Buyology is a book about Neuromarketing. What's that? It's the study of marketing and its effects on the brain. Essentially, those things that marketers took for granted, are now put up to the test seeing as how we can now examine the effects of certain marketing techniques have on the brain.
Below I'll outline some of the important findings in the book (Spoiler Alert!).
No Smoking
Do the health warnings on the packages of cigarettes deter people from smoking? That was the question being asked. His method was quite interesting, by collecting numerous smokers, ensuring they went at least 2 hours without so much as a drag of a cigarette, and then exposing them to various cigarette packages, with and without warnings on them.
While I'm not going to get into the finite details of the fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans in this blog, there was an astonishing discovery. Warnings on the cigarette packages did nothing at all to convince people to not smoke. In fact, it actually made people want to smoke more!!! What the…?
Reece's Pieces
With product placement. You know, the Reece's Pieces kind of product placement we found in ET. Products and brands that make the product placement a part of the story line, instead of just being in the background, have a far greater impact on brand recognition. Keep this in mind the next time you a re watching your favourite show. After the show, what brands do you remember if any? If you do remember a brand, was it a part of the story line or just in the background. Odds are that if you remember, it was a part of the story line.
I would take this a step further and apply it to my readers. While most of you won't be sponsoring American Idol anytime soon, you may be sponsoring an event or a conference. If doing so, try to make your brand a part of the event as opposed to just being in the background.
I'll have what she's having
Did you know that seeing someone do something pleasurable, actually activates pleasure in your brain and makes you want to mimic what they are doing? It's true. In the branding and marketing world, seeing someone on their iPhone will likely make you want to have an iPhone. Watching someone drink a Starbucks coffee will make you crave a Starbucks coffee.
Keep this in mind for your marketing. If you can show people using your product, and having a good time, it will go a long way towards building your brand.
Ciao,
Robert Scozzari
If you would like to read Buyology by Martin Lindstrom for yourself, here are links to purchase the book at your favourite online retailer. (Full disclosure, I participate in the affiliate programs at these web sites).
