marketing and neuroscience what drives customer decisions?hoffmanmarcom.com/ama/white-papers/white...

1AmericanMarketingAssociation|Connecting.Informing.Advancing.

Marketing and NeuroscienceWhat Drives Customer Decisions?

AWhitePaperBasedontheAmericanMarketingAssociation’sVirtualEventMarketingandNeuroscience:WhatDrivesCustomerDecisions?

Featuring:

Barbara O’Connell, SeniorVicePresident,ConsumerNeurosciencePractice,NorthAmerica,MillwardBrown

Steven Walden,SeniorHeadofResearchandConsulting,BeyondPhilosophy

Andrew Pohlmann,ManagingPartnerProfessionalServices,NeuroFocus

Connecting.Informing.Advancing.

About this white paper:

OnMay10.2011,theAmericanMarketingAssociationheldavirtualevententitled:MarketingandNeuroscience:WhatDrivesCustomerDecisions.Thisuniqueeventgivesmarketersanopportunitytogainaccesstoleadingexpertsintheneurosciencefieldwhoareusingneurosciencetosupplementandenhancetheirresearchandmarketinginitiatives.

Attendeesoftheeventlearnedhowneuroscienceisbeingutilizedbyleadingcompaniestouncoverthehiddendriverswithinacustomer’sdecisionmakingprocess.Duringtheeventweexploredwhichneuroscience-basedtechniquesaremosteffectiveandlearnedaboutpracticalapplicationsforthiscuttingedgetechnologythatcanhelpmarketerstogainbottom-lineresults

Sessions:

Increasing our Brainpower: Using Neuroscience Effectively

Barbara O’Connell, SeniorVicePresident,ConsumerNeurosciencePractice,NorthAmerica,MillwardBrown

Scientificresearchinmultiplefields,suchasneuroscience,behavioraleconomicsandpsychology,hashighlightedthatconsumers’decisionsaredrivenasmuchbygutinstinctasconsideredthought.Yethowcanmarketersunderstandsomethingasnebulousas“gutfeel”?Overthepastfewyears,therehavebeenanincreasingnumberofagencieswhoaredeployingmethodsusedbyneuroscientiststoanswermarketingquestionsthatconventionalresearchcannot.

Barbarawilltalkaboutwhatinformationthesemethodscanprovidetomarketers,whentheymakesense,andbestpracticestokeepinmindwhenemployingthem.

Exploring the “Neuro” Frontier: 10 Psychological Principles of Customer Experience Management

Steven Walden, SeniorHeadofResearchandConsulting,BeyondPhilosophy

Today,theabilitytoleverageemployeeandcustomerassetstoextendbrandimpact,drivebusinessresults,andimproveloyaltycanmakethedifferencebetweensurvivingandthriving.Learnaboutthe10keypsychologicalprinciplesthatorganizationsuseincustomerexperiencemanagementandthebusinesscasefortheiruse.

The Brain Makes Behavior: How Top Marketers Are Applying Neuromarketing Knowledge for Marketplace Success

Andrew Pohlmann, ManagingPartnerProfessionalServices,NeuroFocus

Neuromarketingisontheglobalbusinesscommunity’smindtoday.Fewmarketingfirmsoffertherarecombinationoftop-tierneuroscienceexpertiseandactualclientapplicationstoexplainhowtousethismarketingresearchbreakthroughinthereal,notthetheoretical,world.

AndrewPohlmannwilloutlinethewaysinwhichauthenticfull-brainneurologicaltestingisdeliveringtargeted,reliable,andactionablelearningsforcompaniesaroundtheglobe.


Table of Contents

IncreasingOurBrainpower:UsingNeuroscienceEffectively 4

LessReallyIsMore 4

ConsumersNotGoodatTellingWhyTheyBuy 4

NeuroscienceOffersNewPossibilitiesinMarketResearch 5

Considerations:Ethics,Hype,Practicality 5

IntegrationIsKey 5

NeuroscienceTechniques 6-8

GettingtheBestOutofNeuroscience 8

Exploringthe“Neuro”Frontier:10PsychologicalPrinciplesofCustomerExperienceManagement 9

TheOldversustheNewParadigm 9

HowNeuroscienceFitsIn 9

NewOpportunityforMarketing 10

TenPrinciplesofExperiencePsychology 10-12

BusinessImplications 12-13

TheBrainMakesBehavior:ApplyingNeuromarketingKnowledgeforMarketplaceSuccess 13

BreakthroughsinNeuroscience 13-14

Five“Neuro-Lessons”forMarketing 14

SpectrumofApplications 14

ApplicationofNeurosciencetoMarketing 15

CoreMetrics 15

MarketPerformanceIndicators 15

DeepSubconsciousResponse 15-16

NeuroLab:TheFutureofResearch 16

BenefitsofNeurotesting 16-17

NeurologicalBestPractices 17-18

Applying“NeuroLessons”forSuccess 18


Increasing Our Brainpower: Using Neuroscience Effectively

Adilemmafacesmarketerstoday,BarbaraO’ConnellofMillwardBrowntoldanAmericanMarketingAssociationvirtualeventaudienceonMay10,2011.“Recentresearchinneuroscience,behavioraleconomics,andpsychologyrevealsthatconsumers’decisionsaredrivenasmuchbygutinstinctasconsideredthought,buthowcanmarketersunderstandsomethingasnebulousasgutfeel?”sheasked.

Whileconventionalmarketresearchusespowerfultechniquessuchassurveys,interviews,andgroupdiscussions,O’Connellsaid“neuroscienceisbeginningtooffersomenewpossibilities”inhelpingmarketersunderstanddecision-makingdriversthatarebasedmoreonintuitionthanonreasoningoranalysis.Neurosciencetechniques,suchasbrainscanningandeyetracking,measurepeople’sresponsesindirectlyratherthandirectly.

O’Connellgaveanoverviewofneuroscience,itsadaptationandvaluetomarketresearch,specifictechniques,andexamplesofapplications.Sheconcludedthatwhileneurosciencemethodsareausefuladditiontoconventionalmarketresearchmethods,greaterinsightcanbeachievedintoconsumers’responsestobrandsandmarketingwhenbothtypesofapproachesarecombined.

Less Really Is More

O’ConnellcitedsocialscientistBarrySchwartz,authorofTheParadoxofChoice:WhyMoreisLess,whoarguesthatthelargenumberofchoicesavailabletoconsumerstodaycancauseanxietyandbringabout“decisionparalysis.”

Forexample,O’Connellsaid,agourmetgroceryintroducinganewlineofjamsetupatablewith24varietiesofjam,andofferedsamples.While60%ofthecustomersstoppedandtastedthejams,only3%ofthemactuallymadepurchases.Thenextday,thegrocerysetupthetablewithonlysixvarieties,andwhileonly40%ofthecustomersstopped,30%ofthemactuallybought.

“Choosingwhichof24varietiestobuyseemedtobetoodauntingatask,”saidO’Connell.“Whereasselectingfromsixwasamuchmoremanageablechoice.”

Consumers Not Good at Telling Why They Buy

“Consumersreallyaren’tverygoodattellinguswhytheybuywhattheybuy,”O’Connellsaid.Sheshowedachartthatanalyzedthefactorspeopleciteasimportantintheirdecisiontobuyabrand,comparedtotheiropinionsaboutthebrandtheyboughtlast.Thechartshowedsomeinterestingdifferences.“Factorspeopledon’tsayareimportanttothemdofigureintotheirdecision,”saidO’Connell.

Easeandconvenienceoflocatingabrand,aswellashowitmakestheuserlook—modern,popular,fun,cool—aremoreimportanttopeoplethantheyadmit.Meanwhile,manypeoplesay“cheapest”isimportanttothem,butfindingsshowthisimportanceisoverstated.

Itisgenerallytruethatconsumersareableandwillingtoexpresstheirattitudesifasked,butresearchshowsthatinsomesituationstheymaybeunwillingorunabletorevealtheiropinions.Thisreactionvariesamongindividualsaswellascultures.Forexample,peopleinIndonesiaandIndiaarereluctanttoexpressanegativeopinionaboutTVadstheyhavejustwatched,whilethoseinFranceandSingaporearemuchlesshesitanttodoso,O’Connellsaid.

AmericanMarketingAssociation|



Neuroscience Offers New Possibilities in Market Research

Marketresearchusesmanytriedandproventools,bothqualitativeandquantitative,includingsurvey-basedinterviewingandgroupdiscussionsordevelopmentwork,touncoverattitudesandpreferences.Buttechnologicaladvanceshavecreatednewwaystogainunderstandingaboutwhypeopledowhattheydo,andwhatdrivesattitudesandbehaviors.

O’Connelldefinedneuroscienceas“abroadtermencompassingavarietyoftechniques,allofwhichuseindirectratherthandirect/explicitmeasurementofpeople’sresponse.”Mostofthesetechniques,suchasbrainscanning,brainwavemeasurementandeyetracking,havebeenusedinmedicaloracademicsettingsforyearsandarenowbeingadoptedbymarketers.

“Theadditionofthesetechniquestotried-and-trueresearchapproachescanprovidedeeper,richer,morenuancedanswerstomarketingquestions,”saidO’Connell.

Considerations: Ethics, Hype, Practicality

O’Connelladdressedsomeconcernsthathavebeenraisedaboutneuroscience.

Ethicalconcernsareunfounded,shesaid,becauseneurosciencemethods“onlymeasurebutdonot‘brainwash’orinfluencebehavior.”

Thereishypeaboutwhatneurosciencecandeliver.Theabilitytomeasurehowcertainareasofthebrainrespondtostimulicanaddvalue,but“itcomesdowntointerpretation,”O’Connellsaid.Andsomemeasureshavelimitations.Forexample,neurosciencecanmeasurepositiveornegativeemotionalresponses,butconventionalresearchmustbeusedtodeterminethespecificemotionsexperienced.

Practicalityandscalabilityareissues.Sometechniquescanbeexpensive,thesetting,clinical,andsamplesizes,small.

Thus,“neuroscienceisausefuladdition,butnotareplacement,”O’Connellsaid.However,“itishappeningnowandbeingadoptedbymarketers,”although“neuroscience,likeanynewtechnique,mustbehelduptoscrutiny.”

Integration Is Key

Threeimportanttestshelpresearchersdecidehowneurosciencetoolscanprovideadditionalinsight:

Dothetoolsyieldmeaningfulresults?Makesense?Aretheyuseful?Scalable?

Dotheydeliverincrementalinsights?Providenewlearning?Justifythecost?

Aretheybetterbehaviorpredictors,andmorescientificandobjectivethanconventionaltools?

Neurosciencetechniquesareparticularlyusefulinuncoveringtwotypesofinformation:thingspeopledonotwanttoreveal,andthingspeopleareunawareofordonotrealizehaveinfluencedthem.

Ultimately,integrationwithconventionalmarketingresearchtechniquesiskey.“Itdoesnotalwaysmakesensetouse[neuroscience]approaches,”O’Connellnoted.“Youmustconsiderthemarketingquestionsandresearchobjectives,andwhichmethodsarebestsuitedtoansweringthosequestionsandmeetingthoseobjectives.”


Neuroscience Techniques

Neurosciencetechniquesprovideindirectmeasurementsofresponsestomarketingandbrands.Manyhaverootsinmedicineandacademia.O’Connelldescribedtheprosandconsandsomeapplicationsofdifferentmethods,includingbrainscanning,brainwavemeasurement,eyetracking,implicitassociationmeasurement,andfacialcoding.

1. Functional magnetic resonance imaging

Functionalmagneticresonanceimaging(fMRI)measuresbloodflowtovariouspartsofthebrainduringdifferenttasks,exposuretostimuli,orexperiences.Butlarge,expensiveequipmentandtheunnaturalorunusualexperienceofthetestlimitfMRItosmallsamplesizesandmakeitnon-scalable.

2. Electroencephalography

Electroencephalography(EEG)usessensorsorelectrodesonthescalptomeasureelectricalimpulsesemittedbythebrain.Itissimplerthanbrainscanningandgoodatmeasuringchangesovershorttimeperiods.Initsfullmedicalform,itisexpensiveandnotscalable,usessmallsamples,andtakestimeforcalibration.Measuringfewersitesallowsforlargersamplesandgreatercosteffectiveness.

Wireless,dryEEGheadsetssuchastheEmSenseEmBandandNeurofocus’MyndprovideoptionsforEEGthatarelessintrusiveandmorescalable.EmSenseEmBandheadsetscombineEEGbrainwavemeasureswithotherbiosensoryinputs,includingheartrate,headmotion,breathing,blinking,andbodytemperature.

O’ConnellpresentedanEEGapplicationtoevaluateaTVadforabodylotionproductthatshowedthevalueofintegratingconventionalandneuroscienceapproaches.Theapplicationusedtheexplicitsurvey-basedcopytesttoprovideanoverallassessmentofthead’sperformance,alongsidebrainwavemeasurementsfromEmSensetoallowgranularanalysisofmoment-by-momentviewerresponsetothead.

“Whilethereisconvergencefromthetwomethodsonsomepoints,”O’Connellsaid,“thereareinsightsfromtheexplicitmeasureswedidnotgetfromthebrainwavedata,andlikewisethebrainwavedataprovidedinformationthatthecopytestdidnot.”

Askedhowthetwocomponentsworktogether,O’ConnellsaidEmSensecanprovideinformationonpositiveornegativeemotionsbutcannotidentifyexactemotionssuchasdelight,happiness,orsurprise.IntegratingEmSenseresultswithcopytestingresultsprovidesawayofidentifyingtheexactemotions.

Anotherparticipantaskedwhethercontradictoryresultshavebeenfound.O’Connellsaidresultshavebeenpuzzlinginsomecases,butnotcontradictory.Sometimesitmaytakemorebrainworktoreconcilethetwosourcesofinformationtodevelopastorythatmakessense.

O’ConnellcitedseveralspecificsituationsforwhichitwouldmakesensetouseacombinedEEGandsurvey-basedapproachtohelpidentifyanyproblemsandoptimizeadperformance:

• Launchinganewcampaign,introducinganewspokesperson,orrepositioningabrand

• Developinganadwithacomplexnarrativestructure,oronethatusesmetaphorstoconveyitsmessage

• Developingadsthatrelyheavilyonemotionalstrategies

• Cuttingdownasuccessful30-secondspotinto15secondstoincludeonlythemostcompellingscenesandscenesthatarebestlinkedtothebrandandconveykeymessages


Somebroadapplicationsinwhichbrainwavemeasurementscanaddinsighttosurvey-basedmeasuresincludeaddevelopmentandassessment,concepttesting,logoandpackagedesign,producttesting,andin-store(mobileequipment)/virtualmarketingshopperinsight.

3. Magneto Encephalography

Magnetoencephalography(MEG)detectsthemagneticfieldgeneratedbythebraintomeasurebrainactivity.LikefMRI,itusesbigscannersandisexpensiveandnon-scalable.

4. Facial Coding

Facialcodingmeasuresmicro-expressionsthatcorrespondtodifferentemotionalstates,suchashappiness,sadness,skepticism,andsurprise.Itcancapturearangeofemotions,notjustpositiveornegativeoneslikeEEGorbiosensorymetricscan.Itcanbedoneusingasimplecameraorwebcam,butthemanualcodingrequiredmakesittime-consuming,somewhatsubjective,andexpensiveforlargesamples.Someagenciesofferautomatedfacingcoding,whichcanbefaster,lesssubjective,andeasiertoscale,butitcapturesamorelimitedrangeofemotions.

5. Eye Tracking

Eyetrackingrecordswhataparticipantislookingat,inwhatorder,andforhowlong.Itisportable,non-invasive,andrelativelyeasytouseandscale.Evensmallsamplesizesof30or40samplesprovidereliableresults.Someagenciescanoffereyetrackingwithin-homewebcams,andkitscanbecarriedtoanylocation.

O’Connellpresentedsomeapplications,includinga“heatmap”ofaprintadusingcolor-codingtoindicateareasthatreceivedhigherorlowerinterest,anda“gazepath”thatshowswherearespondentislookingonanad,inwhatorder,andforhowlong.

Inonestudy,peoplewerepresentedwithtwoscenes,atranquilforestandatrainwreck.Whentheywereaskedtolookattheforest,theydid,buteyetrackingshowedthattheyalsolookedatthetrain,eventhoughtheymostlyclaimedtohavelookedonlyattheforest.

Eyetrackingisclearlyvaluableforadvertisingorothervisualstimulitolearnwhatpeopleactuallylookat,O’Connellsaid.Itgivesmoreaccurateinformationthanself-report,sinceresearchshowsthatclaimedviewingisnotalwaysthesameasmeasuredactualviewing.Forexample,peopletendtooverestimatetheirviewingofbrandnamesortaglines—twokeyelementsofadeffectiveness—perhapstopleasetheinterviewer.

O’Connellsaideyetrackingcanbeusefulinaddevelopmentandassessment,concepttesting,logoandpackagedesign,onlineusabilityandmicro-sitedevelopment,andin-storemarketing.

6. Other Biometrics

Othermetricsthatusemeasuresofautonomicarousalwithoutdirectmeasureofbrainactivityincludegalvanicskinresponse,heartrate,respiration,andbodytemperature.However,theseresponseslagbehindbrainactivitybyseveralseconds,anditishardtousethemtodetermineemotionalstatesortoknowwhetherthestatesarepositiveornegative.Forexample,excitementandstresslooksimilaronthesemeasures.Theyalsorequirecumbersomeequipment,andthesamplesizesareoftensmall.


7. Implicit Association Measurement

Implicitassociationmeasurementusesbehavioraltaskstoinferparticipants’attitudesandfeelingsaboutvariousstimuli,suchasbrands,ads,orconcepts.Thetheoryisthatthinkingaboutabrand,forexample,willactivateanetworkofunconscious,orimplicit,associationsbasedonaperson’sexperience,knowledge,andemotions.Implicitmeasurementcanprovideinformationaboutwhatpeoplethinkandfeelthatmaybeeitherinaccessibleoraboutwhichtheyareunaware.Itgoesbeyondinformationthatcanbeprovidedbyaskingpeopleexplicitquestions.

Implicitmeasurementuseslexicaldecision,orwordchoice,tasks.Thespecificsofthetaskandthenatureofthedependentvariable(e.g.,wordchoice,reactiontime)mayvaryasafunctionofthestimulus.Implicitmeasurementcantellushowconsumersthinkaboutabrand,itsmessaging,ideals,andotherconceptsthattheymaynotbeawareoforareabletoexpressexplicitly.Itcanalsobeusedtorevealconsumers’emotionalresponsetoabrand,whetherpositiveornegative,andthestrengthofthatreaction.

Aparticipantaskedhowimplicitassociationactivatesverbalassociation.O’Connellsaidrespondentsareaskedtothinkexplicitlyaboutabrand,forexample,andthenareaskedsomequestionsaboutitto“activate”theirassociationsaboutthatbrandbutthefocusisonthebehavioraltaskand,insomecases,theirreactiontime.Further,thewordsselectedforsomeofthesetasksareveryimportant,sinceonlythosewords—andnotothers—canbeevaluated.Thewordchoiceisdrivenbythenatureofthestimulusandcanemploybothpositiveandnegativewords,emotionalwords,orideal-based,aspirationalwords,asappropriate.

Thesetasksarerelativelyeasytoadministeronlineandarenottime-consuming.Theylendthemselvestoavarietyofapplications,includingbrandequityassessmentandpositioning;concept,logo,package,ornametesting;adorproductdevelopment;andbrandandspokespersonaffinity.

O’Connellsaidthatoftenconsumerswillgivefunctionalbenefitswhenaskedexplicitquestionsbutwillnotbeabletoreadilyexpressbenefitsthatareabstractorrelatedtohigher-orderideals.“Implicitassociationwillhelpusgetatthosethings,”shesaid.

Getting the Best Out of Neuroscience

O’Connelloutlinedthebestpracticesofneuroscience:

• Becritical,shesaid.Shesuggestedaskingthesamequestionsofneurosciencemethodsasofanyconventionalresearchtechnique,and“askforproof,goalongforfieldwork,ortakethetestyourself.”

• Lookforexperience.“Thisisacomplexarea,sofamiliaritywiththeapproachesandascientificperspectiveisimportanttounderstandwhatisclaimversuswhatisreality,andwhenneuroscience-basedapproachesofferthemostvalue.Likewise,experienceindrawingtogetherneuroscienceandconventionalresearchiskeytomaximizingyourvalue.”

• Integrate.“Thesemethodsdonotrevealtheinnertruth,”O’Connellsaid,notingthatneurosciencetechniques“needinterpretationinlightofotherinformation.”

“Neurosciencetechniquesareanadditiontoourtoolkitforunderstandingconsumers,butgroups,surveys,trackingconsumerconversationsinsocialmedia,andallothermethodsresearchersemployhavearoletoplay,”saidO’Connell.“Realunderstandingcomesfromintegratinginformationratherthanfocusingononlyoneperspective.Itisinthiscontextthattheseapproacheswillprosper.”


Exploring the “Neuro” Frontier: 10 Psychological Principles of Customer Experience Management

Inmarketing,theproblemtypicallyishowtodrivecustomerstous,togetthemtobuy,togetthemtorecommend,saidStevenWalden,SeniorHeadofResearchandConsultingatBeyondPhilosophy.Thepsychologyofcustomerexperiencehelpstoaddressthischallenge.

Thestudyofcustomerexperiencehasevolved,Waldensaid.Followinganearlierfocusonwhysatisfiedcustomersdefect,aroundtheyear2000,“customerexperienceturnedmarketingonitsheadbyfocusinglessontherationalandmoreonthoseemotionalclues.”

Thenaround2005,attentionturnedtoquantifyingtheeffectsoftheexperienceandmeasuringtheemotions.In2010,focusshiftedtothepsychologyofcustomerexperience.

Customerexperience“isaboutcreatinganemotionalconnectionwithyourcustomersorclients,clueingthemin,entertaining,makingwowmoments,momentsofdelight.”Focusingonthepsychologyofthisexperience,Waldenoutlined“principleswecanactuallydoonthegroundtocreatethatemotionalconnection,”andheexploredtheuseofneuroscienceinmarketingtohelpunderstandwhatdrivescustomerdecisionmaking.

The Old versus the New Paradigm

Customerexperienceisnolongerjustaboutthe“4Ps”fromtheoldparadigm—themixtureofprice,product,promotion,andplace,Waldensaid.Inthenewparadigm,itisaboutseeingtheexperience,feelingwowedbytheexperience,havingthatfeelingembeddedinmemory,andcreatingtheemotionalconnectionthatmakesthecustomerwanttoreturnandstaywiththatcompanyinthelongterm—ineffect,creatingloyalty.

“Theeconomicsbehindexperienceareallaroundloyalty,recommendation,customerlifetimevalue,”hesaid.

How Neuroscience Fits In

WaldenreferredtoProfessorAntonioDamasio,aleadingexpertinneuroscience,whowrote,“Overtime,emotionsandtheircorrespondingbodilychange(s)becomeassociatedwithparticularsituationsandtheirpastoutcomes.”Whenmakedecisions,peopleconsciouslyorsubconsciouslyassociatethesephysiologicalsignals,or“somaticmarkers,”andtheirevokedemotionswiththeirpastoutcomes,andtheybiasdecision-makingtowardcertainbehaviors.

Evidencefrombrainscansshowsthatemotionsimpingedirectlyonconsumerdecisionmaking,Waldensaid.Thatfitswithwhatthepsychologyofcustomerexperienceisabout:findingthatemotionalconnection.

Furtherevidencecomesfromstudyingpatientswithdamagetocertainregionsoftheirfrontallobe.Theycanstillreasonlogically,butbecausetheyhavelosttheabilitytofeelemotion,theirdecision-makingabilityisflawed.“Youneedemotiontodecide,”Waldensaid.

Otherevidencefromneurosciencehighlightstheimportanceofsubconsciousandmemorablemoments.Evenwhenpeoplecannotrememberhowtheymadeadecision,theyliketosaytheymadethelogicaldecision.However,evidencesaysitisnotalllogicalandthesubconsciousiscritical.Waldennotedthatthesubconsciousprocesses200,000timesmoreinformationthantheconsciousmindandprocessesemotionsabout10timesfasterthantheconsciousmind.


New Opportunity for Marketing

Suchevidencepresentsanewopportunityformarketing.Companiescandifferentiatethemselvesbyfocusingoncreatingemotionalvalue,findingthosethingsthatareblindtotheconscioussideofclients,andbuildingthatemotionalconnection.Aclassicexample,Waldensaid,isthateveryonesaystheybuyIBMforitsdeepfeaturesandbenefits,butthekeypointisthatnooneevergotfiredforbuyingIBM.

Moreover,itisimportantforcompaniestolookathowcustomersperceivethem.Organizationstendtoseetheirexperience,includingtheiradvertising,callcenter,andpointofsale,almostasaconcrete,detailedpainting.However,customerstendtoseetheirexperienceasanimpression.Understandingthatandusingpsychologicalprinciplesofhowpeopleperceivewillhelpcompaniescreatenewmarketplacesandopportunities.

“Putsimply,experiencepsychologyistheapplicationofpsychologicalprinciplestothepracticeofcustomerexperiencemanagementfoundedonneuroscience,”saidWalden.

Heclarifiedthatexperiencepsychologydiffersfromconsumerpsychology.Whereasconsumerpsychologyfocusesonhowthecustomerviewstheorganization,experiencepsychologyisaboutwhattheorganizationcontrols;itfocusesonwhatandhowtheorganizationdeliversintermsofcustomerandemployeeexperience.

Ten Principles of Experience Psychology

Waldenoutlinedthe10keyprinciplesofexperiencepsychologyandhowcompaniescanusethemintheirbusiness.

1. We make decisions based on preconceived expectations and prejudices of what an experience will be—not what it is.

Waldengavetheexampleofwatchingavideoofafootballgame.Evenwithanobjectivestimulusandobjectivecriteria,suchas“Isupportmyteam,”peoplestillfeelpredisposedtoacertainposition,andthereisanemotionalbias.Thisappliestoeverysituation.Theimplicationisthatthereisapre-experiencetoconsider,oftensubconsciouslyreceived,thatsetsthetoneofanyexperience.

Knowingthisprinciple,“youcanbreachexpectationstocreateanewmarketspace,”saidWalden.HecitedtheexampleofalibraryintheUnitedKingdomthatsuccessfullytransformeditselffromaboringenvironmentforacademiclearningtoanewmarketspacebyofferinganewexperience,anentertainmentspace,“anewemotionalwow.”Shoppingmallsnowaskforthelibraryintheirmalltoencouragecustomerstocome.Breachingpreconceivedexpectationscanallowcompaniestoexpandtheirmarketandgetnewcustomers.

2. We don’t always consider all elements of an experience, only those most noticeable.

AccordingtoProfessorDamasio’ssomaticmarkerhypothesis,memorablemomentsembeddedinmemoryaredraggedoutwhenmakingdecisions.Theimplicationofthisprincipleisthatthereisaperceivedexperiencethatisoftenreceivedthroughsomaticmarkermomentsofpleasureorpain.

Creatingawowmoment,suchasthelookofalushstoreortheuseofmusicinastore,canchangetheperceivedexperienceandinfluencehowpeoplefeeltowardthatstore.Theyarenotrational-basedorlogicalmoments;rather,theyaffectpeople’semotions.AnotherexampleistheChangiAirportinSingaporethatchangeditsdesignto“Lovemark”itstravellers’airportexperience.Lovemarksisamarketingconceptthatworkstomovebeyondthebrandintoexperience.


3. We identify a moral code in what you do, even if it is not directly relevant to the purchase in question.

Whencustomershavearelationshipwithacompanythroughtheirexperienceorthebrand,thecompanymeanssomething,andthecustomerswanttoseethegoodthecompanydoes,whichcanmakethemmoreforgivingifsomethinggoeswrong,Waldensaid.

“Donateasyoubuy”programsora“saynotopaperandplastic”campaignareexamples.Theimplicationisthatexperiencereflectsonwhothecompanyisasanorganizationandcancoloranyotherreceivedinformationaboutthecompany.

4. Sometimes we don’t know about the things that influence us; we just subconsciously perceive them.

Acustomermaybuyacarandsaythedecisionwasbasedonprice.However,thekey,influentialdifferencemighthavebeenhowthesalespersonengagedthecustomer.Theimplicationisthatcustomersperceivevaluefromseeminglyinconsequentialtouchpoints.

Anotherexampleisagrocerystorewheretheremovalofcarpetingcausedsalestoplummet.Thecarpetanditsfeelmayoffersubconsciousclues,butthesearecriticalandoftendifferentiating.“Remember,whenthingsareveryclosetogetherincommoditizedmarkets,smallthings,subconsciousorunconsciousthings,makethatdifference.Emotionalwowsmakethatdifference.That’showpeoplewilldecide.”

GeekSquadisanotherexampleofacompanysuccessfullycreatinganemotionallyandsubconsciouslyengagingexperience—theblacktie,secret-agentblackglasses,andtheblackandwhitecars.Theexperiencedoesnothavetobesignificantorbrilliant,onlyenoughtoencouragepeopletobuy“forthesimpleemotionalhitthattheyget,”Waldensaid.

Theprincipleappliesalsotodirectmailaimingtomakeahitwithaone-secondmomentwhenpeoplereadtheliterature.Heuristicsstudieshaveshowntheresults.Inonestudy,researchersflashedoneofthreeimagesinfrontofthesubjects:asmilingface,afrowningface,oraneutralgeometricshape.TheythenshowedaChinesecharactertothesubjectsandaskedhowtheylikedit.Thesubjectspreferredthecharacterstheysawafterhavingseenthesmilingface,eventhoughitwasflashedforonly1/250thofasecond.

5. Emotional twinges affect our “in the moment” decision making and hence behavior.

Productsandservicesdesignedtoimpartanimpressionofconfidenceorotherpositiveemotionalcontentwillmakepeoplefeelthedifferenceandfeelpleasedtohavethatexperience.“Thekeyconceptthereisthatroutineexperiencescanbefun,”saidWalden.Theimplicationisthatemotionalexperienceweighsheavily,moresothanrationalexperience,incommoditizedmarkets.Thisconceptcanbeseeninmanyapplications,suchas“pressthisbutton”displaysandanimalmascots.

6. We are prone to be wary of anything that threatens our well-being.

Indecisionmaking,gainingalittlemeanslessthanlosingalot,Waldensaid.Peoplearemuchmoreaversetolosingsomething,andevenalittlenegativeemotioncangoalongwaytodestroytrust.Companiesmustunderstandwhatdestroystrust.Theimplicationofthisprincipleisthatcustomersjudgepricesrelativetoareferencepointandaretwiceassensitivetolosses.

7. It is about what we want from an experience at a deep level and as we traverse it.

Companiesmustunderstandcustomers’goalsandwantsatadeeplevel,whichareoftenmorethanisexpressedonthesurface.Buyingdecisionsmaybebasedonhowasalespersonspoketothecustomer,forexample.Companiesmustusethesegoalsintheirproductandservicedesigns.


Thisprincipleisalsoaboutbuildinganattachmentbetweenemployeesandcustomers,andunderstandingthedeepmeaningoftheserelationshipsandwhatpeoplereallywant.Waldencitedtheexampleofanorchestrathatusedthisconcepttobuildgreaterattachmentbetweenindividualplayersandtheirfans,therebydifferentiatingtheexperiencefanshavewiththeorchestra.

8. Our memory of an event is not perfect, but subject to manipulation.

Thisprincipleisaboutthe“peak-endrule,”whichhighlightstheimportanceofthebestorworstmomentsandthelastmomentofanexperience.Forexample,onenegativeexperience,suchasanincorrectbill,andanunfavorablelastexperience,suchasapriceincrease,canleaveanoverallbadimage,whereasapeakorendexperiencethatispleasant,suchasthewaythecustomerleftthemall,cangreatlyimprovetheexperience.

9. We like to follow the herd, be seen as part of the group.

Customersarenotjustindividualsbutliketofeeltheyarepartofacommunity.Socialmediaareoneexample.AnotherisHarley-Davidson,whichturnedthemotorbikeindustryaroundbycreatingacommunityofbikerstoconnectwitheachother.

10. We get bored with the same old, same old. Sometimes innovation for its own sake is important.

Companiesmustaskthemselves“whatisthecostofnotinvesting,notbeinginnovative,orbeingold-fashioned,”Waldensaid.Theyshouldavoidbeingold-fashionedandout-dated.

Business Implications

Whentheymeasure,mapthecustomerjourney,pilotandtestnewconcepts,engagesocialwealth,andLovemarktheirexperience,businessesmustconsidertheimpactofemotionandthesubconscious.

Waldensaidneurosciencehasdemonstratedexperimentallythatcustomerexperiencedefinescustomeremotion,andthesubconsciousandunconsciousinfluencehowpeoplemakedecisions.Organizationscanbuildpredictivemodelsfromthesemeasurementsandultimatelygaininsales.

Notingthatthemarketresearchindustryendorsesthecaseforfocusingonhowemotionsdrivevalue,Waldenaddedthatanyexperiencedesignshouldencompassthe10principlesofexperiencepsychology.Heencouragedcompaniestoask,“Areweandcouldweusethisateachpointinourclientjourneytocreateadifferentiationthatgoesbeyondthe4Psandcreatesemotionalthought?”

Askedwhichprincipleisthemostimportant,Waldensaid,“Itdependsonwhatyouwantasabusinessandwhereyouaresituatedasabusiness.”Asastartingpoint,herecommendedusingalltheexperiencepsychologyprinciplestounderstandthebusinessandmapoutthecustomerexperience.Lookatall10principlestoseewherethegapsareandwhereitmightbepossibletobreachexpectationsordosomethingdifferent,creative,andnew.

Aparticipantaskedhowacompanycanusetheprinciplestobuildabettercustomerexperience.Waldensaidacompanymightfirstdecidewhatexperienceitwantstolookat,suchascustomerbillingoranotherfunction.Itwouldthenflowcharteachstep,analyzethequestionsbehindeachprinciple,anddecidewhatisgood,whatisbad,andwheretoaddvalue.

Waldensaidcompaniesmustbeconsciouslyawareofhowtheymeasure,topredictivelydiscoverwhatdrivesandwhatdestroysvalue.Someemotionsareunconsciousandcannotbemeasuredviastandardmethods.Aclassicexampleisthatpeoplesayadvertisingisnotimportant,yetwhenmeasuredthroughtheemotions,itisfoundtobeveryimportantsubconsciously.


Companiesneedeffectivetools,suchastheEmotionalSignature,thatgobeyondrationalmeasurementsandthatfitwiththeirbusinessneeds.Waldennotedtheimportanceofchoosingatoolthatisreliable,easilyexecuted,hascredentials,andcangetanswersaboutnotonlytheemotionsthatdrivevaluetothebusinessbutalsowhattodotoinfluenceimportantsubconsciousattributesintheexperience.

Aparticipantaskedwhetheracompanyshouldlooktoall10principlestoevaluateanexperience.Waldensaidyes.Experiencepsychologyasksaboutthejourney,notthedestination,hesaid.Itasksabouthowtocreatethatemotionalthought,andhow,if,orwhenexperiencepsychologycanbeused.Theprocessofaskingthesequestionsiscriticalbecauseitchangesthethinkingabouthowtodifferentiatethebusinessinthemarket.

Anotherparticipantaskedwhethertherehavebeenobstaclestoexperiencepsychology.Resistancewillcomefromthosewhodonotliketheword“emotion,”Waldensaid.However,demonstratingthebusinesscaseandreturn,thescientificapproach,andthetechnicalreliabilitywillunblockboard-levelinvestmentdecisions.Further,hesuggestedpositioningexperiencepsychologynotasananalyticaltoolbutasananchortoenablecreativity.The10principlesareanaidtothatcreativeprocess.

Askedwhethertherearetoolstoassistwithcustomermapping,Waldensaidacompany’sresourceswilldetermineitsneed.Resourcescancomefromresearch,consultanthelp,anexpert,orinternally.The10principlescanbeusedtoflowcharteachlevelofexperience.Headded,however,thatgettingindependentverificationisimportanttobridgetheinternalandexternalviews.

The Brain Makes Behavior: Applying Neuromarketing Knowledge for Marketplace Success

Behaviorbeginsatthebrain,saidAndrewPohlmann,ManagingPartnerProfessionalServicesatNeuroFocus.“Measuringandunderstandingreactionsinthebrainarecriticaltounderstandinghowyourconsumerwillbehave.”

Pohlmannnotedthreetrendsthathavebeenconvergingtoexplaintoday’sneuromarketingrevolution:acceleratingbreakthroughsinneuroscience,theincreasingpowerofcomputingtechnology,andtheevolutionoftraditionalresearch.

Breakthroughs in Neuroscience

Pohlmannreferredtoaninterviewin2009withDr.EricKandel(NobelLaureateinMedicineandamemberoftheNeuroFocusAdvisoryBoard)andCharlieRoseinthePBSBrainseries.Duringthisinterview,CharlieRosecommented,“Wehavelearnedmoreaboutthebraininthepastfiveyearsthanduringallofhumanhistorycombined.”

Today,itisfarmorepossibletoreliablymeasureeffectsinthebrainsofconsumersanddrawconclusions,Pohlmannsaid.

Breakthroughmethodologiesinneuromarketingareonlypossibleduetoparalleladvancesincomputingcapacity,softwaretools,andalgorithms.Exponentialgrowthincomputingtechnologyhasenabledtheprocessingofthebillionsofpiecesofdatacollectedduringneuroscienceexperimentsandconsumerresearch.Datathatmighthavetakenmonthstoprocessnowtakedaysorevenhours.

Anotherbreakthroughisthenotionofsubconsciousprocessingandtheconsumerexperience.Thehumanbrainprocesses11millionbitsofsensoryinformationeverysecond,butour


consciousmindscanhandleonlyabout40bitspersecond.Thebrainprocessestheremainingbitsofinformationunconsciously.Thequestioniswhetherwearemeasuringandappropriatelycapturingthatdecision-makingprocesswithinourconsumerresearch,Pohlmannsaid.

Five “Neuro-Lessons” for Marketing

Pohlmannlistedfivelessonslearnedfromneuroscienceresearch:

• Mostprocessinginthehumanbrainoccurssubconsciously,belowthelevelofconsciousawareness.

• Mostofthissubconsciousprocessingisemotional,notlogical.“Logical”referstoaconsideredconsciousdecision,while“emotional”referstotherealmofthesubconsciousornon-conscious.

• Subconsciousprocesseshaveasignificanteffectonshoppers’attitudes,decisions,andbehaviors.

• Subconsciousprocessesdonotcontrolusentirely,buttheyformthevastmajorityofourdecision-making.Consciouschoicerepresentsaminority.

• Consumerscannottellyouabouttheseinfluencesbecausetheyareunawareofthem.Therefore,itisimportanttocombinelogicalandneurologicalprocesses.

Spectrum of Applications

Neuroscienceisusefulinafullspectrumofapplications:

• Brand:Brandanalysislendsitselfwelltoneuromarketingmethodology.Forexample,consumersentimentindicesareemotionallybased.Evaluatingwhatconsumersreallyfeelaboutabrandmustbeunderstoodatthesubconsciouslevelsincethenotionofabrandisalreadyanebulousconcept.

• Products:Whileitishardforconsumerstoarticulatewhattheywantfromproductsandservices,neuroscientificmethodscanfindoutbymeasuringanindividual’ssensoryresponsestoaproductthroughouttheconsumptionexperience.Researchshowsthatadvertisingandpromotionsdrivesaleswhentheyhighlightthehighest-impact“neurologicalhighpoints”basedonthosemeasurements.

• Packaging: Packagedesignandperformance—howaproductfeelsinthehandsandhowitlooksontheshelf—areveryimportantforthepurchasingdecisionmoment.Neurosciencecananalyzetheneurologicalresponsestographics,designelements,andmessages.

• Advertising: Neurosciencecanmeasureconsumers’subconscioussecond-by-secondresponsestoadvertisingandothermessaging.ThetimingplacementofaTVadhassignificantimpact,asdotheprogramandadthatprecedeit.AdsappearingonTV,online,inprintorevenoutdooralllendthemselveswelltoneurologicaltesting.

• In-store marketing:In-storeapplicationsofneuromarketingresearchrangefromstudyingindividualsinalivestoresetting,tostudyingthemwhileviewingavideoofin-storeexperiences,tousing3Dvirtualrealitysystemstocreateanimmersiveenvironmentinwhichtheycanviewandmanipulatevirtualproducts.Neurosciencecanmeasureneurologicalreactionsthroughouttheseexperiences.


Application of Neuroscience to Marketing

NeuroFocususesEEGasitspreferredmethodology.Densearraysofupto64high-definitionsensorscollectdata2,000timeseverysecond,fullycapturingactivityacrossallbrainregionswhileaconsumerisexperiencingabrand,product,packaging,advertising,orin-storeexperience.

NeuroFocusblendsEEGwitheyetrackingandskinconductancemeasurements.Inadditiontoknowinghowconsumersarereactingneurologically,itisalsoimportanttoknowwhattheyarelookingat.Buteyetrackingalonecanbemisleading.Forexample,ifconsumersarelookingatapackageforalongtime,itcouldbeduetoconfusionratherthaninterestorenjoyment.Therefore,understandingbotheffectsiscritical.Onlybycorrelatingbrainwaveactivitywithvisualfocuscanyouarriveatthataccurateunderstanding.

Core Metrics

ThreeprimaryNeuroMetricsthataremeasureddirectlyatthebrainaretheunderpinningsofNeuroFocus’sunderstandingofhowconsumersinteractwiththestimulusbeingstudied.

• Attention: Attentionmeasuressustainedfocusandshiftsinfocusovertime.Itisimportanttounderstandwhichpartsofastimuluscapturesattention,andwhenattentionwanes.

• Emotion: Emotionisthemostimportantdriverindecisionmakingandalsothemostdifficulttomeasurethroughtraditionalmarketingresearchapproaches.Thismetricmeasurestheintensityofemotionalengagementandtheautomaticmotivationalclassificationofstimuliasconsumersgothroughtheconsumptionexperience.Pohlmannnotedsomechallenges.“Whenyouasksomeoneaboutanemotion,youchangetheemotion,”hesaid.Andrequestingconsumerstoquantifyorrankemotionalresponses,suchasonascaleof1to10,isevenmoredifficultforthem.

• Memory:Thememorymetricmeasurestheformationandstrengtheningofconnectionsinlong-termmemory.Undergoingexperiencesislikearead-writemechanism;aconsumerisbothrecallingmemoryandcreatingnewmemory.

Market Performance Indicators

ThreeMarketPerformanceIndicatorsarederivedfromtheprimaryNeuroMetricstoilluminatetheformationof:

• Persuasion/purchase intent: Thisindicatorrevealstheeffectthatastimulushasonconsumers’likelihoodtobuy(orview).

• Novelty: Thisindicatortellshownewanddifferentsomethingappears—averyimportantindicatorforproductslikeconsumerelectronics,wherenewproductsarereleasedfrequently.

• Awareness:Thisindicatortellswhetherconsumersunderstoodorcomprehendedthemessagebeingcommunicated.

Deep Subconscious Response

Anothermeasureisdeepsubconsciousresponsetoabrandormessaging.Tocreateabaselineresponse,consumersarefirstexposedtocoremessagingsuchaswords,phrases,orterminologythatrepresentcertainattributes.Thentheyareexposedtoastimulus,forexampleaTVad,apackage,orsomeformofbrandrepresentation.Tomeasuretheeffectofthe


stimulusonconsumers’subconsciousperceptions,thebaselinetestisrepeated.Anysignificantdifferencerecordedbetweenthebaselineandthepost-stimulusresponseindicatestheeffect,or‘lift’thatthestimulushadonthoseperceptions.

NeuroLab: The Future of Research

ManyofNeuroFocus’clientsarecommissioningNeuroFocustodesign,construct,staff,andoperatededicatedNeuroLabstoconductneuromarketingstudiesonanongoingbasis.Theydosobecausetheabilitytodotestingthiswayiscost-effectiveandoffersthegreatestlatitudeofresearchprojects.Thiscollaborationallowsthemtohaveadedicatedteamandmeetstheirneedsforconfidentiality.

Benefits of Neurotesting

Pohlmanndescribedsomeliveexamplesofneurologicaltesting:

• NeuroFocushelpedNewScientistmagazinemakeadefinitiveselectionofaspecificcoverdesignamongthreepossiblechoicesforanissueofthemagazine.Theprojectteamdeterminedtheeffectivenessofeachzoneonthecovers,lookingatthetitle,thelead-inforthearticle,andimagery.Theselectedcoverworkedwellbecauseofitssmooth,circularexplorationimageryanditsredfont.Theothertwocovershadsharpedgesorcornersintheirimagery,givinganimpressionofchaosorviolence.Theselectedcoveralsoleveragedthepop-outparadigmofwhitetext.Theresultingissuewasthesecond-highestsellingissueoftheyearandasalesincreaseof12%overthesameissueinthepreviousyear,despiteaweakenedeconomicenvironment.

• A&ENetworksworkedwithNeuroFocustostudyadperformanceforitsprogramIntervention.Neurologicaltestinghelpedtoidentifythat50%ofadsscoredasignificantlyhighereffectivenessinInterventionversusacompetitivedrama,andtheother50%scoredthesameeffectiveness.Thestudyalsoshowedtheeffectofpriming.Withitsstrongemotionalprogramcontent,Interventionsustainedhighviewerattentionthroughouttheprogram,benefittingadvertisers.

• Neurodesignimprovedshelfperformanceforabeerbottlerbyidentifyingseveralareasforimprovingthebottle’spackaging.Theyincludedreducingfromthreefontstotwo,ensuringthenameisvisibleonthebackofthebottle,changingtoaclearbottlesothebeerisvisible,usingsilverfoilonlyaroundtheedgesofthecap,andshowcasinglimeflavoronthelabel.Thenewdesignresultedintheproductregainingmuchofthemarketsharepreviouslylosttoacompetitor’sproduct.

AparticipantaskedhowNeuroFocusidentifiedwhatdetailstoimproveonthebottle.Pohlmannsaidpurchasedecisionscanbeaffectedbypricing,distribution,promotion,andmanyotherfactors.Thehypothesiswasthatitwasapackagingissue.Theteamlookedatthebottlefrommanydifferentperspectives—front,back,ontheshelf,etc.—andanalyzedfromeachperspective.Italsousedeyetrackingtodeterminetheeffectivenessofdifferentzonesonthebottleandappliedsomeofitsneurologicalbestpracticesforpackagingdesign.

• Aneuro-designedaislemakeoverresultedinincreasesinbothaislesalesandtargetproductsalesafterchangingtheaisle,whichwassurroundedbysharpmetaledges,toadoptfeaturessuchasroundedcorners,roundedend-caps,naturalshelvingmaterials,andcategoryseparation.Neurologicaltestingwasusedtosimulatetheenvironmentindifferentwaysandhelpedguidethemakeoverfromaneurologicalperspective,includingusingeyetrackingtoseehoweasyitwastonavigatethroughthedisplays.


Aparticipantaskedhowneurologicaltestingcanapplytodirectmail.Pohlmannsaidbrainwaveactivitymeasurementscoupledwitheye-trackingcanrevealconsumerresponsestoeachstaticimageaswellaseachpageintheDMmaterial.Directmailisafantastictestscenariobecauseitgivesimmediatefeedbackandallowstesting,iterating,andvalidatingandrefiningofassumptions,whicharenotalwayspossiblewithotheradvertisingmedia.

Whenboththeneurologicalapproachandthesurveyapproachareusedinaproject,sometimestheresultsdocontradicteachother,whichisagreatreasontoconductboth,Pohlmannsaid.Understandingwheretheyarethesameandwheretheydifferwilldriveabetterdecision.

Inresponsetoaquestionaboutscentandsoundmarketing,PohlmannspokeabouttheTotalConsumerExperience.ThisNeuroFocusmethodologyanalyzeshowallthesensorystimuli,includingsight,sound,touch,taste,andsmell,affectconsumers’subconsciousexperienceofaproduct.Itcanprovideclearfindingsastowhichpartsoftheexperiencearedrivingengagement,especiallyifstudyingdifferentpackagingwiththesameproduct.

Neurological Best Practices

PohlmannintroducedaNeuroFocusbookwrittenbyDr.A.K.Pradeep,CEOatNeuroFocus,titledTheBuyingBrain:SecretsforSellingtotheSubconsciousMind.Hesharedsomeofthebestpracticesfromthebook.

Best Practices Focusing on Women

• Womenareattractedtoimagesofwomeningroups,especiallywhenenjoyingasharedactivity.

• Womenengagefasterwithfacesandrespondtodirecteyecontact.

• Womenprocesslanguagemorefluentlythanmen,sorespondmorereadilytotext-basedads,includingtext-basedpuzzles.

Best Practices Focusing on Men:

• Menareimpulsiveshoppers.Keepyourmessageshort,simple,andfocused.

• Menrespondtomessagesshowingadvancementandsuccess.Theseincludeimagessuchasathletesperformingafeatorskill,oranenviableman.

• Menareattractedtospatialimagery.

General Best Practices

• Placeimagesontheleft,textontheright.Thelefthemisphereofthebrainisbetteratprocessingtextandnumbers,andtherighthemisphereisbetteratprocessingimagery.Movingimagestotheleftandtexttotherightwillmakeitmorenaturaloreasierforthebraintoprocessinformation,andwhataconsumerfindseasiertoprocessmaybeviewedasmoreappealing.

• Minimizevisualclusters.Havevisualanchorsandkeeptothreetofivecoreimagesorimageclusterstomakeiteasiertonavigateanad.

• Useuniquefontsandfonttreatments,butmakesuretheycanbeeasilydecoded,ortheeffectwillbackfire.Makeiteasyandentertainingforconsumerstoprocessinformation.

• Leadwithemotion.Emotionisacriticalcomponentofpersuasion.Goodemotionalengagementwiththeconsumerisvitaltodevelopingagoodbrandconnectionandinfluencingfuturebehavior.


• Motion,novelty,error,andambiguityarefourwaystoattractattention.Thesetechniquescanalsohelptosendadditionalmessaging.

• Sustainattentionwithsimplepuzzlesandsurprises.Puzzlesshouldnotbetoodifficult,ortheywillfrustrateandturnofftheconsumer.Theyshouldbeeasilysolved,andapuzzlethatcanengagetheconsumerandbeinteractedwithwillcaptureevenmoreattention.

• Useiconicsignaturesofyourbrand.Captureconsumerexperiencesandusethemforprovocativeadvertising,suchassnappingaKitKatbarinhalf,usinganiPad,andopeningacartonofyogurt.

• Enforceconsistencyinbrandingacrossproductsandpackages.Avarietyoftouchpointswillhelpbuildthebrandandengagement.

• Useasmanysensesaspossibleinpresentingyourproduct.Amultisensoryexperiencewillhelpbuildtheemotionalexperienceaswell.

• Emphasizeyourproduct’slinkstothenaturalworld.

• Embedtheproductsothatthestorycannotberememberedwithoutit.

Applying “Neuro Lessons” for Success

“Assomeoneisinteractingwithaproductinaproductexperience,theprocessofmakingapurchasedecision,makingarepeatpurchasedecision,orbuildingloyaltywithabrandisreinforcedwithinthebrain,”Pohlmannsaid.“Understandingwhichpartsoftheproductexperiencearethemostevocativeneurologicallycanprovidegreatrawmaterialformarketingcollateral.”

Hesaid,“Tounderstandwhatyourconsumerreallythinksaboutyourmarketing,youneedtounderstandboththeirlogicalandemotionalresponses,whetherthoseresponsesoccurconsciouslyorsubconsciouslyintheirbrains.”

AparticipantaskedwhetherdifferentmethodologiesapplytoB2BversusB2C.Pohlmannsaidthecoremethodologyisthesame,althoughthestimuliortouchpointsareverydifferent.ThesameprinciplesapplywhenlookingattheB2Bexperiencebecauseultimatelythebusiness-to-businessinteractionisahuman-to-humanorbrain-to-braininteraction.

Thecurrenttrendistowardintegratingthearticulatedresponsesandneurologicalresponses,butPohlmannsaidhebelievesthat“inthenot-too-distantfuture,neurosciencewillbecomethebenchmark,andthestatedresultswillbecometheadd-on.”

“Sincethebraindoesmakebehavior,it’sveryimportanttointegratethatwithinyourconsumerresearchmethodology,butcertainlynotlosesightofwhatyourconsumersaresayingtoyouaswell,”headded.

Pohlmannemphasizedtheimportanceofhaving“goodconversationswithyourconsumers,understandingwhatdrivestheirbehaviorfromattitudinalorusagestudy”whencomingupwithaninitiallistofinnovationstoconsider.

Narrowdowntheinnovationlistbyworkingdirectlywithconsumersandothersintheindustry,hesaid.Thentaketheneuroscienceapproachandcombineitwithstatedresultswhenmakingthefinaldecisions.

“Whenitcomestomakingdecisions,itisveryimportanttounderstandhowyourconsumersareinteractingwithyourbrandoryourproduct,”hesaid.


Barbara O’Connell SeniorVicePresident,ConsumerNeurosciencePractice,NorthAmericaMillwardBrown

BarbaraiscurrentlytheNorthAmericanleadfortheGlobalConsumerNeurosciencePractice.BarbaraisresponsibleforbotheducatingandspreadingthewordwithinMillwardBrownontheuseofournewsolutionsandtheirinterpretation.

BarbarajoinedMillwardBrownin1996.Barbaraisexperiencedwithbrandandadvertisingtracking,copytesting,brandequity,advertisingdevelopmentresearch,customresearchsolutionsandmediamodelingwithavarietyofFortune100companies.

Barbaraheldapost-doctoralfellowshipatTheSalkInstituteinLaJolla,California,hasaPh.D.inpsychologyfromtheUniversityofCaliforniaatSanDiego(fundedlargelybyaNationalScienceFoundationFellowship),anM.A.inpsychologyfromtheUniversityofColorado,BoulderandaB.A.fromTheJohnsHopkinsUniversity.

Steven Walden SeniorHeadofResearchandConsultingBeyondPhilosophy

StevenisSeniorHeadofResearchandConsultingforBeyondPhilosophy™andco-authoroftheirlatestbook:CustomerExperience:FutureTrendsandInsights.Ahighlyengagingandprofessionalspeaker,hebringsthetopicofCustomerExperiencetolifeusinganecdotesgleanedfromhis14yearsofconsultingexpertise.InCustomerExperienceheisrecognizedasanexpertinunderstandinghowtousetheemotionsandthesubconsciousmindofclientsandconsumerstogeneratevalue.

Andrew Pohlmann ManagingPartnerProfessionalServicesNeuroFocus

PriortojoiningNeuroFocus,AndrewservedinvariousseniorleadershiprolesatsuchfirmsasJPMorganChase,WashingtonMutual,Citigroup,andAlticorspecializingincorporatestrategy,productdevelopment,businessdevelopmentandmarketing.HewasaPartnerwithMeridianConsultingwhereheassistednumerousglobalbrandstoimplementworld-classmanagementmethodologiesandinnovationprograms.

About the American Marketing Association

TheAmericanMarketingAssociation(AMA)istheprofessionalassociationforindividualsandorganizationswhoareleadingthepractice,teaching,anddevelopmentofmarketingworldwide.Ourprincipalrolesare:

Connecting:TheAMAservesasaconduittofosterknowledgesharing.Informing:Providingresources,education,careerandprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesAdvancing:Promoting/supportingmarketingpracticeandthoughtleadership.

Throughrelevantinformation,comprehensiveeducationandtargetednetworking,theAMAassistsmarketersindeepeningtheirmarketingexpertise,elevatingtheircareersandultimately,achievingbetterresults.


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