UC San Diego neurologist V. S. Ramachandran has mapped some of the most mysterious regions of the mind. A few years ago announced that he had discovered what he called the “God spot ,“ a tiny spot in the frontal lobes of the brain that became hyper active when people have a strongly felt spiritual experience.
Now it seems that strong brand experiences activate the same spot. In fact, brands that are commonly referred to as cult brands appear to earn that distinction only by learning how to gain entry to a consumers’ God spot. Click here to see the Fast Company article on the similarities between strong brand affiliation and deeply felt religious experiences.
The article brought to mind what Maslow referred to as “peak experiences” which he described as the highest moments of happiness and fulfillment. They have a mystical, orgasmic” quality he said. They are the equivalent of what I have called “Being experiences” throughout my writings over the years.
I first defined Being experiences in my 1990 book Serving the Ageless Market as:
Experiences that tend to enhance a sense of connectedness, sharpen one’s sense of reality, and increase one’s sense of appreciation for life. In their most emotionally rewarding occurrences, these experiences involve actions benefitting others or actions that contribute to inner personal growth.
Everyone at least occasionally has Being or peak experiences, however generally speaking only older people’s aspirations – mostly 60 and older according to Maslow – pursue these experiences as a matter of course. They play a major role in how many older people shape their expectations of life. As such, they represent a state of being that is commonplace only among people who are at least well-along the road to self-actualization.
Despite the overarching importance in older people’s lives marketing messages to older markets are dominated by materialistic and egocentric values more common to younger people. I will continue to discuss the characteristics of people whose values and life aspirations have become less materialistic and more experiential or spiritual in upcoming posts. In the meantime learn how to avoid the values of younger people in marketing communications and instead connect with the peak or Being experience values of older people. In other words, learn how to connect your brand with your older consumer’s God spot.
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