I believe a truly respectable weblog should prove itself to be more then a soapbox for unsubstantiated opinions and so as a way for you, the reader, to assess my ability to review a topic, organize data and develop an argument, either for or against a particular issue, I did what any grammar school teacher worth their mettle would do and assigned myself a book report. Beyond the basic function of proving I am literate, a book review also helps to illustrate how a person experiences a subject or ideas. You can learn a lot about a reviewer by reading the review. I don’t expect this to end well. I took an emotional IQ test a few years back and the results said my temperament was best suited for a society based on collective anarchism. This still confuses me. And makes me angry. And then I get sad. And then I just don’t care; stupid Emotional IQ tests.
Martin Lindstrom’s Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy discusses the burgeoning approach to measuring consumer behavior called neuromarketing, which, simply put, is the endeavor to apply scientific method to the business of branding. Proponents, such as Mr. Lindstrom, believe that neuromarketing will unlock the mystery behind our subconscious choices of one brand over another, by using brain-imaging technology that is traditionally used to detect illness. The picture on the cover is a profile of a human head in black silhouette with a barcode tag attached to a string, which then winds around to form the outline of a human brain. As you will learn after reading the book, I’m sure there was a subliminal message hidden in this cover, meant to induce more readers to pull it off the bookstore shelf, however, on the surface it seems to infer that the human brain doesn’t have much going on inside it other then a compulsion to shop. A compulsion whose tendencies can be recognized and measured in the same way a virulent tumor is detected.
1. Negatively judging a seemingly innocuous book cover: -10 emotional IQ points.
Mr. Lindstrom uses the introduction to Buyology to define neuromarketing and defend it against mind control alarmists. It is not, according to the author, an Orwellian instrument for governments and corporations, employed to manipulate our consumerism to their benefit, but, rather, is a defense against the tactics of advertisers who don’t always have our best consuming interests at heart. In fact, as the author illustrates in a discussion of cigarette warning labels, governmental efforts to curb smoking by putting warning labels on cigarette cartons often backfire, since just seeing the label stimulates the part of the human brain that compels a smoker to light up. As the author succinctly surmises, “…neuromarketing isn’t about implanting ideas in people’s brains, or forcing them to buy what they don’t want to buy; its about uncovering what is already inside our heads—our Buyology.”(P 35). And what Mr. Lindstrom and the scientists monitoring the brain scanning equipment soon find out is that we are frequently irrational in our consuming behavior and sections of our brain regularly compete to influence our decision-making processes. It is these internal conversations within our brains that lead us to predominately choose Coke over Pepsi even though in taste tests we slightly prefer Pepsi and why we would rather take a $15 gift certificate now then wait 2 weeks for a $20 gift certificate.
I found this part of Mr. Lindstrom’s argument personally compelling, since I am keenly aware of the internal monologue that mumbles just below the surface of our consciousness. In my previous employment I often travelled great distances, by myself, in a car. On these long, solitary road trips, what begins as a hushed conversation between you and the world speeding by, can steadily develop into internal debates that suddenly escalate into raging arguments between you and…you. For travelers who get uncomfortable stopping late at night for gas, food or lodging, I assure you that the chances of being accosted or even bothered are greatly reduced if you get out of the car screaming at yourself.
2. Emotional Intelligence Quotient of previous paragraph.
a. Recognizing and accepting the multiple voices inside your head: +5 Emotional IQ points.
b. Allowing these voices to argue publicly: -7 Emotional IQ points.
Chapter 2 of Buyology dealt with the effectiveness of product placement and used American Idol as a test case. Although I found this chapter to be one of the more interesting pieces of Mr. Lindstrom’s research, I found it hard to relate it back to Verde Home and our extensive offering of fine, hand-woven wool and silk rugs, or our recent arrivals of soft, textured, vibrant upholstery from American Leather or our custom, contemporary hardwood furniture brought to you by Skylar Morgan’s DOC Collection. Mr. Lindstrom’s research illustrated that product placement was most successful in grabbing viewers’ attention when the product was integrated into the actual program (or blog?). Coca-Cola was the clear victor, considering the American Idol judges drink from Coca-Cola cups, much like the one I just set down on Verde Home’s CS Oval Dining Table.
Additionally, American Idol’s furniture on the set is designed with rounded edges that mimic the shape of Coke bottles, similar to these Zig Zag vases from the Verde Home collection of accessories.
And, finally, the contestant waiting area is painted the same red as a Coca-Cola can, which, by the way, closely resembles the leather in our Hugo chair.
Cingular was the next most successful integrator of their brand considering the audience is repeatedly told to text their votes via Cingular wireless and their orange logo, coincidentally the same color as Verde Home’s Sandy love seat, pops up every time a contestant’s telephone number is listed to start the voting.
On another note, if you would like to vote in support of my candidacy to be President of the Confederacy of Collective Anarchists, please scroll down to the comments link and register as a member. Considering this is a party based on anarchy, your membership will be immediately denied, but that’s just because formal memberships have been outlawed. I know it seems confusing but you try finding common ground among a bunch of anarchists. The current president is some guy named Carl, who I have not actually met since he’s never been present at any meetings. Attendance is optional and if you do decide to go to a meeting, I would come armed. For the answers to any other questions, I would refer you to our constitution but I should warn you that it is written in pencil in 36 different languages, so it could best be described as a fluid document.
Of all the American Idol sponsors, Ford motor company was shown to register the least in the minds of viewers and not coincidentally their product was only viewed during commercial breaks. If Ford isn’t smart enough to drive one of their SUV’s on to the American Idol set, then they really don’t deserve a bail out. I would consider buying a Ford if they plowed an Escape Hybrid into the panel of judges and I doubt I’m alone on this sentiment. These are the kinds of things I think about while lounging back in the Acacia chair by Cisco Brothers with my feet up on the recently delivered DOC round Coffee table.
3. Wishing physical harm on people you have never met: -15 Emotional IQ points.
Although it’s a relief to know that we now have scientific proof, the theories expressed in the next few sections of Buyology are not what I would call revolutionary. Mr. Lindstrom begins with an explanation of mirror neurons, the biological basis behind why we yawn when someone else yawns and concludes that consumers are influenced by the frequency of seeing a product being utilized by other consumers. In short, we imitate one another in the same way monkeys do. We are talking basic evolutionary theory here and the rest of the chapter borders on condescension when Mr. Lindstrom informs us that our willingness to purchase something can be greatly affected by our interaction with a positive or negative salesperson. The entire discussion left me muttering the phrase, “No duh”.
4. Using expressions common to a 13-year -old girl when you are actually a 36-year-old adult male: -13 Emotional IQ points.
The chapter on subliminal messages in advertising is slightly more thought provoking, if only for the final analysis that the logo is dead, and, therefore, subliminal marketing will only become more prevalent. Mr. Lindstrom gives a brief explanation and history of subliminal advertising, with the spotlight being on the cigarette industry, since smoking ads are widely banned and has forced this industry to find creative ways to promote their product. Which they accomplish with great success, while simultaneously doing their part to control the world’s over population and serve at the pleasure of their underworld master. It is Mr. Lindstrom’s contention, throughout Buyology, that neuromarketing will protect us from these manipulations by giving us the power to recognize when we are being subliminally influenced. Now all we need are individual, portable versions of an fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine; a piece of equipment that currently weighs in at 32 tons.
5. Resorting to unnecessary sarcasm bordering on cynicism: -7 on the Emotional IQ meter.
Things begin to regain some momentum in a discussion of humankind’s penchant for rituals. Mr. Lindstrom’s research shows that our psychic attachment to rituals comes from the same nerve center in our brain that compels us towards brand loyalty. It is the human desire for the appearance of control in an unpredictable world that induces us to check our horoscope every morning or pray before we go to bed every night or, in my case, repeatedly check locked doors, unplug electrical outlets, check for running faucets and drain a tub of hand sanitizer almost weekly. This same compulsion also directs some of us to order a Guinness draft, with its formal procedure for the perfect pour, rather then a less expensive but similarly tasting beer that just streams out of the tap without the ceremony.
This contention, alone, is worthy of note but what makes it truly attention grabbing is Mr. Lindstrom’s transition into a discussion on religious experiences and its relation to our behaviors as consumers. The author provides numerous links between religions, and their accompanying rituals, and the characteristics that make up a strong brand; from the palpable sensory appeal and use of symbols to the perceptible identification of enemies, which in terms of religion centers on Satan and in regards to myself, includes the following list:
Ed. Note: A directory of people, places, organizations and even some flora and fauna was provided, but the list was disturbingly long and deemed by this editor to be unsuitable for the forum. If you are interested in knowing things like, “Paul’s top ten most annoying sport’s figures in history”, then submit a resume and wait for a slow afternoon because, frankly, I can’t listen to it anymore. It has been almost 20 years of this and it is starting to have a profound negative effect on my health.
But I digress, and, in summary, Mr. Lindstrom’s provocative assertion is that our brains react the same way to strong brands as they do to religious images. I will leave it up to you to ponder the possible repercussions of this theory.
6. And the Emotional IQ experiment continues:
a. Finally admitting that you suffer from a slight case of OCD: + 20 points
b. Making lists of perceived enemies or annoyances: -80 points. (Ouch)
In the final chapters, Mr. Lindstrom turns his attention to somatic markers, which he believes are at the root of our buyology and therefore the primary focus of all neuromarketing research. Somatic markers are imprints of past experiences that the brain stores and then relies on later to assist in the decision making process. Subsequently, what we think is spontaneous behavior is actually directed by our subconscious using prior experiences, from very old to very recent. To further impress upon the importance of these markers, Mr. Lindstrom proclaims, “These cognitive shortcuts are what underlie most of our buying decisions.” (P 131) Simply put, if you want a successful brand, then it needs to connect to a somatic marker, such as Johnson’s No More Tears shampoo, which connects the user to an actual experience stored in our mind from childhood and subconsciously influences our purchasing decision as an adult. Additionally, somatic markers are often sensory in that smelling, hearing or feeling something can spark a marker in our brain and cause us to buy something that on the surface may seem unrelated.
Mr. Lindstrom contends that 80 percent of all product launches fail in the first 3 months and often because marketers don’t heed somatic markers. Thusly, neuromarketing is vital to not only judging a product’s worthiness to be in the marketplace but should assist companies in launching advertising campaigns that are appropriate to the products themselves. Which leads to Buyology’s final assertion that sex doesn’t always sell because it focuses people’s attention away from the actual product trying to be sold. Research showed that viewers were less likely to recall a name brand or logo when it was accompanied with more suggestive sexual content because their brains were disproportionately more focused on the arousing content in the advertisement rather then the product being propped up or endorsed. As an addendum to Mr. Lindstrom’s research, I can tell you that the type of suggestive language used can directly affect people’s reactions to a product. For instance, at Verde Home, the closest we have come to a sexually charged promotion was when we hung the following rugs by Tamarian Carpets, with their accompanying design names, on the walls of our Tibetan Rug Gallery.
Rather than anything even alluding to arousal, I would best describe the overall customer reaction as perplexed. For the record, my safe word is Tamarian.
