What Neuroscience Tells Us about Consumer Desire

Gone are the days when understanding the human mind was restricted to just
pecking at the periphery. With the latest in brain scanning technology,
marketers can delve deeper into the mystery that is the human mind to
understand why we buy what we buy. This fast growing field of using brain
tracking tools for understanding the buying behavior is dubbed neuromarketing.
People are fairly good at expressing what they want, what they like, or even how
much they will pay for an item. But they aren't very good at accessing where
that value comes from, or how and when it is influenced by factors like store
displays or brands. Neuroscience can help us understand those hidden elements
of the decision process (Karmakar). For this the currently available technologies
are electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging
(FMRI)
EEG measures neural activity generated electrical impulses directly below the
scalp while FMRI uses a very strong magnet to track blood flow throughout the
brain as human test subjects respond to different stimuli. Researchers in the field
think that they can tell whether a market offering will be successful or not bases
on how the brains pleasure center responds to that offering.
Neuromarketing has changed the marketing game completely. It has given us
a way of tracking thoughts that influence buying decisions, but the buyers
themselves arent aware of. With proper interpretations that take into account
cultural and other diversities into account, neuromarketing can be a very
effective tool, not for manipulating, but for understanding the customer.

Connecting with Consumers Using Deep Metaphors

What is consumer behavior most influenced by? It is influenced by the
subconscious processes going on in customers minds or the attitudes towards a
market offering that are deeply rooted in their beliefs, norms, culture, and
religious values. Deep metaphors are these basic frames or attitudes people
have toward the world around them.
Most thinking occurs without awareness; in the subconscious level. Growing
recognition of this is one reason for the increased interest among marketers of
the role of emotions in decision-making. Deep metaphors, being a part of this
unconscious language of thought, have three special implications for marketers.
First, they are the best way, to learn about the content of emotions. Second,
deep metaphors provide the basic foundations for the brand stories or attitudes
people create based on marketing communications. Third, because deep
metaphors are shared by consumers who may vary considerably on the surface,
they become very powerful tools for developing new product concepts,
communicating about them, restructuring market segmentation strategies, and
simplifying product design processes (Zaltman & Zaltman).

The ultimate goal of using deep metaphors as a tool for understanding and
influencing customers is making a positive connection with them on a
subconscious level. If this bonding is achieved, customers will feel that the
brand that is selling a value to them is an entity that cares for them. Through this
companies can achieve the illusive brand loyalty.

Works Cited
Karmakar, U. R. (n.d.). Working knowledge. Retrieved from Harverd business
school: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6950.html
Zaltman, G., & Zaltman, L. (n.d.). Working knowledge. Retrieved from Harvard
business school: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5871.html