In the ever-evolving landscape of consumer behaviour, understanding the intricate workings of the human mind has become paramount for businesses and marketers alike. Our recent guest speaker, Professor Joe Devlin of Cognitive Neuroscience, delved into the fascinating realm of consumer neuroscience in a thought-provoking talk that left attendees with a deeper comprehension of the factors influencing decision-making. In this blog post, we will embark on a journey through the highlights of Professor Joe Devlin’s talk, exploring the profound implications of consumer neuroscience and its transformative potential in shaping the strategies of businesses in the 21st century.
JWT, a London Advertising Agency, vividly showcased the intersection of neuroscience and advertising during the 2015 APG Annual Advertising Conference. The fact that advertisers are jaded about advertising made JWT innovatively incorporate neuroscience by scanning keynote speakers’ brains and using the images in their marketing campaigns. Basically, they are just MRI scans with random colours on them and saying “Look, this is what someone (the keynote speaker) is thinking about something (the topic that they are going to cover). These MRI scans, presented with quasi-medical aesthetics, served as compelling visual aids, making their advertisement more innovative and convincing.
JWT’s initiative extended beyond the conference hall with a social media campaign on Twitter, encouraging attendees to engage with the hashtag “#APGBIGTHINKING.” Participants received personalized responses summarizing their tweets, accompanied by MRI scan images illustrating the brain regions activated during the act of tweeting (Hippocampus or Amygdala activated due to memory retrieval or emotions). This fusion of academia and corporate marketing exemplifies the quest for unbiased scientific insights in advertising strategies.
The allure of neuroscience to advertisers and marketers stems from the limitations of self-reported data in traditional marketing research. As David Ogilvy famously remarked, “Consumers do not think how they feel. They don’t say what they think and they don’t do what they say.” This reliance on self-reported data underscores the need for more objective methods, such as neuroscience, to uncover implicit consumer thoughts and reactions.
Distinguishing between neuroscience FOR marketing and neuroscience AS marketing itself is crucial in understanding its applications. An iconic example of neuroscience for advertising is the “Pepsi challenge,” a strategic move by Pepsi in the 1980s to challenge Coca-Cola’s dominance in the cola market. Despite Coca-Cola’s market supremacy, Pepsi’s meticulous research and development efforts aimed to match its competitor’s flavour profile, banking on the assumption that taste similarity would lead to market parity. The pivotal moment came with the introduction of the Pepsi challenge, where blind taste tests revealed a surprising preference for Pepsi among consumers, even among loyal Coca-Cola drinkers. This revelation sparked both excitement and concern within Pepsi’s circles, highlighting the significant impact of branding on consumer perception.
Further exploration into the neural mechanisms of brand perception was undertaken by McClure and colleagues (2004). Employing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers examined brain activity in individuals sampling cola beverages. Their findings revealed activation in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex, associated with the brain’s reward system when participants rated their enjoyment of Pepsi and Coke. Interestingly, when only the Coca-Cola branding was presented, additional brain regions, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex implicated in decision-making, were activated. The hippocampus, responsible for memory, also showed activation, indicating the role of branding in linking past experiences and memories. Therefore, when a decision is being made, all of these memories and information brought up by the branding combine altogether to make consumers choose Coke. These findings underscored the profound impact of branding on taste perception, demonstrating how the mere sight of a logo can influence sensory experiences.
However, it’s essential to note that conducting neuroscientific research for marketing purposes can be fraught with pitfalls. An example of this is the Apple company when iPhones reached a great success and everyone wanted to understand why is this happening. A person named Lindstrom in the marketing industry came up with a hypothesis saying that everyone is addicted to their iPhones. As previous research discovered that addiction is related to the activation of the ventral striatum in the brain, it was predicted the same area should be activated when people are playing with their iPhones. However, this was not the case. Instead of the ventral striatum, the insula was found to be activated. So the person concluded that people are not addicted to their iPhones, but in fact in love with their iPhones (Lindstrom, 2011). The problem is that Lindstrom is a layman of neuroscience and knows nothing about the brain, so his false claim that people are in love with their iPhones evoked a huge reaction in the community of neuroscientists. Neuroscientists pointed out the insula is responsible for a lot of activities and inner sensations, and it’s seen to be activated in about 1/3 of all MRI studies (Poldrack et al., 2011). Professor Devlin pointed out that when companies are doing advertisements, they have to get their science right before investing money and efforts into that, as erroneous claims can lead to significant backlash.
Professor Devlin also discussed a study conducted in collaboration with Professor Daniel Richardson and Audible. In this experiment, the researchers selected eight stories from various genres, such as fantasy (e.g., Game of Thrones) and classic literature (e.g., Great Expectations). Each story featured an emotional scene, presented both in a video adaptation and an audio version. Rather than utilising MRI scanning, participants wore biometric watches, akin to the Apple Watch but with more precise measurements. The study included 80 participants, randomly assigned to either view the video clip or listen to the audiobook for each story. Engagement was assessed through self-reports and biometric data. The Narrative Engagement Scale provided a valid measure for self-report data, while biometric data, including heart rate and body temperature, was also analysed. The neuroscientific rationale for measuring biometric data lies in the connection between the amygdala and the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA), responsible for releasing adrenaline, thereby influencing heart rates and breathing pace. This emotional cognitive engagement manifests as changes in adrenaline release, measurable through wrist-worn devices. The analysis revealed that, on average, videos outperformed audiobooks in self-reported engagement, except for empathy with the characters. Interestingly, the biometric data presented a different perspective.
Participants exhibited higher heart rates while listening to audiobooks compared to watching videos, with the highest and lowest heart rates consistently exceeding those in the video condition, indicating heightened emotional responses. Additionally, wrist-measured body temperature was approximately one-third of a degree centigrade higher during audiobook sessions than during video sessions. This temperature variance aligns with findings from social thermal regulation in primates, where exclusion from a social group correlates with decreased body temperature. Conversely, being at the centre of a group results in slightly warmer body temperatures. The significant change in body temperature during storytelling suggests heightened engagement among participants. Professor Joe proposed that when individuals listen to audiobooks, they engage in co-creating the story with the author in their imagination, necessitating more effort and engagement. In contrast, watching videos provides detailed scenarios, characters, and music, requiring less mental exertion from participants and resulting in lower levels of engagement.
Based on these experiments, Audible has leveraged the results to assert that listening to audiobooks is more engaging than watching films, turning them into a focal point of their marketing strategy. The emphasis on this conclusion, rooted in the scientific neuroscience studies conducted by UCL experts, has garnered significant attention from society.
Additionally, Audible has adjusted its approach when communicating with potential authors. Previously, their outreach to authors focused primarily on the financial incentive of recording audio versions of their books. However, following the research conducted in collaboration with UCL, Audible has shifted its messaging. Instead of solely emphasising the monetary aspect, they now highlight the compelling findings from the study, underscoring that individuals are more engaged when listening to audiobooks. Given that professional authors are primarily concerned with how their audience perceives and engages with their work, this shift in focus has resonated with them. Consequently, authors are increasingly inclined to produce audiobook versions alongside their written works, recognising the value of facilitating deeper engagement and understanding among their audience.
This research doesn’t necessitate expensive devices like fMRI; rather, it simply involves wearing a small watch on the wrist, yet yields effective outcomes. Another case study highlighted by Professor Devlin, involving Desperados Beer, was even more cost-effective. Desperados Beer’s marketing strategy revolves around hosting large parties annually, inviting hundreds of influencers, and encouraging them to share their experiences on social media. These themed parties reflect the Desperados lifestyle, prompting the company to explore whether such experiences influence individuals’ thoughts and creativity.
In one instance, the party was held at the world’s deepest pool, approximately 40 meters deep, in Venice. Given the impracticality of using devices like MRI scanners in such a setting, Professor Devlin and his colleague, Professor Richardson, devised a simple experiment using an iPad. This experiment aimed to assess creativity through three tasks. The first task, an Alternate Use Task, required participants to brainstorm as many uses for a given object (an empty Desperados bottle in this case) as possible within one minute. Their responses were then coded and categorised to measure divergent thinking or creativity (thinking outside the box). The second task, a Remote Associates Task, presented participants with three words that could be connected to another word, challenging them to identify the common word. Unlike the first task, this task aimed to explore convergent thinking. The third task involved a drawing task where participants were asked to fill in arbitrary patterns, targeting divergent thinking. Participants were also asked to rate their creativity in the drawings afterwards.
Following these tasks, participants attended the party 40 meters below (without alcohol due to safety concerns associated with deep diving). They underwent another round of testing after returning from the party. The test results revealed differences in only two divergent thinking tasks, indicating that the party influenced creativity in a Desperados-inspired lifestyle context. This insight was then utilised by the company for advertising purposes.
All the aforementioned case studies leverage neuroscience for marketing purposes. However, some marketing techniques employ neuroscience as the marketing itself. This strategy capitalises on the Seductive Allure of Neuroscience, which suggests that the general public finds the brain fascinating. People tend to enjoy and believe information that includes details about the brain, even if it’s essentially irrelevant.
Professor Devlin provided an example involving M. Ford, a beauty vlogger and influencer on YouTube, known as one of the agents for change on the platform. One of M. Ford’s concerns is the detrimental impact of unrealistic representations of female beauty on young women. Social media platforms often present flawless images of women achieved through retouching, creating unattainable standards. Despite their unrealistic nature, these images can lead young women to aspire to them. M. Ford incorporated neuroscience into her content by highlighting the amygdala’s role in strong emotional reactions and linking strong emotional reactions to traumatising feelings. By presenting case studies of three girls and showcasing their heightened emotional responses, as observed through fMRI scans when exposed to idealised images of women on the internet, M. Ford conveyed the message that these flawless pictures traumatise young women to a certain extent and young women should stop worrying pursuing to become as flawless as these perfect figures. Employing neuroscience as marketing, this video became a tremendous success, garnering over 2 million views on YouTube.
Another noteworthy example occurred during the pandemic with Vue Cinemas, which sought to explore whether attending the cinema had positive effects on people. Professor Devlin conducted a study wherein biometric devices were worn by individuals while they watched the film Aladdin (As we all know this is not a great film but it does contribute to science to a certain extent). The findings revealed that during the two-hour movie, participants’ heart rates fluctuated, with approximately 40 minutes spent in what the British Heart Foundation refers to as the “light cardio zone,” akin to light exercise. Capitalising on these findings, the PR team cleverly crafted an attention-grabbing news headline: “Relax! Sitting in the cinema counts as a light workout,” which made its way to the front page of The Times. While as psychology students, we understand that the autonomic nervous system is activated following the story in a movie, the allure of such headlines proves significant to the general public.
These case studies exemplify the remarkable impact of neuroscience in commercial marketing. Whether neuroscience is employed FOR marketing purposes or AS the marketing itself, it serves to provide insights and captivate attention. Professor Joe concluded his talk by emphasising that as long as neuroscience is utilised ethically, it can assist organisations in conveying their messages effectively, be it in marketing initiatives or in developing new products and communications strategies.
