The Consumer Mind: Brand Perception and the Implications for Marketers by Pepe Martinez

Author:Pepe Martinez [Martinez, Pepe]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Kogan Page Non-Trade
Published: 2012-06-02T14:00:00+00:00

The consumer and decision making

This dynamic between the frontal lobe and the limbic system is present every day in the decisions we consumers make with regard to consuming brands, products or services.

Let us think about the food we consume every day. The rational aspect of our mind pushes us towards duties, towards rules, towards what is best for us in the medium and long term, towards the reality principle (Freud), etc. The frontal lobe, the thought area, analyses the consequences of ingesting various foodstuffs. This way, we know the ideal is to eat vegetables, fruit and fish. We know that a good diet is one that is balanced, one that contains a little of everything.

The frontal lobe brings to the forefront that we must think about the health of our body and the aesthetic dimension. If we want to be healthy and attractive the best thing we can do is eat food that is low in fat and will not make us gain weight. The rational mind does not look for immediate gratification, but makes us think of the medium- and long-term consequences. This is what Freud called the secondary process or reality principle.

The emotional and impulsive mind opts for immediate satisfaction in the short term, the pleasure principle and the primary process (Freud), enjoyment, pleasure, etc. It is about succumbing to the oral pleasure offered by specific foods.

This is when a dynamic tussle begins in our brains between the rational mind and the emotional mind. We want to be healthy and attractive (prefrontal lobe), but we are attracted to sweets (limbic brain). Looking after oneself is good for your health, but it is boring, it requires a lot of discipline and effort from us.

The same happens when it comes to doing exercise, such as going out and running for half an hour every day. Doing sport is good for the body (health and keeping in shape). However, it involves a major effort and being disciplined. Once again we feel that tension between forces pulling in opposite directions. It is a type of dialogue between two very different people within our minds, the worker and the bon viveur.

If we think of an executive who has to travel from Madrid to Barcelona, and the way in which he or she assesses the various options when preparing the journey, by plane, by train (high speed), by coach or by car. Many people are afraid of flying; it creates negative emotions for them (insecurity, anxiety, distress). The limbic system (amygdala) is activated by the simple fact that they have thought about taking a plane.

However, if we analyse the situation from the prefrontal lobe, the view is very different because air travel is the safest mode of transport there is. Statistics favour taking the plane. The risk of suffering an accident is much higher if you take the car or travel by coach. But in this case it is very likely that emotions will win over reason and fear of flying will overcome statistics (logical and rational dimensions).

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