For a non-fiction book about business, Buyology by Martin Lindstrom is sure making a lot of waves across the world of business and beyond, and for good reason, too. After using MRIs of more than 2000 consumers to observe their behaviour with regard to conventional marketing techniques, Lindstrom found that most ads actually fail to achieve their intended purpose, sometimes even going so far as to backfire miserably, as can be seen with the example of the cigarette carton label. Instead, he contends that purchasing decisions are often subconscious and emotional rather than rational. Although some may argue his scientific method of analyzing the tastes of consumers may not apply to the real world, the evidence provided so far is fairly concrete. Personally, I found his fusion of biology and business fascinating, as it proves that most areas of study are interdisciplinary by nature.
Topics from the syllabus the article covers include 4.1 The Role of Marketing, 4.2 Marketing Planning, 4.3 Product, 4.5 Promotion. However, I will only focus on one of these topics, 4.5 Promotion.
Lindstrom's research certainly has many implications about conventional notions of promotion. By pointing out that large warnings on cigarette packets only stimulate the desire to purchase the good in question, governments and NGOs involved in de-marketing such "demerit goods" may need to reconsider alternate promotion strategies to achieve their intended effect. Additionally, businesses should start considering ways to appeal to the hearts of their target audience rather than their heads, as it appears that consumers tend to go on their instinct more than anything else (hence proving that humans are irrational?). An example of such a method would be appealing to consumers’ nationalism instead of touting the benefits of the product in question. If organizations choose to take Lindstrom’s research into consideration when considering their promotion strategies, they might just be the push they need to capture more market share and profits in the long run. Although one must inevitably consider the ethical implications of researching the biology behind consumer desire, it must be said that cracking the biological code to marketing would undoubtedly give any business an edge.
