Buyology summary

Imagine you’re at the store buying peanut butter. Do you choose Skippy, Jif or Peter Pan? Most likely, you decide without a moment’s hesitation – though you probably can’t explain why.

This is a result of our brains’ somatic markers, or shortcuts that trigger automatic responses. Whenever we make purchasing decisions, our brains process a plethora of thoughts and ideas, and condense them all into a single response. Rather than start the process anew each time we’re faced with the same decision, our brains create shortcuts based on a lifetime of experiences.

Although it’s certainly cunning in a sense, appealing to our mirror neurons or ingrained somatic markers is relatively harmless. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for all marketing techniques, some of which exploit our negative emotions to make us buy more.

In fact, fear can be an extremely persuasive marketing technique. When we are stressed or afraid, we seek solid foundations and pleasant experiences – perhaps in the form of purchases – in order to get the sweet rush of dopamine that accompanies it. The dopamine, in turn, causes us to want to shop more.

Paranoia surrounding subliminal messaging – i.e., the use of visual, auditory or other sensory messages that are picked up only by our subconscious – has been rampant since 1957, when the first subliminal advertising was employed in a startling study. Despite the fact that the study was outed as a fake, the National Association of Broadcasters nevertheless banned subliminal messaging.

However, if subliminal messaging includes anything that subconsciously entices us to buy a product, then it’s still very much present in modern marketing. Consider, for example, the sweet smell of freshly baked cookies wafting from the kitchen of the house you’re viewing, or that new car smell while taking a car for a test drive, or Gershwin’s piano rolls playing in the background as you shop around for a new suit. These forms of sensory stimulation all elicit explicit subconscious responses.

Gone are the days when doctors recommend their favorite brand of smokes to their patients. Instead, whenever smokers stop into the convenience store to buy cigarettes, they’re met with health warnings ranging from honest to downright gory. Yet, in spite of these warnings, approximately 15 billion cigarettes are sold each day throughout the world.

Knowing this, we have to ask ourselves: Do these disclaimers even work?

What do Coca-Cola and the Catholic Church have in common? The answer may be quite surprising: they employ many of the same strategies for creating – and maintaining – loyalty.

For one, brands associated with quasi-religious rituals are stickier than other brands, i.e., they help us form an emotional connection to the brand.

Surely you’ve heard that “sex sells,” and the prevalence of sex in advertising certainly suggests that it’s true. Consider a National Airlines commercial, in which a sexy stewardess promises that she’ll “fly you like you’ve never been flown before.” Too subtle? Okay, consider the perfume brand Vulva, which claims to have captured a “beguiling vaginal scent.”

Imbuing advertisements with sexual references is an age-old and thriving technique, but is it effective marketing?

As we’ve learned, most consumer choices are unconscious, making traditional surveys an inadequate tool in market research. However, by using neuromarketing, companies can better predict a product’s success.

In one study, volunteers watched the shows Quizmania, The Swan and How Clean is Your House?, and were then asked to rate the likelihood of watching them again later. Traditional questionnaires showed that Quizmania was least likely to be watched, while The Swan and How Clean Is Your House? were neck and neck.