New research presented at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual conference suggests that top brands evoke strong neurological responses in our brains compared to weaker brands.
In a study of 20 men and women conducted in Germany, subjects were placed in an MRI machine configured with a video screen. They were shown logos of competing brands in a variety of categories. In each case, the market-leading brand elicited stronger activity in areas of the brain identified with positive emotions and rewards than the weaker brands. Surprisingly, when each person was asked questions about each logo, the parts of the brain associated with decision-making showed little activity. (Presumably, then, the reaction to a brand is reflexive.)
In addition, researchers found that people reacted just as strongly to abstract service brands (such as insurance) as they did to more concrete consumer brands (athletic shoes, for instance).
So what do we make of this research? Well, billions of neurons can’t be wrong—a strong brand is a no-brainer.
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