Buyology

For years, marketers have had to work by assumptions. Using only a few standardized test questions and sales figures, they have had to piece together effective marketing campaigns that would hopefully deliver the buzz their companies needed. This hit-and-miss approach may be at an end thanks to neuromarketing, a new combination of brain scanning and advertising techniques. Neurological studies have already yielded surprising results. Cigarette warnings, for instance, have been shown to be largely ineffective, and actually activate the parts of the brain that derive pleasure from smoking. While sexually themed ads were always thought to be successful due to the suggestive material, a 2007 brain scan study showed that viewers were actually half as likely to remember a sex-based advertisement compared to a normal ad. The brain was distracted by sex itself and missed remembering the product of brand involved. The studies suggest that increased sales due to sexually charged commercials or images are most likely a result of increased awareness caused by controversy, not sex. Some marketing techniques have also been confirmed in their reliability. Product integration, memorable phrases or iconic product mascots, and odor-based advertising have all proven to be very effective, creating easily accessed pathways in the brain that make for memorable and effective brands. The key is in understanding not only how marketing affects the human brain, but how companies can spend their money most efficiently on the right kinds of marketing. Successful use of neuromarketing will lead to a new and more honest era of advertising where both marketers and consumers understand what makes brands attractive.