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When science and marketing collide
There was a time when marketing was simply a dressed up sales pitch—marketing
materials were designed to look pretty, copy was written to sound smart and
most delivery channels were trusted by consumers. That was also when advertisers
reached roughly 70 percent of a viewing audience with one
television advertisement.
Consumers have gotten savvier. And, advertisers have more opportunities than
ever to reach audiences. Through cable television, the Internet and mobile
phones, it’s not surprising that the sheer number of ads viewed per day by the
average American has grown from roughly 500 ads in 1970 to nearly 5,000.
For this reason, marketers are fighting harder than ever to combat the noise
caused by competing ads in order to capture the attention of consumers. The key
to this fight? Highly targeted communications based on thorough research …
and science.
It may sound futuristic, but there are now technologies that allow marketers
to scientifically understand the mind of the consumer. Through brain
activity-based research, marketers can pinpoint what exactly causes people to
buy a product and uncover how the brain responds to various advertising and
marketing tactics.
It’s not science fiction; its neuromarketing and it’s changing the ways in which
major brands like Campbell’s Soup™ and Pepsi™ are marketing products and
enhancing their brand image.
Weird science
Neuromarketing is the practice of using technology to measure the brain activity
of consumer subjects as a way to discover how people respond to products and
marketing messages. The findings of such are then used to fine tune
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expensive media buy.1
“When we walk down an aisle in a grocery store, our purchasing decisions are
made in less than four seconds,” said Martin Lindstrom, author of “Buyology:
Truth and Lies About Why We Buy” and marketing expert. “There is no way
we can think about that in a complete way. Those decisions take place
in the subconscious part of the brain.”2
1 Randall, Kevin. “Neuromarketing Hope and Hype: 5 Brands Conducting Brain Research | Fast Company.”
FastCompany.com. 14 Sept. 2009. Web. 10 June 2010. <http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kevin-randall/
integrated-branding/neuromarketing-hope-and-hype-5-brands-conducting-brain-resear>.
2 Pekala, Nancy. “Why Buy? The Role of Neuromarketing in Understanding Consumer Behavior.” Marketing
Matters (27 Feb. 2009). Print.
3 Randall, Kevin. “Neuromarketing Hope and Hype: 5 Brands Conducting Brain Research | Fast Company.”
FastCompany.com. 14 Sept. 2009. Web. 10 June 2010. <http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kevin-randall/
integrated-branding/neuromarketing-hope-and-hype-5-brands-conducting-brain-resear>.
4 Williams, Jennifer. “Andrea Wisdorf Interview with Jennifer Williams.” E-mail interview. 18 June 2010.
© 2010 4imprint, Inc. All rights reserved
required.5 Subjects are put into a cylindrical imaging device and
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exposed to marketing material. While this technique provides
researchers the ability to see very specific location-based brain
activity, it costs upwards of $15,000 per 20-subject test group.6
5 “Scientists Read Minds with Brain Scanner.” CBC.ca - Canadian News Sports Entertainment Kids Docs Radio TV.
12 Mar. 2009. Web. 10 June 2010.
<http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/03/12/tech-090312-mind-reading-fmri.html>.
6 Ferguson, Rick. “Neuromarketing: What the Human Brain Means to Your Campaign.” Chief Marketer. 27 Oct.
2009. Web. 10 June 2010. <http://chiefmarketer.com/crm/1027-neuromarketing-loyalty-brain/index.html>.
7 Ferguson, Rick. “Neuromarketing: What the Human Brain Means to Your Campaign.” Chief Marketer. 27 Oct.
2009. Web. 10 June 2010. <http://chiefmarketer.com/crm/1027-neuromarketing-loyalty-brain/index.html>.
8 Ferguson, Rick. “Neuromarketing: What the Human Brain Means to Your Campaign.” Chief Marketer. 27 Oct.
2009. Web. 10 June 2010. <http://chiefmarketer.com/crm/1027-neuromarketing-loyalty-brain/index.html>.
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correlation to be put into context.
After this research has been conducted on consumer individuals, the information
garnered often takes the marketing team back to the drawing board. Results help
marketers eliminate unpleasant or ineffective aspects to marketing materials or
alter materials to enhance the overall consumer experience.
Neuromarketing is still a new concept and innovations are constantly being made
to improve the accuracy and the affordability of research. While new, many big
brands have already gotten on board with the concept in order to grow and
benefit from a new tactic in a space where the competition may not be currently
present. These brands are using neuromarketing research to develop marketing
efforts and advertisements that appeal to consumers in very specific ways...
Up until this study was released, marketers generally operated under the idea
that if you could get people to think about a brand in a certain way, you can
then get them to change feelings or behaviors. Now, it’s known that emotion
is actually the first factor that decides if people will even pay attention to a
message—emotion shapes our conscious thoughts, not the other way around.11
9 Haq, Amber. “This Is Your Brain on Advertising.” BusinessWeek. 8 Oct. 2007. Web. 10 June 2010.
<http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2007/gb2007108_286282.htm>.
10 Dooley, Roger. “Brain Branding: The Power of Strong Brands | Neuromarketing.” Neuroscience Marketing. 28
Nov. 2006. Web. 18 June 2010. <http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/brain-branding.htm>.
11 O’Connor, Tim. “The Dark Side of Market Research.” Research Access. 29 May 2010. Web. 14 June 2010.
<http://researchaccess.com>.
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Discount retailer Wal-Mart™ and cola conglomerate Pepsi both recognized that
it was time for an update to their looks in 2008 but neither brand wanted to
change so drastically that they become unrecognizable. These brands turned to
neuromarketing to safely make the jump:
When Pepsi first unveiled its new logo that same year, many speculated that its
designers were trying to subliminally associate the feel-good emotions of hope
and change that President Barack Obama’s campaign logo stood for by choosing
a similar design. Design company, Arnell, came forward with 27-page document
detailing neuromarketing research it claimed was really responsible for the
new logo.
12 “What’s in a New Logo? - Wal-Mart - Softening Its Image (11) - FORTUNE.” CNNMoney.com. Fortune, 10 Aug.
2009. Web. 17 June 2010.
<http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/fortune/0908/gallery.new_logos_redesigns.fortune/11.html>.
13 “What’s in a New Logo? - Wal-Mart - Softening Its Image (11) - FORTUNE.” CNNMoney.com. Fortune, 10 Aug.
2009. Web. 17 June 2010.
<http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/fortune/0908/gallery.new_logos_redesigns.fortune/11.html>.
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Packaging that attracts the senses
With the help of numerous marketing firms, some of which specializing in
neuromarketing, Campbell’s soup spent two years studying the effect of its
brand and marketing images and efforts on consumers. With a small sample
of 40 consumers, Campbell’s tested everything from changes in heart rate and
skin moisture through GSR, along with some brain scan interpretations. While
it was found that there was a positive relationship between consumers and the
Campbell’s logo, it was decided that the prominent placing of the logo actually
deterred people from purchasing certain soups. Essentially, the logo as it was
made it difficult for the consumer to immediately recognize what kind of soup
they were looking at.
Campbell’s culminated these findings and reinforced them with findings from
traditional focus group research to develop a new label for its iconic soups.
Toward the end of the process, in-store testing took place to monitor the facial
expressions and eye movement to conduct final consumer research on
the redesign.
14 “What’s in a New Logo? - Pepsi - Wave Good-bye to the Smile (6) - FORTUNE.” CNNMoney.com. Fortune, 10
Aug. 2009. Web. 17 June 2010.
<http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/fortune/0908/gallery.new_logos_redesigns.fortune/6.html>.
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Campbell’s when it announced the new look. So far, Campbell’s claims its redesign
has been successful.
Noisy billboards
Neuromarketing research has indicated on a general level that certain marketing
efforts can have optimal effects on consumers when more than one sense is
engaged. Cable network A&E™ had this research in mind when it created
billboards for its show, Paranormal State.
A billboard with the show’s name and airing information along with simple
text in a creepy font reading “73% of Americans Believe” was erected with
technology known as directional audio. Directional audio essentially takes sound
waves and pinpoints them in a way similar in thought to how a laser concentrates
beams of light, resulting in the aural illusion of someone whispering in your ear.
When people passed by the billboard on the sidewalk below, they heard someone
eerily whispering “What’s that?! What’s that?! It’s not your imagination.”
While its research may have been based on neuromarketing findings, the end
result was success by way of word-of-mouth promotion created by the new
billboard and viral videos through social media of the billboard’s effect.
Smelly branding
Neuromarketing places great emphasis on emotion and the part of the brain
responsible for processing scents which is heavily tied to emotion. Scents can
bring us back to specific experiences and memories. Many marketers are using this
thought process as a neuromarketing tactic. Advertisements paired with a scent
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increase in brand recall when a scent is matched with marketing material or
interior design.15
Some studies, such as one conducted on slot players in Las Vegas and another on
Nike™ shoe stores, have shown that a scented environment leads to consumers
stay longer and spend more16.
• Omni Hotels has a lemon grass and green tea scent pumped
into its lobbies and public spaces.
• Rolls Royce reproduced the scent of its great seller, the 1965 Silver
Cloud, and sprays it under the seats to recreate the scent of this
classic “Roller.”
15 Dooley, Roger. “Scent Nearly Doubles Sales.” Neuroscience Marketing. 17 June 2010. Web. 19 June 2010.
<http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/scent-nearly-doubles-sales.htm>.
16 “Scent Marketing: Leading Consumers By The Nose.” Sellsius. Web. 21 June 2010.
<http://blog.sellsiusrealestate.com/branding/scent-marketing-leading-consumers-by-the-nose/2006/04/30/>.
17 “Scent Marketing: Leading Consumers By The Nose.” Sellsius. Web. 21 June 2010.
<http://blog.sellsiusrealestate.com/branding/scent-marketing-leading-consumers-by-the-nose/2006/04/30/>.
18 Clifford, Stephanie. “Frito-Lay Tries to Enter the Minds (and Lunch Bags) of Women.” The New York Times. 24
Feb. 2009. Web. 17 June 2010.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/business/media/25adco.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2>.
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fonts and to downplay guilt while playing up humor and sensible snacking. One
print ad depicts two women surveying a Baked Lay’s bag. “These things are the
best invention since the push-up bra,” one woman says. The other, admiring her
bra-enhanced chest, responds, “I wouldn’t go that far.”
The un-guilt trip worked: Following the campaign that resulted from
neuromarketing research, Frito-Lay North America posted an eight percent
revenue growth and seven percent profit growth.19
Melissa Mullen, director of research for Fox’s international theatrical division said,
“There is no way we could have gotten this kind of actionable information from
traditional research approaches.”21
19 Clifford, Stephanie. “Frito-Lay Tries to Enter the Minds (and Lunch Bags) of Women.” The New York Times. 24
Feb. 2009. Web. 17 June 2010.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/business/media/25adco.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2>.
20 Haq, Amber. “This Is Your Brain on Advertising.” BusinessWeek. 8 Oct. 2007. Web. 10 June 2010.
<http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2007/gb2007108_286282.htm>.
21 Haq, Amber. “This Is Your Brain on Advertising.” BusinessWeek. 8 Oct. 2007. Web. 10 June 2010.
<http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2007/gb2007108_286282.htm>.
22 Haq, Amber. “This Is Your Brain on Advertising.” BusinessWeek. 8 Oct. 2007. Web. 10 June 2010.
<http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2007/gb2007108_286282.htm>.
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ethics question a lot but she doesn’t think that the question of ethics is of great
concern. “People want better products, and they enjoy ads and marketing that
appeals to them. That’s why people volunteer for focus groups,” said Williams.23
Essentially, Williams said that any possibility of misguided ethics lies within the
brand, not the field of neuromarketing. “When a company is marketing a product
that is harmful, that’s unethical no matter what tools they use. The reason people
are much quicker to jump on the ethics of neuromarketing is because it takes out
a lot of the guesswork out of marketing and it does so by taking a look at how
our brains respond.”24
“It’s true that currently neuromarketing is not accessible to many small businesses
or nonprofits,” said Williams. “However, I think we may see that change in the
next couple of years. Neuro-engineering firms are developing affordable EEG
headsets and there are other collaborations going on to develop software that
will make sense of the data to non-neuroscientists.”27
23 Williams, Jennifer. “Andrea Wisdorf Interview with Jennifer Williams.” E-mail interview. 18 June 2010.
24 Williams, Jennifer. “Andrea Wisdorf Interview with Jennifer Williams.” E-mail interview. 18 June 2010.
25 Williams, Jennifer. “Andrea Wisdorf Interview with Jennifer Williams.” E-mail interview. 18 June 2010.
26 Williams, Jennifer. “Neuromarketing: Add It to the Marketing Toolbox.” Visibility Magazine. Web. 19 June
2010. <http://www.visibilitymagazine.com/disc-inc-/jennifer-williams/neuromarketing-----add-it-to-the-
marketing-toolbox>.
27 Williams, Jennifer. “Andrea Wisdorf Interview with Jennifer Williams.” E-mail interview. 18 June 2010.
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are locked out of obtaining data first-hand (primary research), there are resources
out there to gain access to secondary research. Furthermore, Williams shares a
• Be mindful of copy
It is important to remember that it’s not all about design—copy
matters. Generally speaking, copy that is “you”-centric, emotionally
engaging, visually easy to read and cognitively easy to think about is
most effective. Williams suggests that all marketers should become
versed in theories like cognitive fluency in order to fully understand
what works with copy and what doesn’t.
28 Williams, Jennifer. “Neuromarketing: Add It to the Marketing Toolbox.” Visibility Magazine. Web. 19 June
2010. <http://www.visibilitymagazine.com/disc-inc-/jennifer-williams/neuromarketing-----add-it-to-the-
marketing-toolbox>.
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a tool to be used within an overall marketing strategy—one that reinforces or
supports messaging, media and the brand. It will not be successful as a
standalone strategy.
4imprint serves more than 100,000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States,
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29 Williams, Jennifer. “Andrea Wisdorf Interview with Jennifer Williams.” E-mail interview. 18 June 2010.