Neuromarketing: Beginners guide to understanding impulse

In the current era where every company whether it be a big FMCG giant like Hindustan Unilever Pvt. Ltd. or a small start-up, the marketing efforts has been completely consumer centric. The consumer is a very efficient buyer and is observing things happening around him.

It has become very important that the consumer’s needs are analysed decision should be made for providing a solution to an existing or an unrecognised need. Only 5% of our brain activity is actually conscious brain activity, the other 95% comprises of the subconscious or the unconscious brain activity.

Neuromarketing helps marketers to analyse all the three levels of mind. Studying our reactions to marketing encounters and triggers is known as neuromarketing. There are 3 parts of Neuro-Marketing:

1.      Stimuli (Trigger)

2.      Experience

3.      Response (Whether the consumer buys the product or doesn’t buy the product)

All Marketing Is Neuromarketing as long as it involves the stimulation of feelings and the 3 parts of Neuromarketing (Stimuli, experience, response).

Have you ever vowed to eat healthier this year in order to attain a better physique, only to find that your cravings for junk food were so intense that you overate, abandoned your intentions for a better body, and ended up gaining weight instead?

Have you ever promised yourself you wouldn't go over your spending limit but then found yourself going over after seeing things that were just too good to pass up?

These are a result of Impulse. Let’s take an example of impulse, when one smokes a cigarette, he/she does it even if the society tells it is not good for you, your parents tell it is not good for you, your partners say it is not good for you; this is because of impulse.

Simply said, an impulse is a strong want that produces a change in reaction to a trigger. The trigger might be internal, like a thought, or external, like an image. We could also say that an impulse is a strong urge that prompts us to act in ways that we would later regret. There is a direct relation between impulse and neuromarketing as both contains a stimuli (trigger), an experience (excitement) and response. With an awareness of impulses, you can make your marketing efforts attractive, which will encourage more people to make purchases from you.

So, is impulse bad? The answer is no. But aside from the possibility of impulse disorders like addictive behaviour, impulses are simply and entirely normal.

It is challenging to truly describe impulses because there are so many different kinds of them since an impulse is any unthinking act that includes a trigger, excitement, and a response.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs which is a widely used theory in understanding human needs suggests there are 5 main human needs which are:

·         Self-actualization

·         Esteem

·         Love and belonging

·         Safety Needs

·         Physiological needs

A few impulses that fit into these categories include:

·         The overeating impulse (food is a physiological need)

·         The sexual impulse (sex is a physiological & safety need)

·         The financial impulse (more money increases esteem and self-actualization, and safety)

·         The imitation impulse (Being like others makes you feel loved and part of something)

·         The Buying Impulse (Self-actualization, esteem, and belonging)

These impulses have a huge effect on marketing and these impulses can be categorised into the following in the marketing context:

·         The sex impulse (sex sells and this "blind" impulse is lining the pockets of pharmaceutical companies, clothing brands, and pornography websites)

·         The overeating impulse (rise of fast, tasty, high cholesterol, and sugary food companies, these things sell because overeating is an impulse, and their goal is to keep you eating)

·         The financial impulse (everyone wants more money, and these businesses won't be big without impulsivity, from gambling to get rich quick scams, real estate, bitcoin, and stocks)

·         The imitation impulse (The Billion Dollar beauty industry, everything from makeup to cosmetic clinics, Botox, fillers, quick weight loss and plastic surgeries, these won't sell if we didn't have the impulse to be like others or modify ourselves to fit the “standard”)

·         The buying impulse (“this will show them I have good taste”, retail stores use this to keep us buying)

Consumers don’t buy the product; they buy the messages. Customers buy messages, not products, therefore when constructing your message, begin with the "why" rather than the "what" or "how. “Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speech is a superb example of an effective message framing; you can see that he began with the "why."

Remember to start with the "why" when selling your items, which is essentially how your product or service will affect their life. Your products are what, how they work is the "how," so remember to start with the "what."

Many consumers dislike advertisements, yet consumer spending on goods keeps rising. despite the fact that advertisements are interruptions, consumers nevertheless want to buy everything, including messages.

Types of Impulse Purchases:

There are four basic categories of impulsive purchases, according to the renowned industrial economist Hawkins Stern:

·         Pure impulse buying (that one item you haven't thought about but wind up spending a stupid amount on just because your brain says, "we must have it," mainly novelty things) -without a need

·         Suggestion Impulse Buying (When you see a product and decide you'll need it sometime, even if not now, you convince yourself that you have a need for it). - perceived need

·         Reminder Impulse Buying (when you are suddenly reminded that you need something because you saw an advertisement for it) verified desire or necessity

·         Validated want or need Reminder Impulse Buying (When you're immediately reminded you want to try this new thing because you saw an ad or because you remember you need it)

·         Planned Impulse Buying, which occurs when there is a terrific offer you simply must take advantage of because you see an opportunity rather than a genuine need.

Can we create an impulse? Before that let’s understand why we need to create an impulse. You may influence how your audience responds to your marketing messaging by creating impulses. You can use impulses to persuade people to buy from you rather than try to "sell" them something.

Let’s understand how impulses are created. Imagine a soft, warm doughnut… Do you feel like eating it? Now imagine a Celery, what would you prefer? Doughnut, right? Doughnuts taste nice and you've connected the taste, smell, and appearance of doughnuts with "tasty," but who eats just a celery and who becomes hungry when they see just a celery? When you picture a doughnut, your brain releases chemicals that make you want to eat. No one! why? because it doesn't look, smell, or taste as delicious as it should.

Now take note that while the celery doesn't increase hunger, the doughnut does because it makes you want to eat.

What's your response right now? acquire the doughnut Upon doing so, you will have been stimulated to act; stimulation is what it is.

 

How To Create Impulses – Get Them to Buy Your Stuff

 

There are several techniques to encourage consumers to buy your item even though they have no need of it.

·         They envision a need for your offering.

·         They buy stuff because doing so is hip.

This process of creating impulses is known as activating the zombie brain's propensity for product consumption.

The Top 6 Marketing Tricks to Stimulate Impulse

·         Evoke Feelings They Are Familiar With

·         Sensory Branding – Please their senses

·         Validation (Crowd Mentality)

·         Less Choice Fatigue (Serve it while it's hot)

·         Personalization & Sampling

In the three key stages of the customer journey, you want to arouse familiar feelings.

·         Prior to purchase

·         When they purchase

·         After the purchase

After the sale, don't ignore them; doing so will just lead to regret on the part of the consumer, and you won't be able to retain them.

With your branding, your product's design, your logo, and your packaging, you should try to engage as many senses as possible. By using sensory branding, you may establish a connection between your brand and the consumers who view and purchase your products.

Recall how the desire to imitate others is fuelled by the imitation impulse? One approach to rapidly increase the appeal of your product is to cause this impulse. Many people seek the approval of others because it boosts their sense of self. Because of the way compliments operate, consumers purchase popular goods and participate in social activities. Therefore, others will be more willing to purchase your goods if many consumers are doing so.

The purchase impulse should be a mindless activity; if you start forcing your audience to overthink by offering a wide variety of products, this leads to choose fatigue.

They won't buy as a result! So, what can be done to prevent decision fatigue?

OPTION: Sell in bundles

I would rather purchase a set of Wall art than each piece separately because you can simply bundle them and give each bundle a unique "set" name.

Personalization & Sampling:

Personalization and Sampling can result in the following things:

·         Prospect identifies the product

·         Help in creating of need (suggestive impulse buying)

Sensation Transference:

Sensation transference is a term that was coined by legendary psychologist and marketer Louis Cheskin.

Three main parts of this concept are:

1.      Engaging the senses- Engaging the 5 senses which include touch, sight, smell, taste, and sound can do two things:

·         Set the experience (mood affects impulsivity)

·         Stimulate an impulsive response

2.      Sensation is transferable-

3.      People buy what they are familiar with

Sensation transference is why ham sold in packaging is pink, it is also why drink adverts show ice melting off the cans, they're trying to transfer the sensation from the message.