To buy or not to buy: how we fall into the traps of marketers

“Most of the ideas about the goods of a certain brand are imprinted in our unconscious and created, first of all, by advertising,” says psychologist and marketing specialist Ivan Denisov. “When we think about whether to buy or not to buy in a store, we often rely not on our desires or experience, but rather on the feelings associated with the product.” Depending on which of them prevail: positive, negative or neutral, we also evaluate the products on the shelves. In advertising, there is even the concept of “brand equity”, which determines our dominant emotions. And the more pleasant feelings we experience when faced with a product, the sooner we will buy it. How attachment to a particular brand develops in practice is demonstrated by a study of consumer behavior using the example of Pepsi and Coca-Cola.

Prior to the tasting of the drinks, the participants underwent brain scans. When they didn’t know which of the two sodas they were offered, they rated the flavors almost equally. The neurological responses of the brain during anonymous testing of the two brands also coincided. However, as soon as the participants were offered the same drinks, but already packaged in the manufacturer’s cans, the majority voted for the taste of Coca-Cola, the brand whose advertising is leading all over the world. In this case, people also showed significantly increased activity in the areas of the brain responsible for memory and decision making. Participants didn’t even have to taste the drink — all they had to do was look at the jar with the logo to record stronger activation of the brain’s pleasure center and an increase in the so-called joy hormone, dopamine.

Эмоциональные ассоциации против рационального анализа

We tend to trust a product if it costs more. Thus, European and American consumers pay an average of 85% more when buying well-known brand drugs, although they can buy a generic drug as a cheaper analogue (the chemical formula and therapeutic effect are identical). This phenomenon is illustrated by a study by psychologists at the California Institute of Technology, in which participants were given exactly the same wine “Cabernet Sauvignon” for tasting, being told that the cost of the wines varied, indicating the price per bottle. Most preferred wine that was labeled as more expensive. Brain scans also showed more marked activation of the pleasure center when participants believed they were drinking expensive wine, which they perceived to be of higher quality and prestige.

“Perhaps one of the most important achievements of neuroscience has been the discovery that it is emotions that determine the process of cognition and decision-making,” says psychologist Douglas Van Prat, author of Unconscious Branding. “Advertising at an unconscious level operates with our attention, and our emotional experiences as a result determine what we will buy.”

One notable example is a study by psychologists Melanie Dempsey and Andrew Mitchell, in which participants were presented with products under non-existent brands. At the same time, all goods were accompanied by a visual range – pictures with both negative and positive information that had no semantic connection with things.

“After looking at hundreds of pictures, participants couldn’t tell exactly which product matched them. However, they preferred products that were accompanied by pictures that evoke pleasant emotions, says study author Melanie Damsey. “We called it the “I like it, but I don’t know why” effect. In the next part of the experiment, participants were provided with independent sources of information that negatively evaluated the product they had previously chosen. And despite these objective data, people still chose those brands that they associated with “pleasant” pictures. “The choice of buyers was not determined by the rational information they received, but rather was determined by what was beyond their conscious control,” says Andrew Mitchell.

Not only ordinary consumers, but even professionals fall into the trap of marketers. French scientists from the University of Bordeaux offered 54 experienced sommeliers white wine tinted red. Assessing their taste impressions, without exception, all participants used the terminology used for red wines.

“Just the manipulation of color was enough for the unconscious principle to completely supplant the ratio,” Douglas Van Prat comments on this result. “We are easily ready to trust the information offered to us and, if the product is well associated with it, we ignore all our previous experience and common sense.”

Никакой критики

Как только мы начинаем испытывать в отношении бренда позитивные эмоции, он, как жена Цезаря, оказывается вне подозрений. Мы опираемся только на те аргументы, которые поддерживают наше решение купить товар, игнорируя негативные факты.

“The rational part of our “I” is always looking for evidence, says Douglas Van Prat. “However, the stronger our positive emotions, the stronger the unconscious desire not to part with them. Therefore, we put an information filter, passing only complimentary information.

This quality is often exploited in advertising when we are shown two products with the same purpose – washing powders or shower gels – one of which, before our eyes, does a better job. “Partly it’s like a relationship with a lover, when we do not see the unseemly sides and flaws in the object of our love,” says Prat. “In this case, the role of the beloved is played by the brand.”

Buy a cat in a beautiful bag

Перефразируя известную поговорку, мы часто доверяем лишь грамотно сделанному рекламщиками «мешку», игнорируя суть продукта. Если одна упаковка обещает нам сыр, обезжиренный на 95%, то она с большей вероятностью привлечет наше внимание, чем другая, на которой указано, что продукт содержит 5% жира. Речь идет об одном и том же сыре, но цифра 95 звучит убедительнее.

Вместо того чтобы просто снабжать потребителя информацией, маркетологи встраивают ее в контекст, который нивелирует рациональный подход и пробуждает наши чувства.

One common advertising technique is the use of a popular media face. In this case, we easily transfer our feelings about a person to the product that he advertises. And even if deep down we realize that our favorite actress or model, most likely, does not use only this shampoo or lipstick, buying such things identifies us in our own eyes with her beauty and success.

“A striking example is the story of actor Peter Bergman, who played a doctor in the popular American TV series All My Children,” says Douglas Van Prat. – When the actor took part in an advertisement for cough syrup and openly told the audience: “I’m not a doctor, I’m just playing his role,” his words were nevertheless received with confidence, and sales of the medicine jumped sharply. The fact that people saw Bergman in a white coat and in the scenery of the laboratory was enough to make him an authority in the field of medicine in their eyes.

«Так говорите мне о нем!»

Наше поведение во многом определяется стремлением к стабильности, балансу и предугадыванию событий. И реклама научилась играть на этой детской радости узнавания, бесконечно дублируя информацию. Встреча с продуктом, который мы многократно видели, создает иллюзию незыблемости и защищенности нашего существования.

Stanford University psychologist Robert Zayonk has conducted a study that demonstrates how product recognition creates attachment to products. Participants were shown objects of different shapes at a fast pace, so that they could not rationally assess the frequency with which they appeared. When asked to name what they liked most of what they saw, the majority confidently pointed to those objects that came to their attention most often.

“The success of Coca-Cola, essentially the same taste of a drink like many others, was built entirely on the effect of recognition and stylistic immutability,” says marketer Gepf Wetstein. “The classic logo, the outline of the bottle that has become a design icon, the alliteration of the brand name that is understandable and attractive to the speaker of any language, the ability to meet the product anywhere in the world, and the impressive advertising budget have made this once modest soda water the most recognizable and the first global brand in the world.”

“The prevalence and demand for a product sometimes conflicts with our natural instinct for safety,” says Douglas Van Prat. One example is our addiction to coffee. We are biologically programmed to reject all bitter tastes. This is how we instinctively protect ourselves from poisoning, because the bitter taste signal warns of the presence of possible toxins in the product. However, the ubiquitous advertising of coffee culture has overcome our innate instincts, and now this drink is associated with pleasure, the process of relaxation and moments of confidential communication.

Deceptive comfort

Advertising is often built on the effect of relaxing and creating a pleasant aura with which the product is associated. To do this, there are trouble-free “pedals” that marketers push. For example, an image of something funny, which should ideally make us laugh. Neuroscientist Robert Provine argues that laughter is linked to the ability to communicate well.

«Общий смех синхронизирует процессы головного мозга как рассказчика, так и слушателя, что эмоционально их сближает, — говорит он. — Смех также уменьшает напряжение благодаря выработке гормона окситоцина». Этой же цели — заставить нас почувствовать себя уверенно и комфортно — служат и бесконечные «простые семьи» из рекламных роликов, где хозяйки стирают белье, а бабушки заботливо разливают сок. Казалось бы, эти сюжеты отнюдь не блещут фантазией или неожиданным взглядом на рутинные операции. Почему же они работают на увеличение продаж?

“Our consciousness is not biologically programmed to develop in isolation – we need interaction with other people,” explains Robert Provine. “This innate need to synchronize with people like us is realized thanks to mirror-reflecting neurons in the brain. The activation of these neurons when observing other people allows us to feel involved in other people’s feelings and experiences.

Thus, the brand of jam, which a well-known advertising hero eats for breakfast, becomes dear to us in its own way.

How to protect yourself?

“The only way to get out of the circle of mindless consumption is to have a good understanding of the mechanism of manipulation,” says Douglas Van Prat. He suggests trying to play the game. When the hand in the store naturally reaches for the product, think about what association is associated with it. Have you seen him often? Did your favorite actor tell you about this in a confidential, almost friendly way from the TV screen? Remember that virtual image of the product imposed on you and mentally separate it from the real one. These are two different products.

The next step is to change the association. Is there a sparkling white Hollywood smile on a pack of multi-colored toothpaste? Create your own association. For example, a colorless toothpaste or rinse will obviously clean your teeth. This approach will allow us to make more thoughtful and rational decisions.