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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.
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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
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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.
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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.”
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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
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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• 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.
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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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