Over the past two weeks we have learnt 12 key insights into what makes us who we are, based on the latest understanding from neuroscience, behavioural economics, psychology, biology and the social sciences. They can be summarised in three (or perhaps four) key themes, but first let’s review the 12 lessons of human behaviour. Read more »
Sensory thinking
The senses inform much of our language, as the dominant source of our experiences. We all use words related to different senses to express ourselves (I can see your point, I hear you, I was touched by a thought), and some theories (eg NLP) claim that we have different preferences for the sensory modalities (I hear what you’re saying vs I see what you’re saying). Thus, the senses truly help us to create our everyday expressions. Read more »
To perceive is to act
Perception is all about action. What we perceive is not just based on input from our senses, but also based on our expectations in a specific context or situation. Our senses work very well, but our brain integrates, interpolates and interferes with the information coming from the senses to fit the data to pre-existing models of what it thinks should happen (based on a vast databank of previous experiences). For example, our brain expects that two towers going up into the sky away from us should converge following the laws of perspective, and when they don’t (as above) this can cause unintended effects in how we perceive the world. Read more »
Home Economicus or Homo Sapiens?
We have seen that the majority of human behaviour is controlled outside consciousness. This is in contrast to the classical models of economics which assume a model of man as Homo Economicus who is entirely rational, always knows what (s)he wants and is capable of calculating the precise consequences of any action. We all know that this is nonsense, and recent economic events have once again highlighted the inadequacy of such models both for economics and further afield. Read more »
We are all ‘live wires’
How does the brain make connections? Brain scans show areas of our brain ‘lighting up’ when we make decisions (although beware that more activity doesn’t make the decision more important). But what is really going on? There is a huge amount of activity (electrical and chemical) going on within our brains. Read more »
How successful are Asian brands?
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) published a report late last year on Asian branding full of insights and well worth reading. The report is based on interviews with a range of branding experts and Asian business leaders and you can download it (in English or Chinese) here. Read more »
Is Market Research the iceberg that keeps the Titanic afloat?
At the APRC and JMRA annual conference in Tokyo yesterday, Hatsunori Kiriyama of Procter & Gamble gave a thoughtful keynote speech on “My expectation from research”. Although Kiriyama-san comes from a sales background, he clearly values research, as do his company, placing it at the heart of the business he runs in Japan, or as he described it, “our brand stories always start with the consumer”. Read more »
“No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” - John Donne
Indulging inspiration
Whilst many brands claim they offer customers an “experience”, this is perhaps no more true than in spas. Customers are taken on a journey which is specifically designed to stimulate their senses. Spas are places that put people literally in touch with each other. Touch as we have seen is a basic human need. Spas create a safe environment, through the use of design features that allow privacy, rituals which engender trust, and professionalism of the therapists who are licensed to make a connection with the guest. Moreover, spas are a melting pot for a range of products and services that enhance health and wellbeing. Read more »
I will let you into a secret. A lot of current thinking in brand and communications research is misplaced. Most marketers and market researchers fail to take account of recent advances in psychology. This presents a great opportunity for many companies to get ahead of the competition.
