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Speed Dial: 60-Second Marketing Insight Newsletter
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As complicated as the brain may be, it all boils down to this: people take action to either gain pleasure or avoid
pain.
Strip everything else away, and it’s that simple. Carrot or the stick,
risk or reward, trick or treat.
But if push came to shove in a do-or-die marketing situation, which one would you choose?
Dr. John Cacioppo’s research at Ohio State University can help us answer that question. According to
Psychology Today, Cacioppo conducted a study in which respondents were shown three sets of pictures. The first set
of images were linked to pleasurable feelings (e.g., fancy sports cars), the second set of images were neutral
(hair dryers and the like), and the third set were decidedly aversive (mutilated bodies, dead animals, etc.).
Cacioppo then measured the cerebral cortex activity these images stimulated.
The results? When it comes to blazing brain waves, dead cats beat red Ferraris.
While pictures of sports cars & other pleasurable photos got the brain racing, negative images generated the
most cerebral activity. The researchers concluded that our brains have a “negative bias”- - we react most strongly
to stimuli that we consider troubling or problematic.
Let’s think about the implications of this research.
Pain is more compelling than pleasure. Faced with a problem, our brains are driven to search consciously or
subconsciously for solutions. As we try to convince people to buy our products, services, and ideas, we can do well
when we point out all the good things- - the solutions, features, & benefits- - that accompany our
offering.
But to be even more impactful, we should first be certain that our target audience is acutely aware of the
problems we are solving.
“Problems get our attention better than anything else”, confirms Sean D’Souza in 'The Brain Audit.' “We’re not
making up problems to scare customers into buying. . .[the] customer isn’t a fool. All we’re really doing is
highlighting the problems that already exist.”
When we present a problem unflinchingly and follow it up with a truly meaningful, differentiated solution, we
can win the race for the minds of our audience.
This week, let's embrace both sides of the story- - the bad and the good- - as we charge the finish line. See
you next Tuesday!
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