Buy.logy by Martin Lindstrom is an in-depth look at branding, how it works, and the power of subtle changes in branding. The book is backed with scientific research on every page.
Lindstrom spent five years researching this book and used over 1,000 people to help him test different theories. The following are nine lessons from Buy.logy by Martin Lindstrom.
1. We don’t buy what we need
What you think you want and what you need are two different things. When given a choice between 2 everything bagels at a bakery, people will choose the one that looks more aesthetically pleasing even though they taste the same.
This shows how we are more attracted to beauty than being practical. So if you want to get people to buy something, make sure that it looks good.
2. We don’t see what we don’t like
As humans, we spend a lot of time filtering out things we dislike and focusing on what we enjoy. This is done to avoid feeling unpleasant emotions such as fear and anger. For example, if a child doesn’t like broccoli, they will immediately look away or ask for something else to eat as soon as they see it.
This means that once we have a certain mindset about something, we cannot notice anything negative about it. If you want someone to buy your product, but they already have a strong opinion on it either way, whatever you say about it won’t persuade them.
3. We don’t read words we don’t like
Similar to Lesson 2, as humans, we also do not like reading or listening to things that make us feel unpleasant emotions such as anger and fear. In a test where participants were given a choice between two shirts, one shirt had a very long list of qualities. The other shirt had a shortlist of positive words but nothing negative.
The results showed that people chose the shorter worded shirt despite not knowing exactly what was wrong. This shows how we are more attracted to good things and do not want to examine anything negative. If you want your audience to read something convincing, you need to make sure that it only contains good things and clearly explains the negative points.
4. We don’t care what we can’t see
When doing a blind taste test of 2 soft drinks, Lindstrom found that people couldn’t tell which one was Pepsi or Coke when they could not see the drink. This shows how much things can affect our minds even if we are not aware of them.
This means that the only way to make sure people will buy your product is by making it something they want and something that they cannot see at the moment. So if you have a soft drink, for example, you would like to make sure it is something that people are familiar with and have the image of “New” or “Improved.”
5. We don’t know what we don’t do
Although this lesson seems to contradict Lesson 4, they both go hand in hand. As humans, our brain is constantly making connections between things without us even knowing about it. Once it has connected two pieces of information, the brain will assume that they are related even if there is no evidence to prove this.
This means that when you are marketing your product, there are certain things you cannot do because it would be impractical for your target audience. For instance, if you target young people, you cannot claim the product is only for older people.
6. We don’t buy what we already own
Although it might seem obvious that people do not want to buy something they already have, research shows that when tested against something new, most people choose to go with what they already own even if it’s not in their best interests.
This shows that you cannot successfully market something new if the person has already seen it somewhere else before. For example, if someone saw your product in an advertisement or their friend had told them about it, they might feel more inclined to buy it because they are familiar with it.
7. We don’t notice what we don’t want to see
Most of the time, when someone does not like something about your product or service, they will look for any reason to reject it. This is the opposite of Lesson 3, where people didn’t want to read anything negative about your product. However, this lesson doesn’t mean that you should try and hide all the negative aspects of your company because then it will be straightforward for them to think of reasons not to buy it.
This means that you have to ensure that the negative aspects are highlighted in your marketing materials, so people are less likely to overlook them. Another suggestion is to include a disclaimer at the bottom of your website. Thus, stating all the negative things about your product. This way, people will have a fair idea of what they will buy before they do.
8. We don’t care about our problems if we know someone else who has it worse
In the book, he talks about how people with problems only feel the need to solve them if it is something that most other people can relate to. So, for example, if someone is selling new miracle shampoo that makes your hair silky smooth, people with greasy hair won’t care about buying it because they don’t feel like they need to solve the problem (greasy hair).
However, if you are selling something like new food items for breakfast, most of us would be interested in what you have to offer. Of course, all of us have to eat breakfast, so it relates to all of us, but at the same time, it’s something that only a few companies are doing, so people would be more inclined to buy it.
9. We don’t want what we don’t want
This is just like Lesson 2, where people will be less likely to buy if you market your product as something that doesn’t have a specific need. However, the difference is that if you market something as something that has a necessity but not enough, people are doing it. Therefore, this might create an opportunity for your product.
For example, there are thousands of companies selling new breakfast food items, but they are all targeting people with high incomes. So if you were to start marketing low-cost food items for breakfast, you could tap into a market that many of these companies aren’t going after and get the leftovers.
We still did not cover a few lessons, but if you would like to find out more, please read the book. By reading the book, you will get more information about these lessons and even learn how to apply them to your products.