Recap: Social Media Affects Brain Similar to Falling in Love – What This Means for Marketers
July 16th, 2010 by Jessica Weil
On yesterday’s episode of This Week in Social Media, host Mike O’Toole was joined by PJA colleague Hugh Kennedy, EVP, Planning, and Fast Company writer Adam Penenberg to discuss Penenberg’s recent article about the affect social media has on the brain and how marketers can leverage this. Here are some highlights from the show:
Social networking is like falling in love. At least in terms of brain chemistry. Neuro-economist Paul Zak discovery that social networking triggers the release of oxytocin, a chemical in the brain that heightens feelings of trust, empathy and generosity similar to when we fall in love.
Friends help people live longer. This is a pretty well-known theory at this point, but what’s particularly compelling is that in most studies, those friends don’t have to be in the same room, or even the same town or country with you. You get the same benefits – better health and a longer life – Just by having friends and interacting with them over telephone, e-mail, and social networks.
Engagement with customers and prospects should build out of a brand organically. A great example of a brand effectively leveraging the connection between brain chemistry and emotional reactions is Chipotle. Their recent No Junk campaign encourages people to forward all their junk mail to an email box with the promise that when it hits 500,000 pieces of junk mail, Chipotle will make a donation of 50,000 to The Lunch Box. Chipotle has successfully linked their mission to be selective about the products they let into their store with the fact that people don’t like junk in their lives either, whether they’re eating it or whether it’s in their mailbox.
Trust is the essence of everything you do as a company. If your customers trust your product and your company, you’ll be able to create a relationship with them. With social media, everything is instantaneous, so if a customer has a bad experience with a company, they have a place to complain about it and potentially reach millions of people. It’s important for companies to acknowledge this reality.
Listen to the full episode here: Social Media Affects Brain Similar to Falling in Love – What This Means for Marketers
December 29th, 2010 at 7:31 am
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