As the result of one of the greatest market experiments in history, and an authentic insight into our modern mass culture, Buyology can be of remarkable interest for pretty much anyone, from professional marketers to pathological consumers.
“Nowadays, most brands are almost the same as the keys of a hotel room; people forget where they put them even before getting to the room for the first time.” Every year, approximately 21000 new brands are created, of which around 52% fail. For individual products, the statistics get even worse, roughly reaching the 75% mark of failures in the first year.
After observing figures like these, the author of Buyology, Martin Lindstrom, decided to investigate what was the difference between a total fiasco and a successful market campaign. Differently from what had been previously done, however, Lindstrom perceived that not all marketing theories worked as expected. Consequently, he decided that he would go directly to the main source of our desires and choices; he would go directly to our brains.
As a result of this rather extraordinary task, one of the greatest and broadest market experiments was performed. Costing seven million dollars, and taking three years, the investigation concerned the use of brain scanners to observe how our brains respond to different marketing strategies. The outcome of this extended research project led to the creation of Buyology, which presents the conclusions that were taken from the experiment, together with plenty of examples of past market campaigns that confirm what is said.
“We may think we know why we do the things we do – but a much closer look into the brain tells us otherwise”. With this simple sentence, it is already possible to perceive the principal idea that is expressed throughout the entire book. By comparing the findings of the experiment with what people said about their opinions, it was observed that, in most cases, people say exactly the opposite to what their subconscious minds think. This, therefore, explains the failure of so many marketing strategies, as these are mostly based on tests that go for people’s opinion, and not for their brain’s.
Structurally, the book is divided into eleven chapters, which have the objective of exploring different aspects of marketing. From the various interesting facts and thoughts that are discussed, there are, for example, the popular myths of the use of subliminal messages and the effectiveness of sex in advertisements.
After all, the book truly justifies the nomination of Lindstrom as one of the 100 most influential people in 2009. Instead of just following the traditional practices that are taught around the world, Lindstrom decided to do his own research and study the most fundamental origins of our buying behaviors. At the end, together with the revolutionary results that were observed, Buyology also exposed the existence of a mass culture society, in which it is impossible to escape from things such as branding and marketing.
-The majority of the brands today are like the keys of a hotel room; you forget where you put them even before entering the room for the first time.
-The author wanted to know why exactly some brands work and others do not
oHe knows that most decisions are subconscious
oIn addition, in most cases, we may think something completely different than what our brains actually think. Sometimes, even though we may not feel attracted for something, we may continue watching it because of our brains. This explains the failures and huge imprecision of the old-school market researches
oTHE AUTHOR WANTED TO GO DIRECTLY TO OUR BRAINS TO UNDERSTAND PRECISELY WHY WE BUY, ANALYSING MYTHS , BELIEFS AND “THE SUBCONSCIOUS FORCES THATMOTIVATE US TO BUY”.
Chapter 1 – Explanation of the tests, Self-Marketing, Some Info and examples
THE TEST + BACKGROUND
-Started in 2004 - 3 years long and costing around $7million dollars (provided by 8 multinational companies)
-Thousands of subjects from around the globe, two hundred researchers, 10 professors and doctors and an ethics committee
-Author is a global branding expert
-He uses fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging), which is able to demonstrate the presence of oxygenated blood (it shows the regions of the brain that are in use). SST is an apparatus that measures electromagnetic waves from the brain at the time.
INFO +EXAMPLES
-Traditional Research does not work anymore: “because our rational minds, flooded with cultural biases rooted in our tradition, upbringing, and a whole lot of other subconscious factors, assert a powerful but hidden influence over the choices we make…We may think we know why we do the things we do – but a much closer look into the brain tells us otherwise”
oEven though we think we are not lying, there are thousands of subconscious facts that pass through our brains. Those involve the society, what we know, what we want and our situation
-HAVE HOW MUCH WAS SPENT ON MARKET RESEARCH in 2010
-21000 NEW BRANDS PA. à 52% OF THEM AND 75% OF INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTS FAIL. He wanted to understand such failures and saw that his research could have some good and useful outcomes.
-Example: Test made with the smokers. Basically … Most of them said that they are really affected by the antismoking signs in packs (Society makes them conscientiously think that). The fMRI brain scan actually showed that when they see the pictures, the region of their brains that is responsible for addictions lighted up. In other words, the pictures actually stimulated them!
Chapter 2 – Product Placement
-He starts with the fact that, over the last years, there has been such an increase in the number of commercials and information, that we just simply ignore most of them. In addition, people do not want to take risks and there is lack of creativity.
oIn 1965 a consumer remembered 34% of the ads, in 1990 it fell to 8%!
-The main point of product placement is that the people remember the brands and products, since this is a fundamental factor that defines the choices and buying behaviors of consumers
-He gives us some examples of product placement:
oIt always occurred in movies but the principal happening involved the film ET. It had Hershey’s Reese’s pieces and its sales tripled after the release of the movie.
oAnother example is the fact that Top Gun increased the number of airforce and navy recruitment by 500 percent!!!!!
-He wants to know how it works
THE TEST
-To test the effectiveness of product placement, they use the case of American Idol. It has 3 main sponsors; Coke, Ford and Cingular Wireless. Coca-cola and Cingular have 30 second commercials and also advertise within the show. Ford only has the commercials.
oFindings:
§The subjects clearly remembered Cingular and Coke more.
§They memories of the enemy brands (Pepsi and Verizon) were actually inhibited
§Coke ws way more remembered than Cingular
§The excessiveness of images of Coke actually made the people remember less about ford also – They saturated the people’s memory
§Coke was included into the storyline and it appeared everywhere in a natural way. This explains the success of ET. Product placement works really well if the product is properly associated to the storyline and if it makes sense. People should not think that it is just a commercial. (this creates a barrier in their brains)
-There is not muuuuch detail about the discoveries and logic
Chapter 3 – Mirror Neurons and the willingness to be like the rest
-Mirror neurons are neurons that light up when we observe certain actions that have some significance to us.
oThese are the responsible for us moving our arms when our teams make touchdowns or for us crying when our heroes suffer in the movies. The mirror neurons work by allowing us to feel what we see.
oIn addition, these neurons also explain why we often imitate the others behaviors. When we see someone with something different we tend to want to buy that thing
o“If I had that product, I would be lke that person”. This explains what we learnt about buying images and attitudes.
-Example of Steve Jobs: He perceived that everyone wanted to copy everyone and have those ‘cool’ white headphones
-Example with opening boxes: Now there are actual websites that show people opening boxes à The other people are able to feel the joy and excitement that they are seeing.
-Mirror neurons help us to connect to realities that are not our à Guitar hero or The sims
Chapter 4 – Subliminal Messages
-Subliminal messages are any massages that are registered below our level of consciousness. Our brains perceive them, but we don’t. In most times, subliminal messages appear to instigate us to consume something or to give us ideas that cannot be opnly said.
-There are many cases of subliminal messages in the past and they still happen a lot nowadays. In most cases, they appear with relations to sex or they are flashing logos
-Example: In his campaign, when he talks about Al-Gore a text appears ‘rats’.
Harvard Test
-A test made in Harvard found out that subliminal messages actually work: Displaying positive images words improved the performance of people in a game by 10%.
He also talks about another kind of subliminal messaging, the one that we see in our everyday life
oFirstly he mentions the fact that perfumes are more popular depending on where they are made
oThe fact with F1, NASCAR and cigarettes: The cars are specifically painted to resemble the logos of Camel and Marlboro. The result is that the people’s brain actually end up associating the cars and colors with the products. As a result, the carving spots are actually more activated than the logos would do. SM are more powerful than logos
Chapter 5 – Rituals and superstitions that affect our buying behavior
-Starts by explaining how Guinness created a ritual involving its beer à “Good things come to those who wait”
-How Rituals and Superstitions are part of our lives
oSports
oCrashes increased by 32 and 51% in Germany and London in the Friday 13th
-Even though we think it is ridiculous, our subconscious minds until think of it
How it they relate to our buying behaviors
-Rituals give us stability in this fast moving world. In addition, they help to make us part of a group
oWe are creatures of habit
oOnce we get used to something, it is hard to change (phones of different brands)
-Another Ritual corresponds to brand obsession and collections
oThese give us feelings of control and safety
Chapter 6 – Faith, Religion and Brands
-To test the relation between religions and brands, they made test to analyze the subjects’ reactionsto powerful brands and religious icons
-THE RESULT WAS THAT THE REACTIONS WERE THE SAME
-How religions and brands work
The basic pillars of religion are sense of belonging, clear visions, power over enemies, sensory appeal, storytelling, grandeur, evangelism, symbols, mystery and rituals.
oSense of belonging appears in societies and groups associated with brands
oClear visions correspond to the companies’ missions and the ‘objectives’/images of brands
oPower over enemies happen in the disputes between brands. When was the last time we heard a discussion about Macs and Windows
o…ETC…
The book attempts to make a scientific approach to how we behave, why we buy and how brands affect us. The book shows many different aspects of our buying behaviors and we must think that when we buy, we are being influenced by many of them.
What is said may sound a bit unrelated but they are all factors that influence how we buy
Chapter 7 – Somatic Markers
-Why do we pick one product over another? Or why do we buy one brand of cookies instead of another?
oThe answer lies on the existence of Somatic Markers
-SOMETIC MARKERS are a kind of shortcut that are formed in our brains based on past experiences of pleasure of punishment. These markers subconsciously connect experiences and emotions to specific reactions
oAn example of it could be the association of German cars with safety and trustfulness.
-Every day we manufacture new somatic markers in our brains. This usually occurs when there are surprises or shocks.
oAdvertisers use it, and this explains why we usually remember the weirdest and most ‘attractive ‘commercials/places (color, weirdness,etc)
-Another common somatic marker is the one based on fear
oAdvertisers based themselves on our past experiences of punishment to try to convince us that we will suffer if we don’t consume a certain product
oMedicine. Increase in consumption of Centrum
Chapter 8 – Selling to our Senses
-Companies often invest a lot in visual commercials and logos. But what about sound and smell?
-The test that was made compared how people reacted to smell and pictures .They found out that the smells activated the same areas as sight. When we smells something, images come to our minds.
-Smell is one of the most basic senses and we associate it with memories andexperiences. Advertisers know it and try to create it.
oEvery company hastheir own smells. Some examples are the smells of new cars, baby powder or “Just made hamburger”.
-Touch was also proven to work
oPeople thought that a lighter remote control was broken. People need to feel the clothes before buying them
-Color creates Somatic Markers and attract the people’s attention
o“Seul International color expo” found out that color increases brand recognition by 80%
-Sound and Jingles cause us to make associations (subconsciously) and they affect our emotions (buying behavior).
-In a test similar to the smell one, they found out that sounds together with images made people pay more attention, remember more and feel more pleasure.
oOnly the Nokia tune was bad – Associations to work and bad feelings (shows that sound really affect our emotions)
Chapter 9 – Neuromarketing and predicting the Future
-Nowadays, thousands of brands fail because of the inaccuracies of market studies. Can Neuromarketing predict if brands/ideas will work or not.
-What we say about products does not correspond to what we truly (subconsciously) think [mentioned above].
-They tested three shows that were not popular in the US but that were broadcasted in other places
oAt the end, the people actually said that they would watch the most unsuccessful shows. Their brains, however, showed more engagement to the least popular shows (which were also the ones that got more successful)
Chapter 10 – Sex in Advertising
Over the last years, sex has been increasingly used in advertising. But does it really sell?
-Here the book creates some contradiction
-Firstly we see that some companies think that it only distracts people
-When talking about sex in advertising, the most famous brand is Calvin Klein
oWhen they started, there was a lot of controversy. In the next years, they even made commercials knowing that they would have to take them off.
oThis Shocked the people. This was the responsible for making the brand more popular +image of cool
-- Beauty
oIt was also proven to not work
§Tentative of brands to create commercials with ‘normal’ people à Apple, Dove, Reality Shows
-NEVERTHELESS, these may alsowork due to mirror neurons. People see the models and sex and their mirror neurons make them think that they can be like that. All about creating dreams à Over the last years, however, people society is valuing happiness more.
-Will get worse and worse
Chapter 11 – Conclusion – Brand New Day
This was the union of science and advertising. Marketing has always been completely uncertain, but we found a way to reach certainty.
-Many companies do it: Microsoft, Dior, Unilever
-Traditional marketing simply does not work
-In the future, more and more companies will use the fears of the people: the will make them think that they are losing something. Branding is going to reach unseen levels: Saki Saba prices went up by 600% after it became a brand + 24h human brands
Advertising is increasing and becoming more powerful. The only way to be safe is to lock ourselves in dark rooms.
History and detailed explanation of the way Unilever works. This website has many interesting facts and numbers about Unilever. I am going to use it to talk about who they are and the corporation’s history
This website gives some of the crimes committed by Unilever . I used it to have a better idea and to start my research. It also has some information about certain crimes that I am going to talk about.
Greenpeace: Unilever accused of destroying rainforest in Indonesia and making it the third biggest polluter in the world. I am going to use this information in one of my slides to talk about what others say about Unilever. The problem involving deforestation and use of palm oil in Indonesia is the most contradictory and popular problem that is related to Unilever.
Greenpeace: A factory of Unilever in India had lots of toxic waste being dumped at the side of the factory. I am going to use this information to talk about other problem related to Unilever. In addition, the fact that it is also from Greenpeace may demonstrate that there is a certain argument between the two organizations .
PETA: Unilever associated with animal testing. Accusation made by PETA (People for the ethical treatment of animals), which is the biggest NGO that works with this problem. I am going to use this accusation in one of the slides to say what others say about Unilever.
Unilever: What they say about animal testing in their corporation. They admit that they do it and that they ae trying to stop it, however, at the same time they say that some testing is obligatory (which is not). I am also going to use this fact to show that Unilever is a company that really cares about what others think about them and any thing that happens against them, they immediately try to fix it. This happens because they are too connected to family, well being and other mages, so the cannot lose that image.
Exploitation of workers and avoidance of trade unions.
All of these websites are from trade unions or other organizations that are related to the topic. Unilever has committed many crimes related to unfair trade and bad treatment of its workers. I am going to use this information to show the fact that there is a lot of bias from trade unions and to present both sides of this issue. In the last one there is also the fact that Unilever buys other companies to create a monopoly in certain regions.
Article about Unilever’s tentative to establish a monopoly in Ireland. I am going to use to show another accusation against Unilever. The website is from the company Decision New Media, which is specialized in providing information to businesses and investors.
Unilever admits that it does not know from where 20% of its palm oil comes. This topic is going to be used together with the opinions of Greenpeace and WWF to demonstrate how contradictory some ideas may be. At the same time, we can use the fact that this website is basing itself on Greenpeace to affirm that there is also some bias there.
Australian Foodnews: There are many companies that say that are sustainable but that actually just work in some isolated regions. In this article, Unilever is praised for being the only one which actually does something
WWF saying that other companies should follow Unilever’s steps ??? I am going to use it to demonstrate the different ideas that exist around the same topic and to show that Unilever is not completely bad
BBC: Fair Trade. The fact that Unilever pays extremely low wages to its tea producers in India as a way to get more profit and be able to lower its price. This information is also connected to the one about the trade unions and I am going to use it in the same slide. The difference here is that it actually comes from BBC.
Being sustainable can be good for companies to have long-term profits. Unilever is one of those companies that perceived and are trying to change. This article shows that Unilever is gaining from the fact that it is trying to become more sustainable. I am going to use it to demonstrate that Unilever also has some good qualities
