why? the decade of the brain and its impact on marketing
DESCRIPTION
Our understanding of neurological processes has taken gigantic steps over the past fifteen years sparked by the development of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The fundamental issue in marketing is the need to understand the comprehensive reason people make decisions to purchase or pass on. Cognitive neuroscience has made enormous strides although it's just in its infancy. Here is a recapitulation of current studies and learnings along with some of the impact on marketing.TRANSCRIPT
Why?The Decade Of The Brain And
Its Impact On Marketing
Up Yours!
fMRI
Neurons
Brain…
Limbic System
Cortex
“These findings all suggest that the interpretive mechanism of the left hemisphere is always hard
at work seeking the meaning of events.
It is consistently looking for order and reason, even when there is none – which leads it
continually to make mistakes.”
Conscious vs.
Subconscious
Feelings
FearAnger
DisgustSadnessSurprise
Happiness
Memory
• A chain of neurons that are linked by sensing, processing and responding to an event
• Explicit vs. implicit
Short vs. Long-term Memory
Your Model of the World
Learning and Memory
• You have learned much more than you thought
Processing
• Limbic – OMG fast• Prefrontal – “let’s think about this”• What to do – Both looking for
analogous memories and the associated emotion
• Act
Predispositions
Quick Review
• Complex tangle of neurons• Organized into long-term memory
networks• Each memory tied to an emotion• Overall all neural network of memory
networks• All in the subconscious
Why?
Decisions
The Difficulty of Change
1-on-1 Interviews
• Goal – explore the mental map as it pertains to the “Why?”
• Challenges: respondent mode, subconscious rather than conscious
1-on-1 Process
• Respondent mode – Force a conversation– Informal and relaxed, enjoyable– Transition to your discussion priorities– Their expertise
• Expert Mode
Focus Groups
• Goal – explore the mental map as it pertains to “Why?”
• Challenges: parameters, respondent mode, “groupness”
Focus Group Parameters
• 10 people• 120 minutes• 4 related issues• 3 minutes per issue per person• Cost: $6,000 per group average
Groupness
• Predisposed to belong to groups– Sacrifice personal values to fit in
• Excellent tool if used correctly
In summary…
• fMRI has changed how we think of the brain
• It’s still little crude for testing alternatives
• We need to search for memories and their emotions analogous to what we market
• Always to understand “Why.”
Background Books
