Wii: Let's Get Visceral

By Gregg Miller
December 24, 2009
Take a moment and let your mind wander; inhale deeply, exhale, and find your neutral state. Now click play on the video below. You might want to turn down your speaker volume a little.
[fve]http://youtu.be/pFlcqWQVVuU[/fve]
Are you smiling? Did you laugh out loud? My guess is that, like me, some of this little boy’s infectious (even zealous) excitement rubbed off on you. Look at how wide his mouth gets. That thunderous enthusiasm flooding his body makes his arms tremble as he holds the box in front of him. His hungry hands claw across its surface, proving to himself that it is, in fact, Christmas morning and not a deceitful dream. The tidal volume of his voice never drops below a bestial shriek. Now watch the video again, but this time pay careful attention to the arguably more interesting character in this gripping melodrama: his identically pajama-ed sister.
Did you notice that every time he clutches the box, she clutches the box? Did you see how every direction his head turned, her head turned? When he screams, she screams. When he attacks the box, she attacks the box. The very moment that he stands up, she stands up herself. Pay special attention to the moment he fist-pumps the air. The synchronization is so remarkable you might say it was choreographed. But it wasn’t. How much do you think a four-year-old girl actually cares about video games? My guess is little to none. But does she care, both consciously and subconsciously, about how her brother and gift-bestowing parents perceive her? Absolutely. Just look at how she watches his every move so that she in turn can replicate it.
One might simply explain this as a conventional sibling relationship; the younger sibling almost always wants to do everything just like the older sibling. If this were the whole explanation, though, why would we be getting excited and happy too? Part of what’s happening for the little girl – and to a lesser degree, us, the almost-detached observer – is an explosion of activity in a group of nerves in the brain called “mirror neurons.” Numerous studies have consistently found that when an individual observes another doing a specific action, the same areas of the motor cortex and corresponding emotional areas in the brain of the observer become active as in the person performing the action (Rizzolatti and Criaghero, 2004). When you’re watching the little boy open his Nintendo, your brain imitates this experience of opening your own Nintendo.
Let’s bring it home to marketing now. The most powerful advertisements inspire a response in the viewer, and especially if that response is emotional. Funny ads that make us laugh or get our heart racing are much more memorable than those that bore us. So many of Nintendo’s ads in the past have show-cased the features of a specific game, as do many advertisements which seek to educate about an individual product. However, consider how Nintendo could benefit from simply showing a clip like this. Just a little boy bouncing off the walls as he unwraps a dream come true. Fade it to black, and you’ve got a branded, direct avenue into the emotional wiring of consumers everywhere.
The number of videos showing the excitement around Wii is growing and consistent exposure reinforces the social media conversation. The repeated appeal to our mirror neurons makes a lasting impression.
Consider how your mind automatically reacts to mirror the excitement in this great example from last year (again, check your volume this is really loud):
[fve]http://youtu.be/ONik-iFlE94[/fve]
Mirror neurons are a powerful component of the human brain. Their presence in other sophisticated primates and the frequency with which our brains utilize these important nerves suggest that mirror neurons are deeply entwined with our evolution as a species (Rizzolatti and Criaghero, 2004). Marketers, once aware of research into the human mind that exists in the academic world such as this discussion of mirror neurons, can capitalize on such knowledge in order to gain greater flexibility and power in creating new ad campaigns. Understanding the drivers of behavior is crucial. If you think of a specific behavior (for example, purchasing behavior) as an equation with a number of variables, one must understand what the variables are and how they function in order to be able to effect the appropriate inputs to arrive at a meaningful and intentional result. An understanding of mirror neurons represents one such variable; tapping into them allows for an appeal to the consumer on a biologically irresistible level.
To illicit a positive reaction to your product like that exhibited by the Nintendo boy, deliberately attempt to engage the mirror neurons in the hard-wiring of the brain, display the excitement, the joy, the satisfaction for others to see in a public venue. If consumers experience that same joy, they, too, might buy your product.
If you haven’t had enough, here’s one more for your mirror neurons to enjoy:
[fve]http://youtu.be/52V5MlEqBOc[/fve]
And of course we would love to see any of your links to unbridled Christmas morning joy. Please post away, our mirror neurons are waiting!
References
Rizzolatti, Giacomo and Craighero, Laila. “The Mirror-Neuron System.” Annual Review of Neuroscience 27 (2004): 169-192.
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