How do mirror neurons influence purchasing decisions?

A discovery from the end of the last century that remains fully relevant today and influences consumers when making a purchase: mirror neurons, and how knowledge about their functioning can maximize marketing actions. 

The reader will probably identify with the following situations: when someone cries inconsolably and the person in front of them instinctively and unconsciously adopts a serious or sad expression; someone else yawns out of sleepiness or boredom and, instantly, the observer repeats that gesture without thinking; that occasion when someone trips, shows they are hurt, and a passerby stops to help as if they themselves felt the pain… 

Behind these spontaneous action-reaction responses are mirror neurons, a group of nerve cells that could enhance results when implementing marketing strategies and communication efforts. Do you want to know how these mirror neurons influence purchasing decisions? 

What Are Mirror Neurons and How Do They Work?

The first question to answer is this: what are mirror neurons? What is their function? First, it is necessary to establish a theoretical framework to understand how and when this knowledge emerged, which takes us back to the late 20th century, specifically 1996. That was the year a study led by Giacomo Rizzolatti, together with Leonardo Fogassi and Vittoria Gallesego, was published and focused on what they are and how mirror neurons work:

• In a study with primates, brain reactions from several of them were recorded to observe how they behaved while watching one another.
• They observed and detected that when watching an activity, the nervous system of the “observer” activates a specific area.
• The observer activates the same group of neurons that would be triggered if they performed the action they are witnessing.

What does all this mean? Their function is related to imitation. They are believed to be behind empathetic and social behaviors, such as those mentioned at the beginning of this article.

What Relationship Do Mirror Neurons Have with Marketing?

Research conducted in this field has concluded that, regarding how mirror neurons work, people understand others—whether fellow humans or even animals—through the feelings generated, rather than through thought. In other words, emotions are usually more decisive than reason. 

This idea underlies the implementation of certain marketing and communication actions, since professionals, after understanding what mirror neurons are, recognize this as useful knowledge to apply in their campaigns. The key points are: 

1. The images shown to users could generate the desire to perform that same action (eat a hamburger, buy clothing, drive a certain vehicle). 
2. This principle could be used in audiovisual initiatives, through images, sounds, graphic elements, or text. 
3. The functioning of mirror neurons is applied both in television productions and when creating messages to be delivered via mobile or web, among others.

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The Function of Mirror Neurons in the Buying Process

“Mirror neurons are the brick on which culture is built.” This quote by Rizzolatti, mentioned in a 2016 conference, summarizes the essence of speaking about the functions fulfilled by mirror neurons. In the purchasing process of a user, they would act in the following ways: 

• They encourage potential consumers to imitate the information they are receiving (audiovisual, graphic, etc.).
• They activate when observing someone perform an action or when performing it themselves, meaning what is shown to the user can be shaped to generate that behavior. 

Knowledge of how this group of nerve cells acts can contribute when planning marketing actions in order to achieve expected results. It has been proven that they influence purchasing processes, which is why this learning is included in specialized programs such as the Master’s in Consumer Behavior and Marketing Insights at EAE Barcelona. 

Examples of Mirror Neurons in Marketing 

There are numerous cases showing how the knowledge surrounding mirror neurons has been applied to communication and marketing campaigns. Below are some examples where the functioning of mirror neurons has been decisive when designing marketing strategies:

McDonald's 

The quintessential fast-food chain is an obvious case: its advertising showing people visiting its restaurants and enjoying both its burgers and the experience creates in the viewer an interest in living that moment. 

Ikea

The furniture and home-office products company is another expert in the principles behind mirror neurons. Nothing better than recreating in its stores a range of fully furnished homes of different sizes, where potential buyers can experience what it would be like to live in such a space.

Travel Agencies and Destinations

What better approach than experiential campaigns where the audience can see and almost virtually transport themselves into the experience of those holidays. It becomes easy to imagine oneself in certain situations when the recipient identifies with what is being shown. 

These and other cases show how knowledge about mirror neurons helps strengthen certain tools to boost marketing actions. These topics are addressed in training programs for industry professionals. In addition to the previously mentioned program, EAE Barcelona also offers two other educational proposals that may interest professionals specializing in communication and commercial areas: the Master’s in Corporate Communication & Brand Management and the Master’s in Marketing and Commercial Management. The school’s commercial team can provide more information to those interested in these programs.