Why Neuroscience and Marketing Don’t Mix

5 Fables we’ve been told– and why they’re wrongBy Brandon N. Towl

Words Have Impact

• There has been a lot of interest in the past decade in what the brain can tell us about business and marketing.

• There are many different labels for (and approaches to) this interest: – Neuromarketing– Neuropricing– Affective marketing– Neuro-economics– Sometimes, just “brain facts for business”

• And books have been written….

• There is some good research out there. But there are also 5 widespread and utterly false myths or “fables” out there that need debunking.

Fable #1: Left Brain vs. Right Brain

The claims:• There are “left brain thinkers” (better at logic,

language, organization) and “right brain thinkers” (more creative artsy types).

• Different types are better suited to different tasks or different jobs

• The differences come down to different use of, or practice with, each hemisphere of the brain.

Fable #1: Left Brain vs. Right Brain

Nope!

• The different hemispheres do have some different functional areas… that almost every adult uses more or less equally.

• Capacities like “logic” and language involve many areas spread throughout the brain– there is no one “language area” or “creativity area”.

• Little-to-no evidence for the 2 types of “thinker.”• Actual hours spent in training/practice is a better

predictor of specific talents.

Fable #2: Marketing with colors

The claims:• Different colors trigger different emotional responses

(associations, whatever)• So, marketers can use different colors to their

advantage in logo design, collateral design, waiting room design… etc.

Fable #2: Marketing with colors

For example,this:

Fable #2: Marketing with colors

Or this:

Fable #2: Marketing with colors

Or this:

Fable #2: Marketing with colors

Nope!• How we perceive colors depends a lot on

context (what’s around them).• What we associate with which colors depends

a lot on culture.• There are more colors than are in the Crayola

box of 16… different shades and combinations of colors can convey different feelings– more than can be charted in these simple graphics.

Fable #2: Marketing with colorsFor example, looks at all of these yellows– in different

shades and in different contexts. Do they make you feel the same way?

Fable #3: People Buy Based on Emotion

The claim:• People making buying decisions largely based

on emotion• This involves an evolutionarily “old” part of

the brain• This part of the brain is non-linguistic (but likes

pictures), rarely follows “logic”, and has a short attention span

Fable #3: People Buy Based on Emotion

… Only partially true…

• Some purchase decisions are based on emotion. (Ice-cream, fashionable sweaters, blog themes, etc.)

• But some are more grounded in logic (economy cars, home repair supplies, blog content).

Fable #3: People Buy Based on Emotion

… and leads to bad marketing practices.

• Most marketers try to appeal to very basic emotions: fear, surprise, guilt, anxiety, awe, anger.

• Most buyers are aware of attempts to manipulate these emotions!

• There are other emotions worth invoking too: curiosity, affection, belonging, nostalgia, pride

• The most effective messages have a mix of the rational and the emotional

Fable #4: We only use 10% of our brains

The claims:• People only use 10% (or some other small

number) of their brain/ brain power• Various products, events, seminars, or

practices can “unlock” this hidden potential

Fable #4: We only use 10% of our brains

Resoundingly false:

• Thousands of studies have shown that most of the brain in active most of the time

• Cases of brain injury have shown that damaging almost any part of the adult brain leads to some loss of function

• Besides, brain matter is expensive, metabolically speaking. Our bodies wouldn’t keep brain material around unless it were really useful for something.

NeuromarketingNeuropricing

NeuroeconomicsBrain facts

Brain facts for businessContent marketing and the brain

Fable #5: Brain Games will help improve mental performance

The Claims:• Brains are likes muscles: they must be

exercised to be at their top performance.• Simple games– the kind that can be coded into

an app or handheld game– can stimulate the brain.

• A few minutes with these games each day will help boost brain power.

Fable #5: Brain Games will help improve mental performance

Nope!• Practicing brain games does boost performance…

but mostly for those specific brain games (and tasks like them).

• BUT: most day-to-day work tasks are much more complex than, and use different skills than, your typical brain game.

• Some games might help memory or language generally… but the effects plateau pretty quickly.

Bottom Line:

• Most rumors you’ve heard about the brain… are probably false.

• Research in this area is still very early. Most of the stuff in the popular press is done very, very poorly. The good stuff in academic articles is quite complicated and not immediately actionable.

• There are no magic bullets here.

Other Goodies:

• My online review of Buyology, and the flawed logic behind many of the studies in it.

• My other articles on marketing follies at www.asackofhammers.com.

• Sally Satel’s expose Brainwashed at Amazon.com

• Articles on Neuromarketing at Fast Company.

P.S. How do I know this stuff?

• Before my career in writing and marketing, I had an academic career in philosophy & neuroscience (PhD Washington University in St. Louis 2009).

• Taught undergrad courses on critical thinking/experimental design in neuroscience and cognitive science many years running.

• Also published interdisciplinary papers applying neuroscience research to other topic areas.