There is a brand new book out by Martin Lindstom that sets out to uncover the “truth and lies about what we buy.” The book is the result of a 3 year, $7 million research project on something called neuromarketing which uses science (MRI technology to be exact) to really see what is going on in our heads when we are presented with offers to buy. Using a sample group of 2,000 people from around the world, he showed them various commercials and ads and watched the blood flow to their brains to determine which part of the brain were most activated by the images and how that compared to what people articulated as their reaction to the ad. Essentially, Lindstom’s thesis is that we tell ourselves one thing, but our brains drive us to do something different.

His most powerful example is smoking, where his research subjects, with wires attached to their heads, were shown the cigarette warnings on the label who acknowledged that smoking is bad for their health. At the same time, the parts of their brain responsible for processing “risk” and “cravings” lit up. The conclusion is that the warnings not only didn’t help, but triggered a stronger craving and possibly even served as an effective marketing tool for tobacco companies.

Lindstom also evaluated the effectiveness of product placements and product marketing using American Idol as a test case. American Idol has three major sponsors: Coke, Cingular and Ford. Coke is highly integrated into the program: the stage seating is contoured to resemble a coke bottle, there is red everywhere, and the hosts all have Coke emblazoned cups in front of them for everyone to see. Cingular’s logo is next to every one of the offers to text for your favorite contestant and the host uses the name of the carrier liberally throughout the show. It also placed well. Ford, on the other hand, was represented by commercials, mostly, and one or two special spots where the finalists interacted with a vehicle. Ford did not register at all, and in fact, there was some evidence that it brought to mind images of other vehicles that ended up selling as a result of their commercials. The lesson – the more integrated the product with the show or the story line outside of the traditional ad spot, the more likely it is that the audience will take note.

I’ve just started this book, but the first 3 chapters are fascinating. I will report more once I have finished it.