typically associations between two

incompatible elements, they are far more memorable, and lasting, than
other associations we form throughout our lives. Which is why, in
attempting to hook our attention, advertises aim to create surprising,
even shocking associations between two wildly disparate things.

 Somatic markers are hard to erase.

 Fear, spread faster than anything else. Of course, not all somatic
markers are based on pain and fear. Some of the most effective ones
are rooted in sensory experiences, which in fact can often be quite
pleasant.
 8. A sense of wonder?
Selling to our senses.

 Our visual sense is far from our most powerful in seducing our
interest and getting us to buy. When working alone, our eyes are in
fact much less potent than we have long believed. Today, we are more
visually overstimulated than ever before. And in fact, the more
stimulated we are, the harder it is to capture our attention. All the
visual saturation result only in glazed eyes, not higher sales.

 Sight is a crucial factor in why we buy. But In many cases it isn’t as

powerful as we first assumed – and smell and sound are substantially
more potent than anyone had ever dreamed of. Sound and smell can be
even stronger than sight. Visual images are far more effective, more
memorable, when coupled with another sense – like sound and smell.
To fully engage us emotionally, companies are discovering, they’d be
better off not just inundating us with logos, but pumping fragrances
into our nostrils and music into our ears. It’s Sensory Branding.
 8. A sense of wonder?
Selling to our senses.

 We as consumers are equally seduced by the sight of a product as

by its scent. The image-fragrance combinations are more appealing
than either the image or the fragrance alone.

 When we see and smell something we like at the same time –

various regions of our brains light up in concert. Among them is the
right medial orbitofrontal cortex (Region associated with our
perception of something as pleasant or likable). But in cases where a
brand matches up poorly with a fragrance, there’s activation in the left
lateral orbitofrontal cortex, a region of the brain connected to aversion
and repulsion. When a pleasant fragrance matches up with an equally
appealing and congruous visual image, we not only perceive it as
more pleasant, we’re also more likely to remember it. Odor activates
many of the exact same brain regions as the sight of the product –
even the sight of that product’s logo.
 8. A sense of wonder?
Selling to our senses.

 Our senses are incredibly important in helping us interpret the

world around us, and in turn play a critical role in our behavior. Of all
our senses, smell is the most primal, the most deeply rooted. When we
smell something, the odor receptors in our noses make an unimpeded
beeline to our limbic system, which controls our emotions, memories,
and sense of well-being. As a result, our gut response is instantaneous.
“All of our senses, you think before you respond, but with scent, your
brain responds before you think”. Clearly, smell is very closely tied to
how we experience brands or products.
 8. A sense of wonder?
Selling to our senses.

 Colors can be very powerful in connecting us emotionally to a

brand. Colored ads hold customers’ attention for two seconds or more,
whereas black-and-white images hold our interest for less than one
second. Color goes so far as to increase brand recognition by up to
80%. When people make a subconscious judgment about a person,
environment, or a product within 90 seconds, between 62 and 90% of
the assessment is based on color alone.

 Sound branding: Nothing sticks in the head like a jingle, no matter

how idiotic or downright obnoxious it is. Sounds trigger strong
associations and emotions and can exert a powerful influence on our
behavior. Some brands have a Signature Sound. When sounds and
images are presented simultaneously, they are perceived more
favorably- and leave more of an impression – than the image or sound
when presented alone. Consumers will be emotionally engaged, and
there is also evidence of long-term memory encoding.
 8. A sense of wonder?
Selling to our senses.

 Fragrance can make us see, sound can make us smack our lips, and
sight can help us imagine sound, taste and touch – that is, if it’s the
right pairing of sensory input.

 The road to emotion runs through our sensory experiences, emotion

is one of the most powerful forces in driving why we buy.
 9. And the answer is?
Neuromarketing and predicting the future.

 80% of all product launches fail in the first three months.

 Whether it’s soda or video games – or any other item under the sun
– companies are woefully bad at predicting how we as consumers will
respond to their products. Because how we say we feel about a
product can never truly predict how we behave, market research is
largely unreliable and can at times seriously mislead a company or
even completely undo a product.

 How we say we feel about something and how we actually behave

rarely match up.

 What people say and how they really feel are often polar opposites.

 Novelty effect: Effect many of us experience when we’re watching

something for the first time.
 10. Let’s spend the night
together
 Roughly 1/5 of all advertising today uses overt sexual content to
Sex in advertising.
sell its products. Sex in advertising is everywhere. Sex in advertising
is all about wish fulfillment, about planting dreams inside consumer’s
brains.
• But does sex necessarily sell? The sexual suggestive material blind
receivers to all other information in the ad - even the name of the
product itself. That’s the Vampire effect: The fact that the titillating
content is sucking attention from what the ad is actually trying to say.
• Controversy – even more than sex – sells. In this case the ads are that
much more memorable for their shock value.

 As sex hijacks our attention away from the crucial information in an

advertisement, so, too, can extreme beauty or celebrity. Another
reason beauty doesn’t always sell is the simple fact that we as
consumers are far more likely to identify with people who look more
like us and less like celebrities or beautiful faces.
 10. Let’s spend the night
together
Sex in advertising.
 Consumers enjoy watching – and emphasizing with – people like
themselves. This may help explain why one of the hottest trends in
commercials today is consumer-generated advertising – advertising
that allows everyday people to participate in the campaign. Because
ads and commercials created by everyday consumers tend not to
feature models, but rather average-looking people who resemble
ourselves, we can connect and identify with them more easily.
Moreover, average-looking people seem more inviting as though
welcoming us to the brand. We feel like average-looking people really
believe in what they are selling. It’s our desire for authenticity.

 However, when we see attractive, scantily clad young people, our

mirror neurons allow us to imagine ourselves as being equally cool,
attractive, and desirable. The same goes for sex appeal.
 11. Conclusion
Brand new day.

 90% of our consumer buying behavior is unconscious. Our brain

makes the decision and most of the time we aren’t aware of it.
“Human beings are often poor reporters of their own actions”.

 The higher price of a product enhances our enjoyment of it. “We

enjoy our purchases…because we paid more”.

 Fear can drive consumers away from a product, there is no denying

that fears exerts an extremely powerful effect on the brain. In fact,
when fear-based advertising play less on our generalized anxieties and
more on our insecurities about ourselves, it can be one of the most
persuasive – and memorable – types of advertising out there. The
more stress we’re under un our world, and the more fearful we are, the
more we seek out solid foundations, the more dopamine surges
through our brains, the more we want, well, stuff.
 11. Conclusion
Brand new day.

 Soon, more and more companies will go out of their way to play on
our fears and insecurities about ourselves, to make us think we are not
good enough, that if we don’t buy their product, we’ll somehow be
missing out. That we’ll become more and more imperfect.

 Our brains are hardwired to bestow upon brands an almost religious

significance and as a result we forge immutable brand loyalties.

 Every one of us ascribes greater value to things we perceive –

rationally or not – to be in some way special. When we brand things,
our brains perceive them as more special and valuable than they
actually are.

 Companies will embrace personal brands more and more, creating

real characters in order to get more exposure, and in turn sell more
stuff.
 • Afterword
 One big somatic marker link money and spending to the massive
sense of fear and anxiety. We’re not all that far removed from
primates, who, in times of fear and stress, devote their lives to taking
care of their most basic needs – food, sleep, survival and sex. The fear
is a far bigger driver than most of us admit. When we’re operating in
survival mode, fear becomes a major driver. In the uncertain and
unstable economic climate we are, quite simply, scared to spend.

 Few of us can resist a sale. Huge markdowns, or even the

anticipation of sales, spark a primal urge in consumers’ brains. We
want, need and have to buy, often in outrageous quantities, because
who knows what the future will bring? Consumers become addicted to
discounts. We suddenly want more – and more – and more! Securing
the lowest price becomes the main focus on our behavior. All the
irresistible discounts are seducing us into buying more stuff that we
don’t need. It takes 7 years for a brand to recover its value in the
minds of consumers once it’s been discounted.