3BrainMarketing

In preparation for the movie Jackass 3D I spent 4 hours last weekend in training by practice watching Jackass 1 & 2. I may have over-trained as my abs still ache from successive sets of belly laughs. It actually hurts way more than it did the last time I over-trained, back in 2004 when I did 11 sit-ups.

Why are these movies so funny? Is it just me? Couldn’t be, collectively the movies (1 & 2) made over $250 million. Is it that the ‘stunts’ are so unique? Unlikely, they’re really not the most creative or challenging. As well, there are hundreds of copycats on YouTube, whose videos somehow instead seem disturbing, not at all funny and dangerous. Watching the copycats I find myself (and I’m willing to bet it’s the same for you), worrying instead that they might be seriously injured – though if I lose that bet I am not prepared to do the “Baby Alligator Nipple Bite”.

Conversely I am usually trying to catch my breath from laughing so hard when watching the Jackass guys. I couldn’t get what these guys were doing so different… then it struck me – Mirror Neurons!

For me, the best part of any Jackass movie is not the ‘stunt’ in and of itself but the reactions afterward by the Jackass-es. The genuine, abdominal aching, crying because your face hurts from laughing reactions by the group and by the Jackass himself. They just don’t seem to be trying. It doesn’t seem as though they’re trying to impress me, instead it seems that each Jackass is trying to outdo himself and make each other laugh.

As humans, language plays only a tiny part in communication. Voice (pitch, tone, speed – not the actual words), eye movements, gestures and body language actually account for up to 95% of human communication. Though your conscious brain (cortex) is not aware, your subconscious brain is constantly absorbing and processing information, interjecting information into your conscious stream of thought only when it deems that information necessary. Watching a car commercial and focusing only on the car? The subconscious is actually absorbing and registering much more, including the ambient sounds and visuals in the background. From the engine, to the muffler, to the key opening the door, its why Audi records these sounds and use them as a branding tool.

Mirror Neurons

There are about 150 different types of neurons (in the brain). One group, Mirror Neurons is responsible for imitating actions it observes of another. Copying body language, facial expression – ‘mirroring’ the emotional state. I think it’s one of the reasons why we laugh so hard when a Jackass is hit in the face by an auto-punching glove, the camera pans over and there is an outburst of laughter by the crew – in observing them our mirror neurons copy that reaction. In his book “The Buying Brain”, A.K. Pradeep, CEO of NeuroFocus notes:

scientists lately have found strong, pervasive mirror networks for emotions. For example, when your friend chokes up when telling a sad story, your brain stimulates a similar level of distress. you empathize with the story, precognitively and subconsciously.

if anything, the emotional mirror neuron system is even more powerful than the sensory/motor mirror neuron system. use your consumer’s desire to connect with each other by offering them chances to see and feel things as others experience them. this is most powerfully a visual/auditory effect, best suited for television, movies, radio, and print editorial.

so when you see fear on another’s face, you feel fear. when you see calm, you feel calm. when you see pain you feel pain, boredom equals boredom, yawn equals yawn, and so on.

So where’s the tie in to you, to your marketing? Well, it’s obvious – gather a group, a giant spring loaded hand and invite a friend – but afterwards, know that your customer’s perception of your product would be influenced not just by what you say but what you don’t. In your interview or meeting, appreciate the power of a smile and in your marketing.

Understand the power of facial expressions and the emotions you want to tie to your product. When selling a vacation, don’t just show the beach, show the actor, feet kicked up and totally relaxed with a drink. What would the difference be? Well I guess we might want to look to Jackass 3D and their box office receipts to find out.

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This article was written by Marc Narine.
Marc works with companies to elevate marketing performance and profitability by going beyond the 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.