The Psychology of iPhone:A Neuromarketing Strategy, Or an Overdose?
Why some People buy iPhones? Is it an Addiction?
Yes, you’ve read it right: The Psychology of iPhone.
And here’s why it does matter.
Because for many people, putting their hands on the new iPhone as soon as it’s released is a matter of life or death. They must buy it, their brains can’t stop producing dopamine when they see the new jewel Designed by Apple in California.
They must pay for it.
They’re like: “Shut up and take my money!!”
Can this be called an addiction? an overdose?
Maybe.
But more than that:
This is the power of Neuromarketing strategy.
Actually, companies are exploiting your way brain sees technology to make more money from you.
And do you know who’s the master of this game?
Correct, it’s Apple Inc.
What’s Neuromarketing?
Neuro|Marketing.
It’s a new field that combines the secrets of Neuroscience with the power of Marketing strategies. Neuromarketing experts try to understand how humans (especially their potential customers) think and use that data to make their brains want that specific product more than anything in the life.
It’s a field that has the power to make people sell their kidneys for an iPhone!!!
That’s insane!
Neurosciencemarketing blog defines this field as:
Neuromarketing is the application of neuroscience to marketing.
Neuromarketing includes the direct use of brain imaging, scanning, or other brain activity measurement technology to measure a subject’s response to specific products, packaging, advertising, or other marketing elements. In some cases, the brain responses measured by these techniques may not be consciously perceived by the subject; hence, this data may be more revealing than self-reporting on surveys, in focus groups, etc.
More generally, neuromarketing also includes the use of neuroscience research in marketing. For example, using fMRI or other techniques, researchers may find that a particular stimulus causes a consistent response in the brain of test subjects, and that this response is correlated with a desired behavior (e.g., trying something new). A marketing campaign that specifically incorporates that stimulus hoping to create that behavior can be said to incorporate neuromarketing, even though no physical testing of subjects was done for that campaign.
In fact, in a survey earlier last year, 78% of iPhone users “couldn’t imagine having a different type of phone”.
It may seem wired for you, but don’t worry their brains see things differently.
Your brain on the new iPhone: A Religious Experience
Every company in the world uses this strategy to make their customers pay for specific products. They activate the same parts of the brain as religious images trigger in a person of faith.
The result? Buying an iPhone is now a religious experience.
Sundeep Teki, a neuroscientist at the University of Oxford, said that this strategy can cause the same effects of addiction for some people. He said:
The act of seeking and realizing what we desire triggers activity in the reward network of the brain (in a region called the striatum) that is accompanied by the release of a chemical (or a neurotransmitter) called dopamine, which reinforces such compulsive behaviors.
Most types of the rewards tend to increase the level of dopamine in the brain and if uncontrolled excessive reward and pleasure-seeking may lead to powerful addiction disorders as seen in drug addiction, alcoholism, gambling and even Wall Street trading.
Another psychological study suggests that being an early-adopter can make people feel extremely special in their social circle. Especially for some specific companies like Apple, Tesla, and Google.
That’s the secret behind Tim Cook’s words in every Apple keynote:
“This is the best iPhone ever!, Owning the new Apple Watch will give you the ultimate experience, Our new watch is unbelievably unique and very special, I can’t believe how powerful this iPhone is…”
You know what? He’s the best in marketing products this way. Because even the $17,000 Apple Watch is almost 15% of all the Apple watch sales.
What!!
Now this explains the long lines in front of Apple Stores the day of iPhone release.
It’s the Overdose.
Of course, I don’t mean that anyone who buys an iPhone is fooled or something like that.
It’s true that Apple is making high-quality devices and has the best-designed products. There’s no problem in buying an Apple product, but we’re discussing the point of addiction, of absolute loyalty, of not being able to live without the latest Apple gadget.
And to make it clear, here are 2 examples of how experts use Neuromarketing in the real world.
Neuromarketing examples
Yet, marketers are using Neuromarketing everywhere around us.
For example, have you noticed that the best-seller products in any supermarket are the products in the entrance on the right?
The psychology behind this tactic is that data scientists have found that the majority of people go directly to the right when they enter the supermarket.
Do you?
Another example is the price strategy.
Will you pay for a $1000 smartphone? Probably not.
But did you know that more than 28% of people who responded with “No” will change their response if the product is at $999 price?
This is the power of Neuromarketing.
Conclusion
There’s nothing in buying a new iPhone. But the problem is when this decision becomes an addiction for some people. The psychology of iPhone explains the reason why the human brain can be fooled easily using some Neuromarketing tactics. It stimulates some parts in the brain to make you buy a specific product without thinking.
So will you buy the new iPhone X? Do you think it worth the $999 price? Leave a comment below.
This article is originally published on Thinkonomie. Here you’ll find the most interesting posts about Technology, Space, Science, and Inventions.
