3BrainMarketing

Our entire 3Brain Marketing approach is rooted in a now, research proven model of how the brain is structured and why certain human behavior traits exist. The model is that of the “Triune Brain” and the neuroscientist who proposed it is Paul MacLean.

Without getting too deep into the biology or physiology of the brain, I’ll offer a brief explanation of the Triune Brain model and how it affects not only your consumers but how it affects you… how your behavior and the decisions that you make are influenced.

The Triune Brain proposes that the brain is actually 3 separate brains in one (hence the 3Brain term), with each having its own intelligence, subjectivity, sense of time, space and memory. These ‘brains’ are: the Neocortex, the Limbic System, the Reptilian Brain. In case you’re thinking this part might not be applicable to you, it’s actually the reason behind everything you’ve read/seen before and everything else you’ll learn.

Here’s an explanation of your 3 Brains:

Neocortex:
The neocortex (also known as the cerebral cortex) contains the left and right cortex (left brain, right brain), is found in the brain of higher mammals and is responsible for higher-order thinking skills, reason, speech, and judgement.

Limbic System:
The limbic system is the source of emotions and instincts (e.g.. feeding, fighting, fleeing, and sexual behaviour—also known as “the 4 F’s”). When this part of the brain is stimulated, such as by mild electric current, emotions are produced.

Reptilian Brain:
The term “Reptilian brain” comes from the fact that a reptile‘s brain is dominated by the brain stem and cerebellum which controls instinctual survival behaviors and thinking. This brain controls the muscles, balance and autonomic functions (e.g. breathing and heartbeat). It is, thus, primarily reactive to direct stimuli.

For  years marketers have catered to the Neocortex, providing all the facts, figures and features of a product. It’s now been demonstrated that decisions aren’t made in the logic part of the brain (the cortex)… decisions are influenced from the limbic system and the reptilian brain. If you want someone to buy, make sure there’s emotion in your pitch; if you want someone to remember something, make sure there’s emotion in your story; if you want to influence another, use emotion.

People are not thinking beings that feel. People are feeling beings that think.

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This article was written by Marc Narine.
Marc works with companies to elevate their marketing performance and profitability by going beyond the traditional feature/benefit approach to instead assessing the consumer’s emotional and cultural imprints and subconscious attachments to a product. He is the primary author at 3Brain Marketing.