NEURO-MARKETING

Why is the consumer’s brain more relevant to marketers today!

Picture this. You enter a wine shop. Soft French music is playing in the background with the scent of a freshly opened 1912 Franzia. No wonder you land up buying a bottle of wine. You entered the store with no intention of buying anything. But the soft music and relaxing aroma just didn’t let your feet turn towards the exit.

That is the power of the human senses. Brain power at its best. And some innovative marketers are capturing this aspect of human brain to sell their products. To give a brief scientific explanation, technologies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measure the changes in the activities in the parts of the human brain. Thus the answers to why the consumers behave in a certain way are answered. For eg. Sometimes if you are asked why you chose a product over the other, you have no answer. You say to yourself, I just felt like. But it is in the subconscious mind that the happy experiences related to that product exist. Like, the color, or the shape or the smell of that product somehow appeals to you. This science is fondly also called as “neuromarketing”.

Your senses: the sight, smell, sound, touch and taste are very important to marketers and this is how they capitalize on it. Let me illustrate to you a few communications that have brilliantly taken over this phenomenon.

A baby picture boosts altruistic behavior within people which is captured in this advertisement. This Michelin tire ad portrays the image of tire purchase for safety rather than economy or performance. And in particular, the safety of this adorable baby. Presumably, the shoppers’ might be willing to shell out a premium as they would be persuaded that these tires will be safer for their family.

A product scent is extremely effective for enhancing its memory and proves to distinguish amongst the surrounding context. Scent enhances a product’s distinctiveness and helps a consumer remember it down the line.

There was an experiment conducted where a few participants were asked to evaluate a few pencils (some scented – tea tree and some unscented). It was found that the scented pencils were much remembered and recognized than the unscented ones.

Imagine a billboard, a few feet away from a burger place that could emit the smell of fresh vegetables / grilling chicken for some parts of the day. For e.g. the smell could be something like that of “a blend of black pepper and grilled chicken”. The smell component of the signboard could operate during the peak commute times. Science explains that when coffee lovers smell the aroma of coffee, they crave for a cup of it. Ditto this sandwich. There could be many arguments that target consumers could be seated in a sealed, air conditioned car that would reduce the impact of the smell. But, this effort would create a lot of buzz and PR and social media use than rather having a billboard which no one would even notice in the absence of the smell.

A powerful and innovative medium of selling and branding products is definitely through the use of the tiny brain cells in the human mind. Imagine adding scent to talking/interactive billboards! Too powerful to even think of!

Advertisement