Ads That Work, Proven by Science: Part I of Fraudnomics Summit Recap

“Interact with people. Spend quality time with others. PEOPLE FIRST, and CONTENT SECOND”; was the social media advice Dr. Carmen Simon, founder of Memzy – a company that is dedicated to stimuli’s impact on the brain, shared Wednesday afternoon at the Fraudanomics conference.

Cliché images cause people to actively try and forget the stimuli.  It’s important for brands to connect authentically with their audiences otherwise they risk wasting money on irrelevant, non-memorable content. 

Dr. Simon’s company measures EEG waves in the brain, and looks at where they occur, when they occur and the magnitude which they occur. While ingesting various advertisement images, subjects wear headsets that measure EEG waves. As a brand, you can see what advertising stimuli is leaving a lasting impression (some standard advertising stimuli was found to release a brain wave that suggests subjects may actually be getting sleepier from such stimuli).

What images are interesting and authentic? Here are some tips for advertisers from today’s conference.

Master the Concept

People don’t want to see a shallow communication on social media. Know what it is you are posting about, and ideally, being an expert in that field is helpful. It’s difficult to be insightful on topics you are not familiar with. Would you rather take diet advice from a nutritionist, or a stranger? 

Offer Specific Examples

In creating a deck for a client, specific images are better than general business images, which means skip the stock photos, and clip-art.  Find nuanced images specific to your POV in order to make a lasting impression on your audience. Interesting designs and colors do not necessarily lead to lasting impression, but designs that are relevant to the presentation are more memorable i.e.: Examining authentic images versus superficial images. For example, a healthcare company marketing themselves to investors wanted to use a mountain image to exemplify how treacherous the journey to obtain Series-A funding was. She suggested a seatbelt image. Why? Seatbelts go through heavy government testing, and many checks before ending up in a vehicle.

Create Your Own Art

Dr. Simon recommends creating nuanced, warm images versus standard business charts and images that are so frequently used. She suggested exploring Wabi-Sabi, the world view centered on the acceptance of imperfection. Wabi-Sabi life is not perfect, complete with nicks and chips and bruises. She suggests brands create using this principle; Simple, and emotionally warm. The brain reacts better to these types of images.

Spend Time With Others

Dr. Simon suggests this would be a good place to start when creating content, and a strong approach.

Surprise

Surprise is always bad for the brain said Dr. Simon. The brain is always creating expectations, but reality can be different; this is how the brain learns in order to survive. Ads that aim to surprise are not memorable, said Dr. Simon. Viewers remember the element of surprise, but do not remember the connection to the brand.

Want to learn more about how to employ these scientific tips in your next influencer marketing campaign? Reach out!