Brainfluence Case Study

Summary Section 1: Price and Product Brainfluence.

This section starts with the idea that the less pain customers experience when paying, the more they buy. Certain approaches are used to help with the pain. Bundling products are perceived in a better way since it is hard to evaluate how fair the deal is. Credit cards also help since there is no physical cash going out of pocket. The exposure to price in a constant way is also detrimental in the purchasing behavior.

The use of money cues in advertising is also very popular but it strongly depends on the product you are trying to sale to determine if this is a good idea or not. Money images increase selfish behavior so this would be appropriate to satisfy selfish needs like financial independence.         Customers set in their mind certain prices for different categories of products and marketers take advantage of what they call anchoring. For example, releasing the IPhone 6 at a premium price and months later dropping the price to make it look like a bargain when in reality still very expensive. However, certain premium products wont work with this strategy and a clear example is wine which the higher the price, the higher the benefit perceived.

Decoy marketing is a very interesting concept because you can boost sales by just manipulating the different options you offer. A decoy option makes other options look like a better value and this happens because our brain is always ready to compare. There are 2 ways to do this, by adding a high-end product or a “not-so-good” one.

Finally, Section 1 ends with the idea that the fewer options you have, the greater the chance you have to sell more. This phenomenon happens because our brain gets tired of making choices and when many options are offered the decision-making becomes more difficult.

The most interesting concept for me was decoy marketing. It is very interesting how the manipulation of options you provide can completely change the perspective of a costumer. Now that I am aware of it I will consider talking to my dad to implement it in my family business. We run a small cable company and perhaps providing decoy packages of our services would possibly increase the attractiveness of those packages we are most interested in selling.

Comments and Questions:

•   It was mentioned in the book the use of credit cards to help with “The ouch of paying”. When I first came to the US, I only used cash and weeks later when I acquired a credit card I realize my spending increased significantly the next months, I now recognize it was part of the pain process of my brain.

• I wonder what are other examples of irrational anchors and what stores or businesses use this approach.
• Decoy marketing. I remember going to buy some vitamins at GNC and I found that there were 2 different products with basically the same benefits but one with a cheaper price.  I asked the salesperson if there was any difference and he replied, “No, they are exactly the same thing” on that opportunity I ended up buying 2 packages when my initial intention was to look for one. 

Summary Section 2: Sensory Brainfluence.

It is suggested that the more senses you stimulate with marketing, the better impact people would have towards a brand. The marketing strategy should be consistent everywhere across time. More than the logo, companies should make their brand recognizable using other elements that tackle different senses.

Smell is a very strong way to create emotions and memories and in fact Lindstrom mentioned that 75% of the emotions come from what we smell. Scents can even change consumer behavior and their perceptions, it was mentioned in the book that people in the casino spend 45% more money when a nice scent was in the area. Every store and brand should have its particular scent because this may serve for different marketing  purposes. However, if this is applied in the wrong way it can be detrimental, an example would be the excessive application of scent that customers may dislike. The use of scent in marketing can bring memories back. If there is one company that perfectly knows about this is Starbucks. They trigger customer memories with their aroma of coffee so when people pass by the store may be tempted to get in and buy a coffee. Here in the United Sates these scents can be trademarked which means that if marketers figure out the right scent they can actually protect it.

Companies should incorporate a sensory experience to their products because missing a sensory opportunity can be an advantage for competitors. Nespresso, for instance, modified their product in order to release more aroma and improve the sensory experience that customers have at home.

Sound is another element of sensory marketing that has a huge impact in consumer behavior. Stores should use music to boost sales but this one should be selected based on the products they are selling. Auditory branding efforts can go beyond just music and for me this was the most interesting concept because there are so many sounds that products generate that are there with a purpose. For instance, Mercedes had a team that designed a sound very attractive when closing their car’s door. It is very interesting how companies like Mercedes spend resources to create an appealing sound to influence consumer behavior. Companies should stick with their audio branding elements and avoid changing them every few years; they should be consistent because this will help customers recognize the brand.

Comments or Questions:

• The use of music by companies when you call customer service is something very popular and now I understand that this approach help me to be more tolerant with the waiting time.

• What would be an example that stimulates the touch sense?

• The power of music is something I experienced recently where I heard a Disney song that apparently I have not heard for a long time. When I heard it again, I remembered a moment in the past with my grandma making me sleep that I have not thought about it for so many years.

Summary Section 3: Brainfluence Branding.

This section starts with a German study where individuals under fMRI were shown well-known brands and had certain parts of their brain activated. A blind taste test revealed people prefer Pepsi over Coke and fMRI says the same. However, here is where the power of brands come into play, when individuals were shown the brands, they actually switch to Coke and their brains as well which indicates that brands has so much value in consumer’s mind.