Like it or not, 90% of our consumer behavior is unconscious and most of it is based on emotional instincts. So, as much as we want to cut down the spending, our irrational brain comes bursting with emotions and crying for the latest gadget. The bad part is that when asked, we might not be aware of our actual desires or we would just rather hide them away – hoping that the temptation is not that powerful. Anyhow, we should not blame ourselves 100% for our irrational behavior. Brands and the marketers behind them have their own part of the fault.
Here comes Martin’s role in explaining and proving how we react to brands’ activities and what the logic behind our irrational behavior is. Moreover, he reveals some of the tricks behind brands in making us buy thing that we don’t really need. After this you might think that Martin Lindstrom is taking the side of the poor consumers who cannot resist in front of marketers’ strategies. In fact, Martin is concerned about the fact that what people say and how they really feel are not the same and the results of the current marketing research methods could be misleading in some cases. Therefore, he is promoting MRI as an efficient tool in analyzing the real effects of advertising on consumers.
Cons:
After the first few pages I had huge expectations, but soon I lowered them down, not to be disappointed at the end. I was hoping to read more about the findings of his research, but he kept the content quite easy to read and commercial – accessible to all types of readers. Sometimes I had the impression that he just presented other people’s work without any personal input.
Pros:
When I am reading a marketing book I love to look for examples where brands used certain tricks to fool us into buying products or services. Well, in this book, Martin gives a plethora of examples from the branding world and I enjoyed very much reading about them. Despite his powerful ego, which I could feel here and there throughout the book, I liked his open and informal writing style – I felt like he was directly speaking to me.
Overall, the book is an interesting read for both professionals and nonprofessionals. It is captivating, but sometimes I felt lost in technical details. However, for the ones interested in neuromarketing, Buyology would be a must read to deepen their knowledge.
Here are some quotes from Buyology:
Lindstrom, Martin, "Buyology: Truth and lies about why we buy", Crown Publishing Group, 2010“If marketers want the naked truth, unplugged and uncensored about what causes us to buy – they have to interview our brains.” Page 22
“Emotions are the way in which our brains encode things of value. A brand that engages emotionally – will win every single time.” Page 27
“Most of the brain is dominated by automatic processes, rather than deliberate thinking. A lot of what happens in the brain is emotional not cognitive.” Page 28
“Neuromarketing research has found out that consumers’ memory of a product is the most relevant, reliable measure of an ad’s effectiveness.” Page 48
“In order for a product placement to work, the product has to make sense within the show’s narrative. So if a product isn’t a good match with the movie or TV show in which appears, [..] viewers will tune it right out.” Page 51
“We calculate purchase based on how they might bring us social status – and status is linked with reproductive success.” Page 64
“We assess snazzy stuff – iPhones, Harleys, and such – largely in terms of their capacity to enhance our social status.” Page 64
“The future of advertising isn’t smoke and mirror – it’s mirror neurons. And they will prove even more powerful in driving our loyalty, our minds, our wallets, and our Buyology than even the marketers themselves could have anticipated.” Page 67
“Smiling faces can subconsciously get us buy more stuff, suggesting that store managers who instruct their employees to smile are on the right track.” Page 76
“Rituals help us form emotional connections with brands and products” (egg. Oreo). Page 89
“If people are willing to pay sums, large and small – for things like dirt and water – that they believe have religious or spiritual significance, then clearly spirituality and branding are inextricably linked.” Page 111
“… despite their differences, almost every leading religion has 10 common pillars underlying its foundation: a sense of belonging, a clear vision, power over enemies, sensory appeal, storytelling, grandeur, evangelism, symbols, mystery and rituals.” Page 111
“Whether you’re in love with Nike, Neutrogena, Absolut, or Harley-Davidson, chances are you feel a sense of belonging among other users of that brand – it’s like being a member of a not so exclusive club. The sense of belonging is a profound influence on our behavior.” Page 112
“Having an identifiable enemy gives us the chance not only to articulate and showcase our faith, but also to unite ourselves with our fellow believers. This kind of us vs. them strategy attracts fans, incite controversy, creates loyalty, and gets us thinking & arguing – and of course, buying.” Page 113
“There was no discernible difference between the way the subjects’ brains reacted to powerful brands and the way they reacted to religious icons and figures.” Page 124
“Smell is very closely tied to how we experience brands or products.” Page 151
“Irrationally, we conclude that the tinier and lighter our digital camera or tape recorder is, the more intricate and cutting age the technology inside must be […] also, the heavier the product, the better its quality.” Page 152
“When people make subconscious judgments about a person, environment, or product within ninety seconds, between 62% and 90 % of that assessment is based on color alone.” Page 155
“How we say we feel about a product can never truly predict how we behave – market research is largely unreliable and can at times seriously mislead a company.” Page 169
“Traditional market research will gradually take on a smaller and smaller role, and neuromarketing will become the primary too companies use to predict the success or failure of products.” Page 176
“Sex does not sell anything other than itself.” Page 181
“Sex hijacks our attention away from the crucial information in an advertisement, so, too can extreme beauty or celebrity.” Page 186
“Celebrities can overshadow what an ad is trying to communicate.” Page 186
“90% of our consumer behavior is unconscious.” Page 195
“The higher price of a product enhances our enjoyment of it. […] We enjoy our purchase because we paid more” – Antonio Rangel. Page 197
“The fewer choices and selections we are confronted with, the easier it is to make a choice, so the likely we are to buy something.” Page 216
