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The marketing industry has been transformed in recent years. In the past, there was a vague understanding that certain types of advertising could affect purchasing behaviour, but there was no real scientific approach to marketing. Some companies conducted basic research, but most simply created advertisements based on what emotionally appealed to them, not necessarily their customers.

In the 90’s and 2000’s marketing methods became much more scientific. Researchers have discovered a lot of new things about consumers, and marketers are using those findings to create more effective advertising campaigns. This doesn’t mean there won’t be any more spectacular failures in the future, but they likely won’t be as common.

A Baby’s Smile

Using cute babies to sell products isn’t a new development. We’ve always known on the subconscious level that their cure little smiles were appealing, but we never really gave any thought to what might be going on inside the brain. There is actually real science behind what’s happening here.

That adorable little baby puts a smile on our face and smiling triggers our brain chemistry. There was an article about this in Psychology Today a few years back that explained it quite well. When we smile endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin are all released making us feel better about ourselves.

Dopamine is a chemical that makes us feel pleasure and endorphins are the body’s natural pain reliever. When you throw in serotonin, which lifts your mood, the overall effect is positive on the body. If we can use babies in advertising effectively, it can trigger these emotions and could potentially lead to an increase in sales.

No Mr. Spock Among Us

There are plenty of things that marketers have learned about consumers using scientific research. For one thing, we don’t necessarily think rationally when making purchasing decisions. We all like to think we make rational decisions, but our emotions and subconscious often take over. For those Star Trek fans out there, there aren’t too many emotionless Mr. Spock’s among us.

According to Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman, 95% of our buying decisions are made on the subconscious level. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. With all of the things we have to process in a day, either online or in the real world, it can be a little overwhelming. Our subconscious can access all of our experiences over a lifetime and help us to make some good decisions – they’re just not conscious ones.

A Bigger Bag

Another key thing that marketers have learned from scientific research is that consumers will usually make purchase decisions based on perceived value. The product in question may be a better deal, but it might not be – the key is that we feel like we’re getting a bargain.