There are many ways to persuade and convince consumers with Neuromarketing. For years we’ve heard about putting babies and animals in TVC’s but does it really work? Yes, actually it most often does.

Of course nothing is black and white and there are exceptions as well as the advert should go hand in hand with your brand’s strategy but… You know that!

Findings from neuroscience and behavior research can help you understand consumers decision patterns and below you’ll find five hands-on tips you can have in mind in future campaigns.

1. USE ALL THE SENSES

Brands that appeal to multiple senses will be more successful than brands that focus on onlly one or two. A brand should be identifiable even when some parts of the marketing program aren’t there. If your logo is removed from your product or your advertisement, would it still instantly be recognizable as your brand? Is just a color enough to signify your brand? Of course, there are only a few brands that have the power to claim a single color as their exclusive look, but the point is that marketers need to think beyond their logo as the sole-consistent element in their branding efforts.

To be successful, your marketing should attract all five senses.

Sight    – Logo, product design, color, font etc
Sound – Music, product sounds etc.
Taste   – Product taste, edible favors/gifts.
Smell   – Environmental aroma, product aroma etc.
Touch  – Product surface, shape, marketing materials etc.

Consistenct is the key in building the sensory aspects of your brand. These elements should be the same across time, location and in any use.

2. SIMPLE MARKETING FOR COMPLEX PRODUCTS

Complex decisions seem better when made intuitively, at least if you listen to a study made at the University of Amsterdam. Even if I don’t believe this is always the case you should give your customers a simple reason to buy your complex product. Make the specifications and features available to the consumer, because people will want to analyze the details but a simple message like “#1 in customer satisfaction” or likely will go farther steering the consumer down the intuitive decision path.

Simple marketing messages is appealing for their clarity and memorability.

3. COPY WITH SURPRISE

We are surprised by unexpected events. Our brains are good at predicit what will happen next by automatically recalling an entire sequence of events in response to a single cue.
In some cases, your brain acts like a smart word processor that suggests words you might want as you begin to type them.

This text is form an audio podcast by Scientific American’s Steve Mirsky:

“While I’m talking, you’re not just passively listening. Your brain is also busy at work, guessing the next word that I will sa… vor before I actually speak it. You thought I was gonna say “say”, didn’t you? Our brains actually consider many possible words – and their meanings – before we’ve heard the final sound of the word in quest.. of being understood”

My brain anticipated “say” and “question” in the two spots where Mirsky surprised listeners with an unexpected word.

Advertisers can get a reaction by doing something unexpected. If you present a viewer with a familiar image or situation, that person’s brain will automatically predict what will happend next. If the advertiser inserts an unexpected image, word, or event, it will grab the viewer’s attention to a greater extent.

4. USE MAGIC WORDS

“Free” is a magic word in copy. Chris Anderson has written a whole book about the concept of “free” and how it is becoming a consumer expectation. And so is “New“. Novelty activates our brain’s reward center, which may have been an evolutionary advantage to our ancestors as they encountered new food sources or other elements of survival. Even if we are no longer hunters and gathers, but the novelty-seeking circuitry is still activate and makes us find new products (and even repackaged old products)

5. EMOTION BEATS LOGIC

The idea that ads that engage us emotionally work better than those that don’t should not be a big shock to anyone who’s spent time in advertising. But still many business executives don’t believe they are swayed by emotional factors when buying things and often doubt that others are.

Emotional marketing campaigns are more effective but they aren’t easy to create. It takes time, error and a lot of energy (and maybe money..) but statistics say it’s worth the effort.

If you are interested in more ways to persuade and convince consumers with Neuromarketing. You should read “Brainfluence” written by Roger Dooley.