Brainfluence - Dooley, Roger

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Here is a summary of the contents of the book Brainfluence:

The book is divided into 10 main sections covering various techniques to influence consumer brain and behavior for marketing and sales purposes. Some of the key topics covered include:

• Using neuroscience insights to design prices, products, promotions in a way that minimizes pain of payment and maximizes sales.

• Leveraging senses like smell, sounds to create stronger brand impressions and recall.

• Employing techniques like anchoring, decoy pricing to influence consumer choices.

• Designing loyalty programs, building trust over time to foster customer relationships.

• Optimizing visual content like images, photos for better engagement and memorability.

• Crafting impactful copy and messaging using techniques like stories, personalized language.

• Tailoring strategies for in-person sales interactions, promotions targeting specific consumer types.

• Applying neuroscience-based techniques to nonprofit marketing, fundraising campaigns.

• Overview of how consumer brain processes complex vs simple products/pitches differently.

The book provides real-world examples alongside takeaways for each chapter on how to apply the brain science insights discussed to influence consumer decisions through marketing, branding, sales activities.

Here is a summary of the key chapters and takeaways from the book “Brainfluence”:

• Chapter 78 talks about setting high but achievable expectations to influence consumer behavior. The takeaway is to set expectations that are challenging but reasonable.

• Chapter 79 discusses using small surprises to create positive feelings for customers. The takeaway is to build in small surprises to foster goodwill.

• Section 11 covers how mating and gender influence marketing. Chapters 80-83 discuss using romantic cues, simple language for men, exploiting the “peacock effect” for male buyers, and how attractive photos affect male timelines.

• Section 12 focuses on shopper behaviors. Chapters 84-88 discuss product pairings, engaging unhappy customers, apologizing, letting customers touch products, and how difficulty can increase desirability.

• Section 13 examines video, TV and film marketing. Chapters 89-91 say to use physical actions over words, establish credibility before claims, and leverage emotional content.

• Section 14 analyzes web marketing. Chapters 92-100 provide tips on first impressions, golden ratios, engaging multi-media, reciprocity over rewards, scarcity, simplicity for boomers, and anthropomorphizing websites.

The overall message is to leverage insights from neuroscience and human psychology to influence consumers more effectively with less resources. Understanding how the brain works can help improve marketing and sales outcomes.

• Neuromarketing refers to using principles of neuroscience to better understand consumer behavior and improve marketing techniques. There is no consensus on its exact definition. Some see it as only involving brain scans, while others include other technologies and behavioral research.

• The author prefers an inclusive definition involving any research into how the brain works and applying that understanding to marketing. Neuromarketing is about improving both marketing and products based on brain science.

• Some see neuromarketing as manipulative, but the author argues it can lead to better ads, products, and happier customers if used properly. Any tool can be misused.

• The book provides practical advice for marketers, not an in-depth science primer. It covers 100 bite-sized topics applicable across industries and budgets based on neuroscience research findings and their marketing applications.

• 95% of our thoughts and decision making occurs subconsciously, so marketers need to focus on emotional, unconscious appeals rather than just rational factors. Understanding the customer’s full brain is key to neuromarketing success.

• The passage discusses research by professor George Loewenstein on how the brain responds to costs/prices when making purchase decisions.

• Brain scan studies found that seeing the cost of an item activates the same brain regions associated with physical pain. This caused a “negative activation” to higher prices.

• The level of negative activation depends on the context and how prices are presented. Bundling multiple items into one price minimizes the pain by obscuring the individual component costs.

• It’s not just the dollar price, but also the perceived fairness of the deal. Things that make a deal seem unfair can activate the same brain regions.

• Using credit reduces the pain of purchasing by delaying the actual payment. This can encourage overspending for those lacking financial discipline.

• The researcher noted marketers have learned to structure offerings, like bundles and memberships, to minimize the number of separate “pain points” for the customer. This can increase sales and profit margins.

So in summary, the key idea is that pricing and purchasing experiences have been optimized by marketers to reduce the feelings of “pain” that come from perceiving and paying costs, based on insights into how the brain processes and weighs costs versus benefits.

Here are the key points from the summary:

• Salespeople often use an emotional pitch followed by a time-sensitive financial incentive to close the sale, as seen in timeshare presentations.

• Advertising for emotionally appealing gifts like diamonds avoids introducing money cues, which could interfere with the emotional message.

• Studies show simply listing prices numerically without dollar signs or decimals can increase spending compared to including those indicators.

• People use mental anchors to judge fair prices. Anchors for familiar items like gas or homes adjust more easily than unfamiliar products.

• Experiments found random numbers like the last two digits of a Social Security number unconsciously anchored and influenced willingness to pay for unfamiliar products.

• Marketers can strategically establish higher or lower anchors for unfamiliar products to make certain price points appear like a bargain. Apple used this with the iPhone by starting high then dropping prices to stimulate ongoing sales.

• Each infomercial establishes a high initial “anchor” price for the product by comparing it to department store prices. This makes the actual offered price seem like a bargain.

• They then proceed to add bonus products to the offer, making the anchor price of the total offer look even better and better.

• Essentially, each subsequent modification or addition to the offer establishes a new, higher anchor price that makes the actual price seem like an even bigger bargain by comparison.

• Studies show products are perceived as tasting better or working better when consumers believe they paid more for it, even if the actual product is the same. However, setting the price too high can backfire by causing “pain of paying.”

• Marketers should be careful with discounts, as steep discounts may undermine perceived value and quality by implying flaws with the product. More precise non-round numbered prices are preferable to vague round numbers.

• Introducing a slightly inferior option at around the same price as a better option can boost sales of the better option. This is because the inferior option acts as a decoy, making the better option seem like a better value by comparison.

• The same principle can apply when introducing a new high-end or premium option. While the premium option may not sell much, it can significantly increase sales of the next best option by framing it as a compromise or middle ground.

• An example is given of a retailer that introduced a premium $275 bread maker. This doubled sales of their existing $175 bread maker, even though few people bought the premium option. The premium option made the $175 model seem like a more reasonable compromise.

• Precise pricing, like prices ending in .95 or .99, may have a psychological effect of making products seem like a higher value compared to simpler or minimalist pricing without currency symbols or decimals. But this area could benefit from more direct study and comparison.

• Marketers should consider introducing a “not-so-good” decoy option similar to but slightly inferior than their preferred option, as this can boost sales of the preferred option by influencing comparisons and perceptions of value.

• A Stanford experiment found that when consumers chose between 2 camera models, the choices were split about 50/50. But when they chose from 3 models (including a higher-end option), fewer chose the cheapest model and more chose the mid-range model. The expensive option made the mid-range model seem like a more reasonable compromise.

• Adding a very high-end product can increase sales of the products below it in the lineup. It makes the next best option seem like a wise choice compared to the premium product.

• Retailers should be careful not to add too many product variations, as too many choices can reduce sales due to paralysis of analysis.

• Restaurants commonly use high-priced menu items and wines as “decoys” to make other options seem more reasonable in comparison.

• The takeaway is that retailers can boost revenue by adding an even more expensive super-premium product, though the new product may not generate high sales on its own. Close monitoring of competition is also important.

• Singapore Airlines strives to craft a consistent sensory experience for passengers by using the same scent (Stefan Floridian Waters) in elements like perfume worn by flight attendants, hot towels, and other services. Attendants also adhere to strict appearance standards and uniforms matching cabin decor.

• Lindstrom credits Singapore Airlines’ consistent sensory branding for its top customer preference rankings over time.

• Lindstrom advocates incorporating scent into branding through means like custom fragrances deployed consistently across customer touchpoints.

• Research shows scents can unconsciously influence perceptions and memories. For example, a floral scent increased preference for identically tested sneakers.

• Controlling ambient scents in retail environments and for products can increase appeal and sales through associated memories and emotions triggered by smells. However, scents must be used judiciously to avoid negative reactions.

• Scent marketing can be effective but also risks backlash if scents are too strong or inappropriate for the environment. A cookie scent in a bus shelter was removed after complaints.

• Scents should match the context - a bakery smell is fitting in a bakery but suspicious in a bus shelter. Book smells work well in a bookstore but not a general retailer.

• Smell is a very direct sensory pathway to the brain and may be more potent than other senses. Marketers should assess any default scents associated with their products or locations.

• Coffee shops like Starbucks create consistent sensory experiences with sights, sounds and smells focused around the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

• Nespresso found 60% of the espresso drinking experience comes from the retail environment, not just taste. They opened cafes and enhanced aroma release from home machines to combat this.

• Background music can subtly influence behaviors and perceptions. Matching music to products increased their sales in one experiment. Appropriate music can ease wait times.

• Marketers should choose background music styles fitting for their target customers and products, rather than relying on silence or random music. Sound is another sensory branding opportunity.

In summary, smells and sounds are potent sensory marketing tools if applied appropriately based on context and customer perceptions. Matching scents and music styles to products and locations can enhance branding and potentially influence behaviors.

• Muzak used to provide mainly neutral, non-offensive instrumental music known as “elevator music” for businesses.

• Now Muzak considers itself an audio branding firm that can craft custom musical backgrounds tailored to a company’s branding strategy. For example, it created calming instrumentals for a spa hotel to complement the luxurious atmosphere.

• While audio branding effects are difficult to prove, making a diligent attempt is still better than ignoring it.

• United Airlines uses a modified version of Rhapsody in Blue as its musical logo, varying it for ads while keeping it familiar. Hearing it at airports also helps branding.

• Nextel had particular success with its distinctive cell phone chirp for walkie-talkie mode, incorporating it into ads and achieving strong brand recognition through consistency.

• Effective audio branding relies on constantly repeating elements to breed familiarity over time, even if the original music or sound could be from any source. Consistency is key.

Here is a summary of the key points from the article:

• A neuromarketing study found that the most engaging part of the yogurt consumption process for consumers’ brains was grasping and removing the foil cover from the yogurt container. This was surprising as one would expect tasting or texture to be most important.

• This finding shows that important product characteristics may not be obvious. Marketers should not just focus on what seems most important and should consider overlooked details.

• The study highlights how even small things like packaging can strongly influence the consumer experience and engagement with a product.

• It is a lesson for all marketers to look beyond the obvious when evaluating their products and think about all touchpoints that may influence consumers. Neuromarketing can reveal unexpected insights but is not always necessary - the marketers who focused on the Rice Krispies cereal sound were very successful without studies.

• The key takeaway is that important characteristics influencing consumers are not always intuitive and marketers should consider all aspects of the customer experience, not just the obvious ones.

• Advertising does not need to fully capture someone’s attention or have them consciously process and recall the ad to still have an impact. Even low or no attention can result in positive brand shifts through unconscious processing of sensory associations.

• Research shows TV commercials that are not consciously recalled can still result in small but statistically significant positive shifts in brand perception. Fast-forwarded or skipped commercials also have some impact.

• There is evidence that our more primitive, secondary visual system can register brand imagery and social signals below the level of conscious awareness, through phenomena like “emotional blindsight.”

• Very brief, subliminal exposures (milliseconds) to brand symbols through mere exposure can make us feel more positively toward those brands later on, even without recollection of the initial exposures.

• Low or no attention does not mean no results - consistency and visibility of branding over time through various exposures, sponsorships, promotional items etc. can drive positive branding without conscious processing.

• The key is to keep the brand visible and linked to positive contexts and experiences, even when not the focus of direct attention, to build unconscious familiarity and positive associations over time.

• Passion brands inspire strong emotional attachment and loyalty in customers. They become “evangelists” who enthusiastically recommend the brand to friends.

• To create a passion brand, companies must hire “passionistas” - employees who are genuinely passionate about the category and brand. Their enthusiasm will infect customers.

• When hiring, companies should look not just at skills but also passion for the work. For example, a tech company looked for job candidates who were passionate about tech in their personal lives. These employees were best problem solvers.

• Creating an “enemy” brand can strengthen customer loyalty. Drawing distinctions between your customers and those of rivals fosters a sense of group identity and rivalry.

• Studies show people readily form attachments to meaningless groups. Brands can leverage this by making customers feel part of an in-group versus an out-group.

• Apple exemplifies this through ads that contrast “cool” Mac users with nerdy PC users. The goal is portraying who uses each product, not product details.

• Other brands like Coke, Pepsi, car companies and Etsy have also fostered identities and rivalries among customer groups. This creates brand evangelists and tribes.

Here are the key points from the passages:

• Research showed that voters who indicated their race on a card were more than twice as likely to believe that Barack Obama was a socialist compared to undecided voters who did not indicate their race. Undecided voters gave the claim a 25% chance of being true, while those who indicated their race gave it a 62% chance.

• Reminding people of their group identity, even subtly, can amplify the credibility of your message and make them feel more like a member of your group. This suggests that priming people with cues that separate them from other customer groups can make them more likely to believe your message.

• A brain imaging study found that physical/paper-based marketing activated more emotional processing areas of the brain compared to digital marketing. Paper marketing left a “deeper footprint” and engages more with spatial memory networks since it has a physical place.

• However, digital marketing can be far more targeted and engage users in ways paper cannot through interactivity, video, audio, etc. A well-designed digital ad could potentially match or exceed the impact of paper.

• Vivid imagery in print ads can be impactful enough to potentially create false memories or impressions of having experienced a product that wasn’t actually tried. This shows the persuasive power of vivid print images.

• An experiment found that participants who used heavy clipboards to fill out an application rated the position as more serious compared to those who used light clipboards. This showed that incidental haptic (touch) sensations can influence judgments and decisions.

• Weightier and heavier documents tend to create a more serious impression than lighter ones. Other tactile qualities like rigidity, texture, embossing can also influence perceptions.

• The weight effect may also apply to print vs digital documents - a heavy print document may convey more serious impact than the same lightweight digital text.

• Marketers can leverage this by using heavier paper/stock for important documents to imply gravitas. However, handed out weights unrelated to the content could seem strange. The key is that unrelated tactile sensations still influence behaviors.

Pictures can be powerful accompaniments to advertising content because they represent reality in a way that grabs attention. Research has shown that images of babies in particular draw people’s eyes within 150 milliseconds due to evolutionary reasons. While baby photos attract attention, advertisers should position the baby so it is looking at the desired focal point, like a headline, since people’s eyes will follow the direction the baby is looking. Other types of photos that can boost effectiveness include attractive women, though the effects may differ between genders. For example, including a photo of a woman increased male response to loan offers as much as a 4.5% reduction in interest rates. Marketers are advised to test different photo options to see what really works for their audience rather than make assumptions. Images that induce arousal, like videos of women in bikinis, have been shown to make men make worse financial decisions by making them more impulsive. In summary, pictures representing reality can be powerful accompaniments if used strategically.

• Research shows that having people imagine counterfactual scenarios (what if things had turned out differently?) can increase feelings of loyalty and positive emotion.

• One study found asking people to reflect on how the US might be different if it had not come into existence increased reported patriotism, compared to just thinking about the present situation.

• Similarly, having employees reflect on how their company almost failed in the past or how different things would be if the company did not exist can boost positive feelings and loyalty toward the company.

• Marketers could potentially use this technique by having customers imagine what their situation would be like without the product/service, what improvements they’ve experienced, etc. to strengthen loyalty and advocacy.

• The idea is that counterfactual reflection highlights one’s dependence on or gratitude for the object of loyalty (country, company, brand), amplifying positive emotions surrounding it. More loyal employees and customers have benefits for organizations.

So in summary, getting people to imagine alternative histories or outcomes, especially worse ones, appears able to subtly but meaningfully increase feelings of loyalty, according to this research.

Using counterfactual or alternative scenarios could potentially enhance customers’ positive feelings about their relationship with a company. However, this technique needs to be applied carefully and subtly. Explicitly asking customers to imagine negative alternatives, like what their lives would be like without the company, could backfire and have the opposite effect of reducing loyalty and positive emotions.

A better approach is to subtly introduce alternative scenarios in a positive way, without directly mentioning negative possibilities. This could boost customer loyalty and emotions in a more constructive manner without alienating the customer. The key is to avoid ham-handed or direct references to negative alternatives and focus on potential positive aspects of the current relationship.

• CRM software aims to improve productivity by prioritizing customers, but companies need to be aware of the importance of contact time to relationships.

• A study found that convicted felons rated their legal process as fairer when their lawyer spent more face time with them, even if the outcome was the same.

• Venture capitalists were found to trust and support entrepreneurs more based on the amount and timeliness of feedback, rather than just financial returns.

• Patients are less likely to sue doctors for injuries caused by medical errors if they felt the doctor treated them fairly and did their best, which is based on time spent and interaction quality.

• Quality contact time listening to customers is important for relationships, whether face-to-face meetings for important clients or phone/web chats for smaller customers. Relationships are tested during problems, so investing time early helps build trust for when issues arise.

• Telling customers directly that “you can trust us” significantly increased trust and perceptions of competence, fairness, quality and care in one study on auto repair ads. Demonstrating trust in customers by making products accessible can also help build reciprocal trust.

• Research has shown that people have a preference for processing spoken information via their right ear. Requests or directives made into a person’s right ear are more likely to be successful.

• A study conducted in noisy nightclubs found that almost three-quarters of interactions took place on the right side of the listener. Researchers also had more success getting cigarettes from people when speaking into their right ear.

• For sales interactions, it is best to position yourself so the decision maker hears you speaking into their right ear. This could mean sitting to their right during a dinner meeting or ensuring they don’t have their left side facing you at a networking event.

• Office layouts should aim to avoid situations where the salesperson has to talk into the left side of a prospect. Positioning and seating arrangements should favor the prospect’s right ear.

So in summary, the research indicates leveraging a person’s right ear preference can increase the effectiveness of requests, directives or sales pitches being made to them. Favoring the right ear verbally is advised.

The researchers conducted a study in a real-world setting rather than a structured lab, which increases the validity and likelihood of the findings being applicable in practice. Specifically, they tested whether initiating contact with someone via their right ear versus left ear made a difference in how successful they were. They found that making initial contact through the right ear was significantly more successful. Testing in an authentic setting rather than an artificial lab environment helps ensure the effects observed can actually be replicated when implementing the strategies. Overall, this research provides useful insights that could potentially benefit anyone who needs to approach and interact with unfamiliar people.

• Researchers found that even insincere flattery can have a positive impact on consumers’ impressions and behavior towards the flatterer, due to underlying implicit/subconscious positive biases. This occurred even when consumers consciously recognized the flattery was disingenuous.

• Ethical marketers and salespeople can apply this knowledge by using sincere, truth-based flattery and compliments that are grounded in reality about the customer. For example, praising a specific action or characteristic of the customer.

• Targeted, customized compliments are more honest than generic mass flattery statements. This causes less cognitive dissonance and creates a more favorable impression.

• When meeting with prospects, serving hot beverages like coffee may lead them to perceive you as warmer and more trustworthy. It can also make them feel warmer and more generous themselves due to associations between physical warmth and cooperation/trust in the brain.

• Serving hot caffeinated drinks may also boost prospects’ short-term memory of your pitch due to caffeine’s memory enhancing effects.

So in summary, insincere flattery can still work due to implicit biases, but ethical and sincere truth-based flattery is best for creating good impressions and influencing consumer behavior positively. Hot drinks may also help prospects perceive and act in a warmer, more trusting manner.

Here is a summary of the article “Heart-Warming News on Hot Coffee” by Nellie Tierney:

The article discusses recent research that found drinking coffee may have cardiovascular benefits. Specifically, it summarizes findings from two large long-term studies that indicate drinking 3-5 cups of coffee per day is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and death from any cause. Coffee drinkers in the studies had a 10-15% lower risk.

The article notes this supports results from previous studies that found moderate coffee consumption can improve cholesterol and reduce risk of type 2 diabetes. However, it cautions that the studies do not prove causation. Additional research is still needed to fully understand how and why coffee may provide these benefits.

In summary, the article reports on research linking moderate coffee consumption to potential heart health benefits such as reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and death from any cause. It indicates 3-5 cups per day may be beneficial but notes more research is still required.

• Being in a physically higher position can increase generosity and prosocial behavior compared to being in a lower position.

• Studies found people were more likely to donate to charity if asked immediately after going up an escalator vs down an escalator.

• Subjects who had gone up steps spent significantly longer helping with a task than those who went down steps.

• The effect is likely due to subconscious associations between height and positive concepts like heaven, God, looking up to others. Even small differences in physical elevation can influence behavior.

• For nonprofits, positioning donation boxes or soliciting donors at the top of stairs vs bottom could potentially increase generosity, based on this research on the impact of physical height.

• Subjects saw videos shot from an airplane or a car and were asked to imagine themselves in the video. They then participated in an activity where they thought they were helping another individual in a computer game.

• Subjects who saw the airplane video (the “high” position) were 60% more cooperative than subjects who saw the car video (the “low” position).

• Nonprofits and businesses could apply these findings. For nonprofits, locating donation boxes higher up or holding events with views could increase generosity. Team-building exercises for businesses could also benefit from an elevated environment.

• The effect may decrease with repeated exposure to heights, so occasional exposure may be most effective. Overall, considering location and vantage point could influence attitudes and cooperation.

• Nonprofit marketers need to make fundraising efforts as personal as possible by focusing on individual recipients, not just statistics about large groups of people.

• ChildFund International has been very successful with their model of allowing donors to sponsor a specific child by name, photo, and personal details. Donors are more engaged when they can visualize helping an individual child.

• This approach helps donors feel personally invested and obligated to continue giving, rather than withdrawing support, as they don’t want to negatively impact the child they are sponsoring.

• Personalizing the recipient is as important as personalizing the fundraising appeal to individual donors. Statistics fail to engage people emotionally in the same way as personal stories and photos of individuals.

• Nonprofits should aim to make their marketing efforts and descriptions of how funds will be used as personal as possible to increase donor engagement and fundraising success.

• The passage discusses how the brain anticipates words in a conversation or reading based on context clues. Surprising the brain with an unexpected word grabs its attention.

• Copywriters have used this technique of substituting an unexpected word in a familiar phrase to surprise readers out of complacency.

• Researchers found that inserting unexpected words or images in an otherwise predictable context grabs more attention from the audience.

• Reading Shakespeare activates the brain positively due to his use of “functional shift,” changing parts of speech unexpectedly. This momentary confusion engages the reader.

• Naming or renaming products can impact how healthy or appealing they seem. Food items described as “salads” or “muffins” rather than “pasta dishes” or “cakes” seem healthier.

• The same recommendation applies to other industries - creatively renaming a product or its category could improve sales by changing perceptions and shedding any negative connotations. Describing the product in a new light may increase appeal without significantly changing the product itself.

• Researchers found that framing negative information as percentages rather than concrete numbers can make the negative impact seem less severe. For example, people perceive a risk as higher when told “1,286 out of 10,000 people die” versus “12.86% of people die.”

• Percentages allow people’s minds to avoid visualizing actual individuals harmed, making the risk seem abstract. So when communicating negative information, it’s better to use percentages.

• However, for positive messages, using concrete numbers rather than percentages (“9 out of 10 customers approved” vs. “90% approved”) makes the beneficial impact seem more significant by triggering visualizations of actual people benefited.

• The word “free” is profoundly powerful in marketing due to psychological factors like loss aversion. Even when a discounted price offers nearly identical economic value, framing something as free massively increases its appeal. Marketers should leverage this effect when possible.

The passage discusses how storytelling effectively engages our brains. Telling stories was an evolutionary advantage for early humans to share experiences. Neuroscientific research shows that when people read stories, their brains light up in areas related to the experiences being described. Studies also find that when one person tells a story to another, their brain activity becomes synchronous, showing how storytelling allows for a “mind meld” effect.

Advertising examples are provided that demonstrate how powerful stories can be in marketing. The legendary John Caples piano lesson ad and a Wall Street Journal ad both begin with gripping stories that resonate in a universal way. By bringing up shared human experiences, stories have a more profound impact on the reader than just providing information. The key takeaway is that to engage customers, marketers should write vivid stories involving their product or brand to leverage this hardwired response in our brains.

Here are a few key points this summary highlights regarding ways to activate different parts of customers’ brains through storytelling:

• Telling stories activates the social and emotional parts of the brain that evolved to learn from others’ experiences. Detailed anecdotes are more memorable and influential than statistics.

• Personal stories provide context and details that allow the listener to mentally simulate and engage with the narrative. This engages cognitive areas related to visualization, empathy, and social connectivity.

• Credible first-hand accounts from trusted individuals are very persuasive due to our natural tendency to generalize from specific examples.

• Even fictional or exaggerated stories can influence beliefs if emotionally engaging. The brain prioritizes anecdotes over facts.

• Detailing problems and negative experiences engages risk/threat evaluation systems and promotes word-of-mouth influence through social learning and relationship/community bonding.

The key takeaway is that marketers should go beyond brief testimonials and craft full personal stories/narratives with rich contextual details to fully engage cognitive and social-emotional systems in the brain for maximum memorability and persuasiveness. Tapping into human social learning tendencies through storytelling can be a powerful marketing approach.

• The passage discusses a story told by a speaker about a supermarket that refused to refund a customer for a spoiled pickle, even though it cost just $1.50.

• Though the author didn’t remember details like the speaker or supermarket chain, he clearly recalled the “pickle story” many years later. Stories tend to stick in our memory more than statistics.

• The takeaway is that companies should avoid creating negative anecdotes or stories about poor customer service, as these stories can negatively impact perceptions of the brand for a long time. It’s best to resolve customer issues before they become memorable tales of bad service.

• Neuroscience research has shown that simple decisions are best made with deliberation, while complex decisions are better made intuitively. However, people don’t always decide this way.

• Marketers of complex products should provide information but lead with a simple message or emotional appeal to guide people toward the intuitive decision path. They should also accommodate different decision-making styles.

Here are the key points from the summary:

• Researchers identified two personas that exist within all of us - the “want self” and the “should self”. Timing is critical in navigating the conflict between these two personalities.

• Choices for immediate consumption favor what we want, while choices for future consumption tend toward what we should do.

• Marketers should time their pitches accordingly - sell want items for immediate use and should items when marketed for future use.

• Examples given are grocery stores placing healthy items at the front of the store and candy at checkout, as well as how online sellers time product delivery windows.

• The research shows that understanding these want vs should dynamics and timing your messaging appropriately can help maximize sales and consumer choices. It’s about appealing to both sides of our decision-making process.

So in summary, the key takeaway is that marketers need to be aware of and time their pitches to both the want and should selves of consumers in order to be most effective. Timing messaging and availability properly can influence choices.

The amount of money involved in a contest or reward had an important effect on how people perceived it, even if the chance of actually winning the large reward was very small. Research showed that people were much more motivated by the potential size of the reward than by the probability of winning it. Marketers could take advantage of this by offering very large prizes for contests and sweepstakes, even if they insured against paying out the large prize through rules that reduced the actual chances of winning. Examples mentioned included charity golf contests offering a million dollar prize if someone got a hole-in-one, and Pepsi running a sweepstakes with a top prize of $1 billion. The key point is that people were more engaged by the exciting potential of a huge reward, even if the odds of winning it were extremely low.

Here are the key points from the summary:

• Pepsi ran a marketing promotion offering a $1 billion prize that contestants could win by matching a 6-digit number chosen by a chimpanzee rolling dice.

• Winners had to progress through multiple rounds/levels, with the odds of winning the billion decreasing at each stage. Only one final contestant had a chance to win it.

• Pepsi insured the prize through Berkshire Hathaway in case it had to be paid out. But this was unlikely to significantly impact Pepsi’s bottom line.

• The contest generated huge publicity for Pepsi. Though the final contestant didn’t win the billion, he walked away with $1 million.

• The lesson is that spectacular, low-odds prizes can be very effective for generating buzz and publicity, even if the top prize isn’t won. As long as the overall expected payout is controlled, it’s worth it for brands to think big with prize amounts.

So in summary, it describes a unique billion dollar marketing promotion Pepsi ran involving multiple stages and very long odds, but which paid off greatly in publicity regardless of the actual prize won. The key takeaway is to think big with promotional prizes.

• Research shows that customers’ beliefs and expectations about a product can directly impact their actual experience with that product. If they believe a product is better, they will tend to perceive it as better, even if the quality is objectively the same.

• This means marketing has an important new role - establishing high customer expectations that will enhance their experience. Setting unrealistic expectations could backfire, but achievable high expectations can make customers happier.

• Factors like reputation, branding, price point, and store/dealer experience help create expectations for brands like Lexus that contribute to higher customer satisfaction above just product quality.

• The product still needs to generally meet expectations - a $100 wine tasting awful will ruin the experience no matter the marketing. But some dissonance can be overcome if the gap isn’t too wide.

• A Microsoft study demonstrated this, where users rated the operating system “Mojave” more positively than Vista, even though Mojave was just Vista. Marketing impacted perceptions.

• The key takeaway is for marketers to set high but realistic expectations through branding, positioning, etc. to positively influence the customer experience with the product or service.

The passage discusses theories about why female salespeople seem to be more successful than males in some industries. One theory is that attractive female salespeople have an advantage in getting meetings with busy male executives and customers. Another is that women generally have better social and people skills that help with sales.

A specific example given is female pharmaceutical sales reps who call on mostly male doctors. The passage suggests the mere presence of an attractive female rep could subconsciously prime male customers with romantic thoughts, making them more inclined to spend or demonstrate their “mating potential” through orders or recommendations. This relates to research showing romantic priming causes men to spend conspicuously.

While overgeneralizations, the stereotype of successful female reps in some fields seems rooted in evidence. Wordy appeals may be less effective for males who process language in a more sensory, direct way. Overall, the passage explores evolutionary psychological explanations for observed gender differences in sales performance.

• Studies show that products that trigger subconscious feelings of disgust, like feminine hygiene items or cat litter, can negatively influence perceptions of other nearby products in a shopping cart or on store shelves.

• An experiment found that food items were seen as less appealing if they had been placed next to a disgust-inducing product. Merely being within an inch of each other was enough to transfer negative associations.

• The effect lasted for over an hour - people were less interested in trying a cookie if it had previously been seen near feminine hygiene products, even after a long delay.

• Researchers believe this occurs due to an innate human instinct to avoid consuming items that seem potentially contaminated. Unexpectedly, rice cakes were also perceived as higher in fat when viewed after disgusting products.

So in summary, seemingly unrelated products can take on negative attributes just from their proximity to items that trigger disgust responses in shoppers. This cootie effect should be considered when designing store layouts and displays.

• Researchers observed rice cakes gaining less weight when packaged in opaque packaging compared to clear packaging. This suggests products in clear packaging may be more vulnerable to imagined contamination from surrounding items.

• Simply touching or holding a product can increase feelings of ownership and willingness to pay more for that product. Imagining ownership amplifies this effect further. This is known as psychological ownership.

• Allowing potential customers to physically engage with products is an effective marketing tactic as it increases positive emotions and perceived ownership without them actually purchasing the item yet.

• However, marketers have little control over what items customers put together in their shopping carts once in the store. Adjacent placement of unrelated items on shelves could potentially lead to negative contamination if the pairing seems strange.

• Clear packaging may be riskier than opaque packaging in retail environments that are less organized or clean, as the contents could unconsciously take on negative associations from surrounding items visible through the packaging.

The key takeaway is that physical interaction and clear visibility can increase desire but also vulnerability to imagined contamination, so marketers need to consider product adjacencies and retail environments carefully.

• Research shows that gestures and body language may be as important as words when communicating through video like TV ads. A mismatch between verbal and nonverbal cues can cause the same brain response (N400 peak) as misused words.

• People process body language and gestures unconsciously on a regular basis. Inconsistencies between words and actions can undermine a message even if the viewer isn’t consciously aware of it.

• For local business owners appearing in ads, it’s important to deliver lines with complete conviction if they want to be effective. Many local retail ads use the first take without multiple retakes to improve delivery.

• When creating any marketing content using video like commercials or sales presentations, physical actions should be paid as much attention to as the spoken message. Gestures and postures need to reinforce rather than create dissonance with the intended message.

So in summary, nonverbal communication through body language and gestures is critically important for effective video marketing. Messages can be undermined by inconsistencies between what is said and how it is physically conveyed.

The passage discusses how first impressions from subtle cues can influence behavior in a subliminal or unconscious manner. It then details an example of “priming by order” found by political consultant Frank Luntz.

Luntz unintentionally showed focus groups different ordering of short films about a political candidate, Ross Perot. Groups that saw a speech by Perot first had a much more negative impression of him compared to groups that saw a biography or testimonials first before the speech.

Further testing showed establishing credibility first through third-party narratives or testimonials before presenting ideas was more effective than presenting ideas first without establishing credibility. This “priming by order” effect impacted opinions even after all groups saw all the content.

The passage suggests this shows the importance for marketers to be aware of order effects and consider establishing credibility or addressing potential objections before making bold claims, as initial impressions can be hard to change even after additional information. Introducing an idea and then backing it up may be less effective than preparing the audience to accept it first.

• Initial impressions of websites formed rapidly, within milliseconds, tend to bias users as they continue viewing the site. A positive initial impression makes users more likely to discount flaws, while a negative first impression is difficult to change.

• Happy, positive users are more inclined to find a site easy to use according to emotional design theory. Positive mental states facilitate task completion while negative frames hinder it.

• Testing different homepage and landing page designs is important to determine which create the best first impressions for a site’s target audience. There is no universal formula for a great first impression.

• Reward strategies that require information submission before viewing content are not as effective as reciprocity approaches that provide value upfront without obligating users. Reciprocity builds trust and encourages voluntary continued engagement.

The key takeaway is that initial impressions powerfully shape subsequent perceptions and behavior on a site. Testing designs and using reciprocity frameworks that create positive first experiences can boost engagement and information sharing.

• Research shows that exploiting scarcity increases sales and conversions for e-commerce sites. Specific details like quantities and inventory counts are more effective than vague messages.

• Sites like Amazon, Expedia, and Overstock use scarcity messages like “Only 4 left” or “1 ticket left at this price” to encourage urgency. Overstock also leaves sold out items visible.

• Daily deal sites like Groupon exploit scarcity through limited-time offers and quotas. Some fashion retailers also use 24-hour sales.

• Advertising to older audiences should keep messages simple with minimal distractions. Older brains have more difficulty suppressing irrelevant information, so uncomplicated layouts work best.

• Online retailers can increase perceived ownership and willingness to pay by encouraging “ownership imagery” through questions that help customers imagine using and owning the product at home. Simple questions in product descriptions can activate this effect without physical touches.

In summary, scarcity cues and helping customers visualize ownership through their imagination can boost online sales and conversions according to the research studies discussed. Specificity, simplicity for older audiences, and imagery techniques are recommended.

• Having customers visualize themselves owning or using a product can increase conversions and sales. This is known as “ownership imagery.”

• On websites with many products, providing detailed visualization instructions for each product may seem odd. But it could work well for single product “squeeze pages” where customers deeply engage with one product page.

• TireRack.com provides a good example of online ownership imagery. Customers select their car make/model/year, then wheels and tires. They can then view an image of their exact vehicle rendered with the chosen wheels/tires.

• For some sites, including a short video discussing product features while also prompting ownership imagery could be relevant.

• Finding ways to build a sense of perceived ownership through the marketing copy, website experience, etc. will generally increase conversion rates and total revenue. subtle cues can trigger feelings of ownership that influence purchase decisions.

So in summary, the passage discusses how subtly making customers visualize themselves owning or using a product, known as “ownership imagery”, has been shown to increase engagement, conversion rates and sales for some businesses. It provides an example of how TireRack.com successfully implements this online.

Here is a summary of key points about mortality from the sources provided:

• Pringle and Field discuss how various sensory experiences (smell, sound, visuals) can be used in branding and marketing to influence the brain and trigger memories/emotions.

• fMRI research has shown how brands, stories, and other marketing tactics can activate emotional processing centers in the brain. Memorializing a brand through sensory experiences can strengthen loyalty.

• Using sensory-related branding techniques tied to smell, sound, taste can reinforce a brand’s presence in the brain through neuroplasticity. Repeated exposures through the senses help form stronger neurological connections with the brand over time.

• Storytelling, images, and other sensory cues in marketing/advertising can influence memory formation and retention as shown through fMRI studies of the hippocampus and other brain regions involved in memory processes.

• neuromarketing research aims to understand how the brain responds unconsciously to various branding and marketing stimuli across the different senses in order to design more effective strategies for attention-getting, persuasion, and loyalty-building. The goal is to leverage insights about neurophysiology, cognition, and behavior.

In summary, the sources discuss how leveraging different senses through branding, marketing communications, and retail/product experiences can influence brain processes related to memory, emotions, and decision-making in ways that strengthen connections with and loyalty to a particular brand over time. Neuromarketing research continues advancing understanding of these sensory-neurological interactions.

Here is a summary of the key points related to sensory marketing feedback for luxury products and pairing products:

• The sense of touch is particularly important for luxury products as it enhances the perception of quality. Allowing customers to touch and feel luxury items in stores can increase sales.

• Pairing unrelated products together based on sensory attributes like smell can increase sales. For example, pairing perfume samples with chocolates leads to higher chocolate sales.

• Distinctive smells can create memorable impressions and brand associations. Luxury brands sometimes use distinctive fragrances in their stores.

• Sounds also contribute to the in-store experience and impression of luxury. Luxury brands may use calming music or natural sounds in their stores.

• Together, multisensory experiences that engage sight, sound, smell and touch can enhance perceptions of luxury and quality and make products and brands more memorable and appealing for customers. This sensory marketing feedback is particularly effective for luxury goods and items that are frequently purchased together.