jcare's Full Review: Martin Lindstrom - Buyology: Truth and Lies About ...
The subtext of this book is the truth and lies about why we buy. This a little on the strong side, yet Martin Lindstrom, one of the world-renowned experts on branding, does provide some interesting insights into the science of buying; and therefore by implication, the science of selling.
I originally read a short review of the book in the Wall Street Journal, which attracted my attention. So the next time I was in Barnes and Noble I saw a bright yellow book at the front of the store, pulled out my wallet, and I am now the proud owner of “Buy*ology”. It later occurred to me that yellow is actually one of Mother Nature’s warning colors – meaning “I sting” or “I’m poisonous and bad to eat” (banana skins?) but then realized I was way overthinking it.
The Basic Premise
Marketers, making use of ultra-modern Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, hooked up hundreds of people to real-time fMRI machines to examine which parts of their brains were “lighting up”, and to what degree, when watching/listening or reading marketing pitches. This new form of studying the human brain is christened neuromarketing and is now starting to be examined as the modern form of the polygraph (aka the lie detector).
The reason why marketing folks are looking at this technology is that it helps them differentiate between what we say we like, and what we actually like. In practice, it prevents us from deceiving ourselves as well as others – I found this to be a rather scary glimpse of the future.
Does It Actually Work ?
Lindstrom comes up with a number of conclusions based upon the scientific data he gathered during these experiments. Most of them contradict conventional wisdom, but I was left with the thought "how do I know you are right?”. The book is full of examples, and I don’t want to spoil some of the story, so here are three prime examples.
1. The warning labels on cigarette packets actually encourage people to smoke. They appeal to an innate sense of danger. Smoker’s brains lit up like a Christmas tree when they saw a pack of cigarettes after not smoking for several hours (the areas associated with reward, craving and addiction). What was more surprising is that those same areas lit up when they were presented with visual images like a red Ferrari, a camel and cowboys in the desert – all representations associated with a brand of cigarettes. As far as the warning labels, they were either ignored, or promoted interest in having a cigarette
2. Product placement (in movies, on TV) doesn’t work unless it is an integral part of the plot and carefully weaved in to appeal to other senses too. For example, Coke is associated with American Idol, because not only does Simon Cowell have a large Coke in front of him, but the red coke color is everwhere, and much of the stage has the sweeping curves of a coke bottle. Can you name the other two main sponsors of AI? (thought not .. actually Ford and T-Mobile).
3. People like the Mini-Cooper automobile not because of its 1.6L engine, ultra rigid body or any other mechanical features, but because it appeals to that area of our brain that recognizes faces! To quote Martin Lindstrom you just wanted to pinch its little fat metallic cheeks!
The Bottom Line
What did I take away from this book? First – if any marketing types ask me to strap on some fMRI headgear for market research I will run; as I would if anyone ever tries that in a court of law! Secondly – to question the real reason why something appeals to me when I am shopping, whether in Best Buy, Home Depot or the local supermarket; and third – to be aware of attacks on my other senses, notably smell and touch.
At around 200 pages Buyology is a relatively fast read, and it doesn’t get too bogged down in the science. The most frustrating aspect of the book was that after the conclusions were pronounced and discussed, Lindstrom never discusses what to do next, and what the implications are..
How much do we know about why we buy? What truly influences our decisions in today s message-cluttered world? An eye-grabbing advertisement, a catchy ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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