In our recent member exclusive webinar, leading expert Katie Hart took us on a journey into the world of neuromarketing. Hart discussed how this cutting-edge technology is re-shaping marketing and revealing astounding insights into the human decision-making process. In case you missed it, we’ve unpacked some of the key concepts and actionable advice for marketers.  

Having studied psychology for over 30 years, Hart has always been passionate about keeping people, their minds and their behaviours at the heart of marketing. She is a renowned keynote speaker in neuromarketing and often conducts research that continually adds to her wealth of knowledge in this emerging field.

During her webinar with CIM, Hart demonstrated how marketers can craft more compelling messages that resonate with consumers' subconscious minds by sharing practical examples of how to get started using neuromarketing techniques and level up your customer understanding.

What is neuromarketing?

Neuromarketing is where neuroscience meets marketing. It’s using neuroscience to understand the way consumer brains process, and respond to, all aspects of an organisation’s marketing. Using principles from neuroscience and psychology, it can help marketers unlock a better understanding of customer responses, allowing us to use these insights to improve marketing effectiveness.

During her webinar, Hart discussed the immense complexity of the human brain, which has 86 billion neurons, and can process 11 million pieces of information every second. Neuroscience helps us harness that vast amount of data to understand our responses to certain stimuli and this can help inform our understanding of why a consumer performed a certain action, such as making a purchase or signing up to a newsletter.

The power of choice

It is important to understand that human beings are not rational. Our decisions are ruled by emotions, whether or not we are consciously aware of them.

To provide an example, Hart proposed splitting a fictitious amount of money (£100) with the audience in an 80-20 split. The audience had full control and could decide whether to accept or reject the proposal, with the outcome affecting both parties.

More often than not, Hart shared, people reject the offer made to them, choosing to have no money rather than a 20% share of the £100. One of the primary reasons for this, is an emotional response. This split ‘feels’ unfair but in reality, you would still be better off than you were before.

Human decision making

Research in neuroscience has shown that a staggering 95% of our decision-making occurs unconsciously. Even if marketers do thorough research, conduct focus groups and surveys, we are still only able to access the conscious part of a consumers decision-making process, about 5%. Consumer choices are driven by instinct, emotions and automatic processes rather than rational, deliberate thoughts.

Using neuromarketing helps access and measure these unconscious processes, giving marketers new data points to use in when refining their strategies. A better understanding of the process means that as marketers, we are better able to influence consumer behaviour.

Perception and attention in marketing

Capturing the audience’s attention is critical, particularly in today’s crowded marketplace. Leveraging contrast and colour in our marketing will help us stand out, for example putting calls to action in bold, eye-catching colours.

The part of the brain called the fusiform gyrus which is responsible for recognising faces and expressions also helps consumers visually identify brands. Recognition and emotional connection are key elements in brand trust and preference and can affect consumer perceptions.

The reticular activating system (RAS), which filters information based on importance and novelty, helps explain why certain stimuli grabs attention while others are ignored. The RAS allows only the most important signals to reach the conscious mind, so for marketers, using bold headlines, personalised messaging and emotionally resonant content makes messages stand out in our brains.

Desire and emotional motivation

Hart delved into the concept of desire, explaining its irrational and emotional nature. Instincts like FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and exclusivity drive the audience to act quickly and the role of social proof, particularly from platforms like Trustpilot or Google reviews, can help solidify opinions on your brand.

The nucleus accumbens, a structure in the human brain that plays a central role in the brain’s reward system, and dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates feelings of pleasure, motivation and reinforcement, have vital roles in creating desire and anticipation. In marketing and consumer behaviour, dopamine and the nucleus accumbens shape desires, loyalty, purchase intentions and drive impulse purchases.

The insula is another part of the brain that plays a powerful role in emotional processing and decision-making, it is most commonly associated with our experience of pain and negativity. The insula is often activated when a customer experiences ‘the pain of paying’, which can lead them to avoid purchase. This is why using the nucleus accumbens and dopamine to create desire prior to the insula are so important.

Brands can use the desire they’ve created to turn it into action, using scarcity to drive a response from customers. Examples of scarcity messaging can be seen in a recent social media post from CIM in which we asked people to comment on which CTA would be most likely to make them act, and Hart shared the results of this during the webinar (CIM members can watch the webinar back on demand now).

How can you use neuromarketing techniques?

EEGs can be used to measure both electrical activity in the brain and internal responses from consumers to help us to understand how people respond to advertisements, products, or brand experiences on a subconscious level. For many marketers using equipment like an EEG may not be possible, but there are still lots of ways you can apply neuromarketing techniques.  

Knowing your audience really, really well is the best way understand their motivations. Once you understand what drives your consumers, you can create desire, using scarcity or deadlines. Desire can be turned to action by using colours, contrast and language to capture attention or create anticipation through exclusivity by understanding dopamine pathways.

Keeping up communication with your audience and reinforcing decisions post-purchase can help stop the insula having a negative effect on consumers at the end of their buying journey and reassure them why they made those decisions in the first place.  

Ethical considerations

Neuromarketing can come with some ethical concerns, and Hart addressed some of these considerations throughout her webinar, emphasising that there is no such thing as a ‘buy’ button within the brain. Marketers should be conscious of all consumer decisions and ensure they do not breach customers' initial interest.  

Final thoughts

Hart demonstrated how tapping into the unconscious mind can help marketers re-imagine customer interactions. Understanding and using neuromarketing techniques is essential to unlocking ultimate value in customer relationships and impacting consumer decisions. By  tapping into emotional and primal motivations, concepts like the reticular activating system, the role of the nucleus accumbens, and factors like scarcity and social proof, marketers can make a real difference to their customers’ behaviour.

Interested in learning more? CIM’s Neuromarketing Masterclass will provide you with a wealth of information that could provide a new way of looking at things and re-frame your marketing. Learn how your customers’ brains work by signing up for the training course now.

Book your place on the Neuromarketing Masterclass today