Book review: THE BUYING BRAIN

Secrets for Selling to the Subconscious Mind

by A. K. Pradeep

Genres:

Consumer Behavior
Marketing
Neuroscience

Review posted on:

15.04.2016

The number of pages:

272 pages

Book rating:

2/5

Year the book was published:

First edition published 2010

Who should read this book:

Marketers, and people interested in psychology and consumer behavior.

Why did I pick up this book and what did I expect to get out of it:

Since I started working in sales I found that the more I learn about human psychology the better I get at my job. One of the latest genres for books that I found interesting are neuroscience and consumer behavior and I pick up any book that I get on these topics. I found The Buying Brain by A. K. Pradeep at my work and decided to give it a go. Since the author states that the book The Buying Brains offers an in-depth exploration of how neuroscience is having an impact on how we make, buy, sell, and enjoy everything, and that the book is a highly readable guide to some of today’s most amazing scientific findings I expect to read and learn about some of these researches and how the findings from them can and are implemented in real life. I also hope that the book is not written like a textbook which I kind of get the feeling it is since the author had the need to be addressed as “DR.”

My thoughts about the book:

In The Buying Brain A. K. Pradeep emphasizes the role of the mother in today’s world. What you as a marketer need to be aware of is that mothers constantly search and share information about products and services they use. Women from the start of humanity got together and shared their knowledge and experiences, and today is no different, except that now they have a lot more ways to share their information than they had in the past. So it is very important to make a brand or a product that is accepted by mothers which you can achieve being emotional, enabling them to connect with each other and share their experiences, and trying to organize live events, and live presentations, it will help you a lot. If you make ads, they must carry the message that your brand understands how much mothers do, how much they contribute to their family and the whole community, and that you are with them by their side to try and make things just a little bit easier for them, because they deserve at least that. Also, make sure that in the ad there is a mother with the product of your brand and is sharing it with another mother. If you succeed in being accepted by the “mom” population you will get a supportive tribe that will promote your brand and defend it until the end. But if you for any reason betray their trust you can be sure you’re done and gone from the market because the mothers will do everything in their power to warn others of your wrongdoings.

In The Buying Brain, the author gives plenty of examples of experiments, tests, and framework of the work they do at their research facilities, but he gives only a little bit of information about what they have discovered, saying that they can not share the information as it is owned by the companies that ordered and paid for the research. Many times he starts explaining how good their research is and how deep and accurate their reading of the brain signals and so on are, but like I mentioned, they do not reveal their findings. Or if they do, they share very little information about the results and a whole lot of information about their process. In doing so you get a feeling of bragging, like he is writing a lot about the methods they use the frameworks they made, and the readings they can make, but very little of that will help you unless you intend to become their client. Thus making The Buying Brain feel like a commercial and not a resource for neuromarketing. Yes, I got some information and suggestions about the mind and what to be aware of, but the book is or was not worth my time. Like I said you get to read a lot about their frameworks, sometimes almost half or more of the chapter. I got some interesting information, but I expected more. I read the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads before reading the book and I really thought I would get more out of it. I would like to recommend this book, but I don’t actually. Too many pages for so little useful information, but many other books will share more useful information on this topic. There is only a particular group I would actually recommend this book and that is to the companies that are interested in hiring the A. K. Pradeep company to do research on their behalf. In that case, The Buying Brain would provide interesting insight.

If you picked up this book please let me know what you think about it in the comment section.

My notes from the book:

What our brains actually perceive and recall is different from what we say we perceive and recall when we’re asked. The process of accessing that stored information and translating it into a physical response actually causes the brain to alter its original response, which is why interviews or questionnaires are not always accurate.
Our brain is the most metabolically expensive organ to operate representing only 3 percent of the body weight, yet requiring up to 20 percent of its energy.
The human brain is emotional at its very core. While women process messaging with more emotion than man, both genders must be engaged emotionally for a message to be remembered and acted upon.
Whenever possible, position your message or products in scenarios without clutter. If clutter is unavoidable in your crowded category, make sure your message or image is clean and clear, and use white space and simple direct messages.
The female brain is designed to multitask. With many more connections between her right and left hemisphere, than a typical male brain, the female brain juggles tasks, emotions, logical input, and to-do lists with ease.
The female brain is designed to multitask. With many more connections between her right and left hemisphere, than a typical male brain, the female brain juggles tasks, emotions, logical input, and to-do lists with ease.
Novelty is the single most effective factor in effectively capturing the brain's attention.
About one-fourth of the human brain is involved in visual processing.
Older adults strive for emotional equilibrium, which in turn affects the ways their brains process information. They like to feel good about who they are and how far they’ve come.
Gloom and doom are not the way to reach an older audience, nor are portraits of a bleak future. Rather, focus messaging on the wit and wisdom of older consumers.
Another memory deficit that comes with aging is the tendency to consider familiar information to be true information.
Women filter rational messages through their emotions. They do not solve logical problems without emotional oversight.
When selling to men get straight to the point, what’s in it for them. The male brain’s highest goal is autonomy, whereas the female brain’s highest goal is community.
In ratio, women have slightly larger prefrontal cortexes than men. This helps allow them to control emotions during moments of peak anxiety.
Emotional memories are paramount in her decision-making and in her relationships. She will remember with extreme accuracy whom she can count on, and whom she can’t. She is loyal and exclusive, and she may shut out other suitors unless you violate her trust. Keep this in mind when dealing with women.
The mirror neuron theory says that when you watch someone perform an action, you automatically simulate the action in your own brain.
Women have a much larger and more integrated mirror neuron system, which allows them of putting oneself in another’s shoes. Women also feel events that happen to others as if they were happening to them. Men also have a highly functioning mirror neuron system, they just focus more on repeating an action observed.
Women love to hear stories, they love to know how others feel, and when it’s appropriate and possible, they love to express their support.
Women love to hear stories, they love to know how others feel, and when it’s appropriate and possible, they love to express their support.
Moms are 80 percent more likely to buy a product from a company that recognizes the multiple roles she plays in her life.
When a consumer makes his purchase remind him again of the enjoyment and the pleasure he is about to derive from it. Doing so the consumer will feel more loyal and even thankful to the brand.
Effective advertising needs to stimulate not only the purchase of the product, but also provide cues as to how the product can be enjoyed once acquired.
The brands in our lives serve a vital human purpose. They give identity, meaning, and connectivity to our experiences and possessions.
When brands resonate with a consumers deep social, moral, or spiritual values, the propensity for brand advocacy increases across both real and virtual social networks. Values strengthen the connection of feelings to brands.
Emotions are means for the brain to recall large amounts of information. This means that complex purchases will be guided in large part by emotions.
When presenting or selling a product keep in mind that the product lives in an ecosystem dominated by people, places and feelings. Make sure your presentations or pitch covers all three areas before specifying the products characteristics.
The subconscious seems to assign superior value to an experience that combines a sense of exclusivity, on the one hand, with a sense of belonging on the other.
Emotion-based messaging is best suited for large format video displays (since the face is more recognisable). Fact-based messaging is more suited for smaller devices where consumers can retrieve and absorb data quickly and easy.
From the brains point of view error is attractive, engaging, and often irresistible. Finding ways to incorporate “Error” into advertising can help your messaging stand out amid the clutter.