Goafest 2011: ‘Brands only exist because they help consumers make buying decisions’

Goafest 2011 played host to Robin Wight, president, The Engine Group where he shared his thoughts on how brain science will revolutionise the marketing industry. Wight shared his learnings in the space and also elaborated on the process followed to address some of the marketing issues that crop up.

“There’s big difference between what we say and what we do. We are rationalising creatures, we are not rational creatures,” he said. Taking forward the point, Wight explained, “We have two minds and most marketers are targeting the wrong one. People are in two minds all the time. One is the genetic mind which works on the reflex system and the other is the cognitive mind which is the thinking and feeling system. So marketers need to address the consumer in the right frame of mind as well. He also pointed out that at times our brain is on auto pilot and we cannot control certain actions.

He urged marketers to use technology and science and new brain-mapping techniques to understand how consumer/human minds really work because "at the end of the day, the brain saves energy for the most important things in life, and it has nothing to do with marketing. Moreover, consumers don’t like changing their minds as it takes more effort to change one’s mind. Hence, brands need to be aware of continuity in their brand communication." He also noted that continuity goes beyond just the logo and includes tone of voice, presentation etc.

Concluding his presentation, he said, “Science can help creativity flourish. It also tells us why it does not work. Using technologies like functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), we are able to read people’s minds and evaluate campaigns. Additionally, brain science helps us understand why soft sell is better than hard sell for marketing campaigns?”