Brains and branding
Does branding really work? Of course it does. Otherwise, why, when the burgers makes me gag and I’ve sworn a blood oath to never taste another of its fries again, do I still find myself pulled inexorably toward a McDonald’s when the need for a quick fix hits. (Damn you, Ronald!)
Now there’s more proof, that of the scientific kind. In the January 29th issue of Time, author Alice Park outlines how new scanning technologies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machines are now being used to measure the impact of advertising on actual brain function. The article cites an earlier study by P. Read Montague of the Baylor College of Medicine. In the study, Montague conducts a blind taste test of Pepsi versus Coke, measuring the brain activity of subjects using an fMRI machine as participants are given their sample and state their preference. After receiving a taste, participants showed strong activity in the reward areas of the brain, which are associated with pleasure and satisfaction, according to the article. Participants were also evenly split in their preference based on the blind taste test. However, when participants were told when they were having Coke and Pepsi samples, 75% stated preference for Coke. And in addition to the reward area of their brains, activity was found in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, areas responsible for memory.
“This showed that the brand alone has value in the brain system above and beyond the desire for the content of the can,” said Montague in the article.
Thus, scientific proof that perception is stronger than reality. Of course, it takes time and frequency to bend brain cells that consistently. No hospital or health system can afford to build brands over time spending the millions in advertising that Coke, Pepsi and McDonalds have spent. But odds are that studies measuring the brand awareness of the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins and Cleveland Clinic would show similar “memory” activity. Consistency in vision, quality and experience can all lend to brand building, not just advertising.
Now, back to my Egg McMuffin…
[...] comparing consumer preferences for Coke and Pepsi to show the impact of branding (see the post âBrains and brandingâ). Now a new study featuring consumersâ preference for wine makes the same case (and one that [...]