Want to add some extra persuasive punch to your message? All you need is some neuroscience. And quite literally so: explanations that contain neuroscientific information such as brain scans or typical neuro-lingo are more persuasive.
People in general are creatures of habit. We get attached to buying the same products from the same brands over and over again. For example: what happens to our favorite brand of chips, cosmetics or electronics when the brand/product undergoes a change. A change in packaging or a change in brand name could have a big impact on the way consumers perceive the product/brand. Will the old trusty chips, that you once called your favorite, still be the same after a change?
Imagine you’re spending the night in your nearby cinema, viewing Hollywood latest blockbuster. What determines how much you’ll enjoy the movie?
You might think about factors such the film’s beautiful cinematography, the popcorn’s crisp bite or even the usherette’s cute smile. Surprisingly, brain scientists from Princeton University have now unearthed a much more subtle influence on our experience of pleasure: the freedom of choice you had prior to attending the movie. The pleasure generated from choosing between options – let’s say a romantic comedy and a sci-fi epic – spills over to the subsequent experience. This is called the Choice Premium Effect.
People love routines. Of course, we like to think that we all make well-considered choices. But as a matter of fact, most of the time we are slaves to our own habits. This makes psychological sense, because why spend your precious time deliberating on your options and getting distracted by unnecessary details, if you can also apply a working recipe and go straight for the best result?
With neuromarketing, whether something is winning or losing conversions for you boils down to the absolute details. As specified in the overview article we recently published, some small changes can lead to big differences. Whether it’s a small change in pricing, the way you position your ads or the way you frame social proof, it all boils down to the details. And this new finding is no different than the others.
