The new science of marketing, termed as Neuromarketing, is the best solution to fight one of the biggest challenges faced by the marketers, “to obtain better results with less expenditure”. It highlights the importance of creating your content, website, etc to obtain neurological reactions and emotions that encourages the purchase of products/services.
As per Wikipedia, Neuromarketing is a field of marketing that uses medical technologies such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) to study the brain’s responses to marketing stimuli. In other words, it is the direct scanning and mapping of the brain to measure a consumer’s response to specific marketing elements. Researchers use the neuromarketing tools to measure changes in activity in parts of the brain and to learn why consumers make the decision they do, and what part of the brain is telling them to do it. Knowing the established validity of neuromarketing, marketers still struggle with various doubts regarding it’s worth and tools. To clear their confusion marketers need to understand the diversity of techniques and their use in both academia and industry.
Origin of Neuromarketing
The term Neuromarketing is derived from neuroscience in the mid-2000s. Business school researchers stated that various elements of marketing tactics can have evaluative impacts on the brain. In 2007, a team led by INSEAD’S Hilke Plassmann inspected the brains with test subjects by trying 3 wines with different prices. Surprisingly the test subjects registered all the wines differently ( Source). Neural signals indicated an inclination towards the most expensive wine whereas, in reality, all the wines were the same. In another academic study, fMRI revealed the mental calculations of consumer changes concerning the price. The neural data differed when the price of the wines was shown before and after exposure to the product. When consumers saw the price first, they doubted whether the product was worth the price, and when the product was given first they questioned whether they liked the product.
Some examples of brands using the new science of marketing
- Yahoo has a 60-second television commercial that features happy, dancing people around the world. Before spending to air the ad on prime-time and cable TV, as well as online, Yahoo performed the neuromarketing research. The brain waves showed stimulation in the part where memory and emotional thought occurs. The ad, which is part of Yahoo’s new $100 million branding campaign, was rolled out in September to bring more users to the search engine.
- Microsoft is using neuromarketing research to find out how engaged gamers are when they use an Xbox. Working with EmSense, Microsoft put EEG caps on gamers and showed them ads on the videogame system. It tracked which parts of the brain were stimulated by the ads. Ads that excite several parts of the brain are supposed to make viewers more likely to go out and buy the product advertised, says Michael E. Smith, a neuroscientist at NeuroFocus. Microsoft’s goal: Get advertisers to buy 30-second spots on Xbox games.
- As a part of the neuro research, Hyundai utilized neuromarketing and gave thirty participants EEG caps and asked them to examine a car prototype for an hour. The results determined that the exterior of the cars were changed. This change increased the sales and people loved the new look much more.
- As a result of the neuro research, PayPal found that commercials focusing on speed and convenience received higher response than those focusing on safety and security. Based on their learnings they developed a new ad campaign.
Strategies to Implement Neuromarketing:
- Simple Fonts
Use simple fonts. Experiments conducted by Hyunjin Song and Norbert Schwarz at the University of Michigan concluded that consumers get affected by the type of fonts. Author Roger Dooley wrote, “If you need to convince a customer, client, or donor to perform some kind of task, you should describe that task in a simple, easy to read font,” in his chapter, “Brainfluence in Print.” All the website related content, be it some forms or instructions should be in the most simplified form and easy to read font. If it is harder to read there are more chances that fewer people will take your call to action.
2. Gaze to direct attention
James Breeze, an Australian usability specialist quoted in Dooley’s Brainfluence, “study how people view ads with babies”. In his research, he concluded that people tend to look at what the person or even an animal is looking at in the ad. Always remember that if you are using an image of a person or an animal, focus on their eyes. Make sure to direct the eyes in your ad to look at what you want the viewers to focus on.
3. Attractive headlines
Everyone knows headlines play a key role in marketing. So make sure your headlines are attractive, short, and classy. It is very important to surprise the human mind. Most of the companies use the “Hippocampal Headline” technique these days. This technique involves using everyday phrases with a pinch of twist. Such headlines trigger the brain easily making the headlines more attractive and memorable.
4. Gain trust
You have to gain trust from customers by showing that you trust them. This is an important factor to get referrals and create a reliable business. Here are some tips to make your bond full of trust and loyalty.
- Offer trials with few restrictions
- Pay attention to your customers. Make sure you listen to their inquiries and go all out to help them.
- Always ask and work on their feedback. They should feel their opinions matter to you.
- Always be transparent
- Add a personalized touch. Don’t wait for a reason to talk to them. The client should feel you care for them.
5. Complex font boosts memory recalls
Author Roger Dooley stated that, “where simple fonts influence users more to take action, complex fonts boost your memory recall” . You can make consumers remember something using complex fonts. Remember, this doesn’t mean that you should use complex fonts for your logo or tagline. Use this strategy only for important information on your website. Such fonts will help you get more visual attention.
6. Great Packaging
Going through the entire aisle of chips you may pick the one which has bright colors and looks charming to your eyes. Companies have used Electroencephalogram (EFG) to figure out the key elements of their packaging that affect the user’s preference. Chips Ahoy performed neuromarketing experiments in their packaging. They ended up discovering that people had a negative emotional reaction to the “resealable” word on their packaging because people found that a little difficult to read. Further, the boring chocolate chip cookie pictures on their packaging evoked neutral reactions amongst the test subjects. As a result, Chips Ahoy redesigned their packaging with “resealable” written more clearly and a more exciting cookie visual. The logo came out to be more prominent. The package color was also changed to light blue, as it looked more informal and went with the feel of the logo. So, take away is if people like your packaging, it’s going to stay in their hearts and attract them towards your product.
7. Smile has the power
Many marketers prefer stock images to personalize their websites. This is considered a quick way to reflect a brand’s personality. Always keep in mind that, “the pictures you use impact your viewers’ mood”. So, consider choosing a smiling picture over serious photos. Recent market research studies showed that a “mood-boosting” image can affect customers’ inclination towards spending.
Grasping the basic roots of human emotions is essential in realizing a consumer’s purchasing behavior. You can merge neuromarketing in both, inbound and outbound sales strategies.
The results of neuromarketing have been impressive. Awareness of marketing ideas that can influence your efficiency will be the right choice to get better results with less money. To know more about and neuromarketing and tools used, check out our blog ‘Tools Of Neuromarketing‘
