Originally posted – Aug 27, 2012
Originally developed by a group of psychologists at Harvard University in 1990, an exciting concept called “neuromarketing” is now creating a significant buzz within the business world as perhaps being the key to more thoroughly understanding the dynamics of customers’ purchasing behaviors.
Even the most determined self-service laundry marketing ostrich should not ignore this. What is being revealed by neuromarketing research can be an important marketing tool for you to significantly increase the amount of loyal customers for your laundry.
Traditional marketing has always preached that people make their buying choices solely based upon their perceived intellectual and emotional benefits. However, we now are learning that other factors also underlie our intellectual and emotional responses – and significantly influence individuals’ preferences and buying decisions. And, primarily, it has to do with our specific brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.
Simply put, neurotransmitters are chemicals, which are always present in the human brain and that permit impulses to pass from one nerve cell to another to be processed. Technically, brain nerve cells are called neurons – and each of our brains contains a whopping 10 billion of these nerve cells. What’s more, our brains also contain many other different neurotransmitters, each with their own specific function.
In other words, they transmit thoughts from one cell to the next and thereby allow our brain cells to “communicate” with each other, which is necessary for your brain to function properly.
The most interesting (and important) neurotransmitter – at least as far as marketing is concerned – is dopamine, which we all have in our brains. Dopamine’s job is to give us a feeling of euphoria and is associated with pleasure. Other neurotransmitters have their own specific jobs, such as the popular endorphins, of which most athletes are familiar, because they produce mood elevation and act as natural pain killers during strenuous physical activity.
However, dopamine is released and increased when we experience positive, pleasurable experiences and input and/or have positive thoughts. It is also released when a pleasurable experience is anticipated and makes us feel optimistic. It then spurs us into action and increases in amount because of the pleasure we feel associated with the particular event, thus causing the increase in dopamine production.
For example, did you know that you often develop a “dopamine rush” when you watch infomercials? You likely have been unaware of this but, believe me, the infomercial producers are acutely aware of it and skillfully script their pitches to use it to their advantage.
“Infomercials take viewers on a psychological rollercoaster ride,” writes Martin Lindstrom, an advertising expert and the author of “Buyology: Truth and Lies about Why We Buy.” “The fun starts with dramatizations of a problem you didn’t know you had, followed by the incredible solution, then a series of ever more amazing product benefits, bonuses and giveaways, all leading to the last thrilling plunge of an unbelievable low price. After the ride, dopamine levels drop in five or six minutes. That’s why infomercials ask you to buy now, certainly in the next three minutes.”
Since dopamine produces a euphoric, optimistic feeling, the infomercial producer definitely wants you to respond while that feeling is still lingering. Radio ads do the same thing. It’s all about keeping the dopamine level high within the brain of the potential customer. Purchasing decisions are actually driven by the seductive effects of a sufficient level of dopamine.
Certainly, you’ve heard of buyer’s remorse. The logical cause of this condition is when the dopamine level of a buyer drops off after having risen. At this point, logic kicks in and perhaps the individual decides he or she doesn’t really need the $2,500 exercise machine in the infomercial after all – and promptly cancels the order.
Infomercials increase dopamine levels because they create a problem that drives our brains “crazy.” Then they provide a very quick and simple solution, which in turn produces an increase in dopamine.
The entire process is actually a good thing, according to Lindstrom.
“Dopamine plays a key role in keeping us focused on our goals and motivating us to meet them, rewarding our attention and achievement by elevating our mood,” he states. “That is, we feel good when we work toward our goals.”
Neuromarketing research is discovering that positive purchasing decisions are driven in large part by the level of dopamine active in the brain. And the amount of this neurotransmitter present is directly related to our interpretation of input, such as advertising and marketing messages.
What’s really interesting is that how you feel emotionally and in fact how you feel in general when you receive information is controlled by specific neurotransmitters. How you feel determines your mood and your reaction to receiving factual information.
Neuromarketing research has produced some significant insights into human buying behaviors. In fact, Dr. Gregory Berns, an Emory University neuroscientist, along with his colleagues Drs. Lewis and Engs, have determined that:
“Surges in dopamine levels are linked much more with an anticipation of an experience, rather than the actual experience itself. This may explain why people get so much pleasure out of window shopping, hunting for bargains or reading through catalogs. So, maybe it’s best to window shop after stores have closed, so the dopamine level can fade before the store opens in the morning. This can prevent you from buying something you really don’t need.
“High dopamine levels can cause people who are caught up in the shopping moment to make bad buying decisions. Dopamine may help explain why people buy shoes they never wear. You see the shoes and get this burst of dopamine, which motivates you to seal the deal and buy them. It’s like a fuel injector for action, but once the shoes are bought, it’s almost a letdown.”
Many large companies are conducting brain chemistry research to determine how their product or service affects people. For example, the marketing executives at Frito Lay believe that brain imaging tests can actually be more accurate than focus groups.
As a laundry owner, you’ll love this: Frito Lay tested a TV spot for Cheetos (before actually running it on television) that featured a woman taking revenge on someone in a laundromat by placing the orange-colored Cheetos in a dryer full of white clothes.
The female participants apparently said they didn’t like the prank, likely because they didn’t want to appear too mean-spirited to the other focus group members; however, EEG tests (which measure brain waves) conducted on these women showed brain activity suggesting that they actually loved the advertisement. And Frito Lay promptly aired the commercial.
So, how can you apply all of this to induce more buying desire among your coin laundry customers – and likely improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your advertising, as well as reduce nonproductive promotions?
The answer is to become familiar with the research being generated in the area of neuromarketing and then to adapt this information to your advertising and website, along with the interior aspects of your laundry such as signage.
For example, here are some research results, as well as my suggestions for how to apply them directly to your self-service laundry business:
Using “you”language, rather than “we”or “my”language, makes it clear what’s in it for the individual, and this produces increased dopamine and thus positive feelings. Therefore, when writing advertising or website copy, use the appropriate language.
Pointing out major differences between your coin laundry and those of your competitors triggers the brain in a positive manner. Consumers’ brains tend to turn off when confronted with only minor differences, so maximize contrast. One way to accomplish this, according to research results, is to use language modifiers such as “new” versus “old,” and “before” versus “after.”
When emotion is triggered, it affects people more strongly than solely rational input. One way to create emotion with your advertising content is to place your messages into a story with positive themes and happy endings, because all consumers love stories in advertising copy.
In addition, advertising messages that are meaningful to people in terms of their daily lives produce more dopamine and positive feelings. As a result, you could, for example, explain that using your self-service laundry regularly will enable customers to spend three additional hours a week doing whatever they really like to do.
Research also indicates that the brain loves what is referred to by neuroscientists as “multiple triggers.” The brain responds strongly to visuals, but also to auditory and kinesthetic messages as well. So, combine them – but be sure they complement each other. For instance, you can run a television spot with a background voiceover that shows a running frontload washer with the sounds audible and the wash obviously moving (kinesthetic) through the washer window.
The goal is to make the prospective customer feel great and excited about discovering your coin laundry by increasing the dopamine level in their brains. Make them feel that by using your laundry their tomorrows will be better than their todays.
Question: Aside from being famous, what do the following people have in common?
- Abraham Lincoln
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Winston Churchill
- John F. Kennedy
- Vince Lombardi
- Muhammad Ali
- Nelson Mandela
Answer: They all had the intrinsic ability to positively influence the behavior of others through their speaking and writing abilities – very likely because their style and impact increased the dopamine levels in the brains of their audiences.
And, today, due to the ongoing research in neuromarketing, you too can become a more accomplished and positive marketing influencer simply by presenting your laundry to customers and prospective customers in a manner that will “get on their nerves”- and, in turn, boost those all-important dopamine levels.
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