There are many tools that allow you to effectively organize your business and improve the quality of customer service. One of them is neuromarketing.
Marketers, managers, PR and advertising workers – all of them are united by the goal to effectively – quickly and profitably – sell goods or services. At the beginning of the 20th century, successful capitalists came up with the idea to approach the study of consumer behavior not only from the point of view of abstract economics, the law of supply and demand, but from the position of physiology, the sciences of the brain and consciousness.
What is neuromarketing?
Neuromarketing is an eclectic applied science: a mixture of psychology, physiology (mostly neuroscience), marketing and economics. It was developed with the aim of studying consumer behavior and creating effective PR schemes, advertising, selling strategies.
Frédéric Beigbeder, author of the acclaimed novel 99 Francs, once joked that all advertising is a brainwashing technique. The technique of influencing the minds of the audience of buyers with the help of advertising and the scientific methods of developing such a technique was first thought about by the American entrepreneur Albert Lasker in 1899. The history of studying the psycho-emotional reactions of buyers and methods of manipulating them, and in general the history of neuromarketing, began with him.
Ekaterina Utkina, an expert and PR manager at Wildcraft, defines neuromarketing as “a set of measures, procedures for studying the behavior, activity, and potential of a buyer.” It is based on emotional and behavioral reactions. Neuromarketing is subtle, imperceptible and imperceptible, but its action is very effective. It targets the human subconscious. An employee of the company’s PR service does not need to investigate the subjective characteristics of each customer – it is enough for him to know the basics of the functioning of the brain in order to influence the consumer’s loyal attitude to a product, service, brand.
Alexander Chekhman, an expert in the field of neuromarketing, an Internet marketer at the Synergy University, speaks about this: “… neuromarketing is used when we want to convince the subconscious of customers of the attractiveness of a purchase using psychological and cognitive techniques.” This should be done discreetly, so that the consumer does not notice the tricks, but interest in the product or service is formed in his head.
It may seem that neuromarketing tactics are manipulative and even magical. Konstantin Tamirov, Marketing Director of AB InBev Efes, considers this position to be a delusion: for him, neuromarketing is primarily a method for studying consumer behavior. The expert is convinced: “The consumer never says what he thinks, and never does what he says.” In order to establish contact with a person, the seller can use such neuromarketing techniques as eye tracking (tracking the position of the eyes), electroencephalogram (study of brain impulses) and others. Eye tracking, for example, is needed to assess the potential visibility of product packaging in a competitive environment.
Neuromarketing methods easily coexist with modern information technologies and data science. Behavioral techniques, together with digitalization, are taking over the market. Marketing itself, through which information about the usefulness of a product is conveyed to the target audience, has become less effective. An exclusively materialistic approach to sales is becoming obsolete, supplemented by modern methods and technologies focused on the conscious-unconscious sphere. According to experts, neuromarketing is the future.
Thus, Narek Sirakanyan, President of Freedom Group, an investment management company, believes that it is neuromarketing that brings market participants closer to understanding why certain purchases are made. According to him, the question “Why?” is the main business activity. The expert quotes from Sineki Simon’s book: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” Neuromarketing is a tool that helps to more clearly and holistically form the consumer’s idea of why the manufacturer supplies this or that product or service to the market.
How neuromarketing affects the subconscious mind of the buyer
So, the goal of neuromarketing is to influence the subconscious of a person so that he makes a choice in favor of a particular product or service. Neuromarketing techniques can be associated with the study of the position of the eyes, the perception of colors, smells, sounds, reactions to tactile sensations.
Neuromarketing can turn the consumer to associative series, emotions, pleasant memories. It is not surprising that in the everyday approach (non-scientific) such techniques are perceived as manipulative.
Neuromarketing in the Age of Pandemic
During the coronavirus pandemic, consumers began to focus on safety and health. Self-preservation instinct and fear of infection were exploited by the firm – sales increased by 15% only due to the focus of the target audience on the fact that Wildcraft products are necessary for an active lifestyle. More sports – better immune system – less chance of getting sick.
Is color really that important?
Visual content plays an important role in the promotion of goods and services. Color appeals to emotions and feelings. For example, the use of orange causes a “tasty” sensation in a person. Blue and green – feelings of reliability, calmness and security.
Shades are also important: bright, aggressive tones can cause audience rejection or put them in a state of tension, while soft colors attract the buyer’s eye faster and win him over. Bright saturated red is often used for signs with the inscription SALE (sale). This is necessary to create a feeling of fear in a person of losing the opportunity to get something at a low price.
Working with emotions
The main thing in neuromarketing is working with emotions. So, pink soap is sold for young mothers and their babies. Pink is associated with a healthy baby. The advertisement must necessarily present the image of a happy woman with a baby in her arms no less rejoicing in life. Selling positive feelings associated with the procedure for washing a child with such pink soap.
The same example can be given with real estate: in the brochure in front of a country house, a family is always depicted, all members of which are smiling and enjoying the purchase. The dream is for sale, not the house.