MARIANO GÁLVEZ UNIVERSITY OF GUATEMALA

FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES

Master in Business Administration
Course: Management Marketing II
Lic. Erick Estuardo Cruz Reyes

BOOK ESSAY

“BRANWASHED – THE BRAINWASHING OF BRANDS”

Kevin Omar Espinoza González 290-12-6165

Guatemala, February 29, 2020
 Index
Introduction.......................................................................................................... 1

I. “BRANWASHED – THE BRAINWASHING OF BRANDS”.............................2

II. Conclusion................................................................................................ 13

Bibliography....................................................................................................... 14
 1

Introduction

Currently, companies position themselves in the consumer's mind using different

methods and tactics that advertisers have to develop an advertising campaign in
order to maintain constant communication with the client, and also manage to
modify their habits through techniques. specific to marketing.

Martin Lindstrom, as author of the book Brandwashed “The brainwashing of

brands”, expresses his point of view of the different “macabre” tools as he names
them in the book and the application of these to discover the tastes and
preferences of consumers. In this essay we will immerse ourselves in the macabre
practices exposed in the aforementioned book, which seek to modify the tastes
and preferences of us as consumers by replacing them with those of companies.

Through critical thinking, I seek to achieve the following, as a central research

objective: to explain how the techniques developed by marketing and implemented
by advertisers permanently affect the purchasing habits of consumers.

The central research objective can be resolved using the following specific
objectives: explain each of the techniques mentioned in the book “ Brandwashed”
through its own concepts; analyze the effects made on consumption habits. The
content of this academic writing is supported by small concepts from prominent
authors, these being the starting points to develop it with greater ownership.
 2

I. “BRANWASHED – THE BRAINWASHING OF BRANDS”

Currently, companies use specific techniques as an important part of their

advertising campaigns to influence the customer's purchasing decision; Staying in
the buyer's mind is vital for companies, influencing the purchasing pattern, since
this allows the company's product or service to become the first purchasing
decision.

Martin Lindstrom as author of the book “ Brandwashed” unmasks how

companies manage to discover tastes and preferences by using questionable tools
and methods to force a purchase. In chapter 1 named “Buy, buy, buy, Marketing
from the womb” mentions how companies influence the tastes and preferences of
babies from the time they are in the gestation period.

Science has discovered that the mother's voice is perceived by the fetus inside
the uterus, and it can also perceive a wide range of tones and smells through the
umbilical connection between mother and child. Many of the stimuli received by the
mother during the gestation period are transmitted to the fetus, in this way the child
reacts in a similar way to the mother when perceiving the same stimuli.

If it were analyzed at what age people's tastes and preferences have in their
adult lives such as food, drinks, clothing, shoes, cosmetics or any type of items or
services, also, the preference for certain brands is consolidated, companies could
expose children to advertising content so that in the future they will be consumers
of their products.

Through manipulation techniques, brands have managed to position

themselves in the minds of children from an early age, modifying their tastes and
behavior patterns. A shopping center discovered how the stimuli during the
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gestation process permanently influences the habits of the children of the mothers
who frequented the shopping center during the gestation period.

The supervisor decides to make changes to the shopping center, adding a new
range of colors, pleasant background music for all audiences, foot powder and
environmental to improve the atmosphere of the place, the combination of these
improvements increased the number of people attending the shopping center.
commercial and increased sales of the businesses that were within it.

The mothers commented to the staff in charge of the shopping center how their
children relaxed with the music playing. Likewise, the different store windows
hypnotized the children, allowing them to have a period of relaxation similar to that
experienced by the mother during pregnancy. (Marketing, 2016)

Even now, the improvements made in the shopping center provoke moments of
relaxation in children by stimulating their senses with the aroma of foot powder, the
different colors placed in the windows of the different stores and the carefully
selected music.

Stimulating the buyer's senses and emotions is essential for marketing today,
with advertising campaigns focused on encouraging the buyer in a sentimental and
emotional way. Fear is one of the emotions most used to encourage the purchase
of items that the consumer does not need. It is common to see fear as the basis of
the tactics used by marketers today, as Lindstrosm explains in chapter two
“Preaching panic.” and paranoia” from his book.

It is normal to see television advertisements and digital media where companies

use fear as an incentive to sell or draw attention to the item offered; As a television
viewer, Colgate's advertising campaigns draw my attention, where the company
highlights people's fear of having bad breath and yellow teeth and how these can
 4

ruin personal image, causing the consumer to need to buy Colgate pasta, when
treating to avoid the oral hygiene problems that the commercial suggests.

Fear is an essential emotion for the survival of human beings, through this
emotion man manages to survive and adapt to the different situations experienced
at the beginning of society, by providing a quick response to any eventuality,
therefore, it is an fundamental feeling for man's adaptation to adversity.

Likewise, as a fundamental emotion for the survival of human beings, it has

allowed the transformation of people's habits, by being used as a means of
manipulation and stimulation. Brands and marketing use it to force the consumer to
carry out activities against their will or indirectly in the case of marketing, one can
take as an example the rumors used in the stock market to force the massive sale
of shares with the objective of lowering the value of a company's shares in order to
buy the shares in the future at a lower cost than that managed in the market.
(Romero, 2016)

Combining fear, guilt and remorse transforms emotions into actions that we as
consumers rarely manage to control, in the same way, a person eats food to satisfy
the need for hunger, people buy unnecessary items to cover the need to be
socially accepted, the Fear of rejection from their peers forces people to acquire
vehicles of the year, trends in technology and the consumption of branded items,
provoke in the consumer the need to acquire goods to be accepted regardless of
the means to obtain them.

Chapter 3 of the book named “I can't papa” the author explains how people
become compulsive buyers to satisfy non-existent needs generated by marketing.
Likewise, marketers use different emotions to generate the need to acquire
products and services, turning people into compulsive consumers.
 5

It is understood as compulsive buyers according to Inasa & Barrachina,(2012) to

people with concern, impulse and behaviors focused on buying continuously for the
pleasure of buying, without the purpose of satisfying a specific need; In some
cases, these people buy to avoid anxiety, irritability and nervousness.

Making a purchase is one of the most pleasant habits that we can do as

consumers, since it allows us to satisfy a need or provide a solution to a problem.
However, for most people it represents an hour or days of shopping, but A few
maintain their purchasing habits for a long time, these types of people become
compulsive buyers when purchasing items or services not out of necessity, but
because of the adrenaline that is generated when making the purchase.

In many cases, the consumer puts their economic stability at risk by acquiring
unnecessary items through loans or credit purchases that accrue monthly interest
on the purchase. Likewise, their emotional stability is affected by not being able to
stop buying, making it a priority in their life. , leaving their physical health, personal
obligations and emotional stability in mind.

Like any addiction, this is compared to sexual excitement, gambling and drug
consumption, the repetitive purchase of clothes, shoes, appliances, among others,
is common for a compulsive buyer, since brands encourage the purchase of items
periodically even if they are in optimal conditions.

Currently, brands like Apple are accused of making their mobile devices
obsolete before their expiration time to force the purchase of new devices even
when they are in usable condition. Another accusation made against this brand is
the launch of new products with characteristics similar or the same as the product
to be replaced. They are also accused of inflating the prices of their phones and
computers unnecessarily.
 6

In the food industry, brands encourage the purchase of their products using eye-
catching slogans. There is the case of Lay's with the slogan “You can't eat just
one!”, this slogan encourages us as consumers to buy more of their fried foods. ;
Brands will use any means possible to encourage the purchase of their products
with the aim of increasing their sales and profits.

The buyer's search for emotions and stimuli is essential for the success of any
marketing plan, since they seek to attract our attention as consumers. Using
feelings and emotions has allowed companies to cover different types of
consumers, however, not all; To reach this segment of the population, marketing
uses sexuality as a pillar of its advertising campaigns.

In chapter 4 “Buy it and sleep with someone”, the author raises the question of
how sexuality has been used in marketing, this is in different ways for both men
and women, generally they are attracted by romantic advertisements that stimulate
their emotions, on the other hand, men are attracted by the sexual content of
advertisements.

In many cases, advertisements with sexual content can attract the attention of
the consumer, however, this content can be counterproductive by focusing our
attention on the sexual content, without giving interest in the product or service that
is intended to be sold; However, it helps capture people's attention. Marketers
know that through the brain's mirror neurons, the brand can be placed in the
consumer's thoughts, regardless of interference from the content. (Lacoboni, 2009)

From a personal point of view, the counterproductive effect that sexuality has on
him is the advertising contests are the oil and puncture shops, where posters of
women in swimsuits are displayed in provocative positions, making women and
parents who attend these places uncomfortable, although , the advertisement
 7

cannot transmit the message to the consumer, he himself has in his mind the
brand that appears in the advertising medium.

Modern marketing changed the focus on sexuality in advertising, where before

women were displayed in a provocative way in men's advertisements, today you
find men in excellent physical condition, causing us as consumers admiration and
envy of the way they model the clothes. that they intend to sell us. The twist that
marketing has given to sexuality in advertising focuses on encouraging the
consumer's desire to resemble the model in the advertisement, by purchasing the
clothing, shoes and accessories used by the model during the advertisement.

Sports articles and underwear are good examples of the change that sexuality
has had in marketing. An example is the Juventus Turin athlete Cristiano Ronaldo,
who owns the CR7 underwear brand and is a Nike sports model. . In most of Nike's
advertisements, Cristiano can be seen posing in the brand's shoes and clothing,
encouraging the consumer to purchase the items offered in the advertisement. The
customer sees himself reflected in the model when using the items.

As mentioned in this document, marketing uses different methods to encourage

the purchase of goods or services; Buying an item is one of the most important
decisions we can make, therefore, sometimes we base our purchasing decision on
the behavior or suggestions of people close to us, as mentioned in chapter 5
“Under pressure”.

This phenomenon is known as social pressure, when making decisions based

on the opinion or behavior of friends, experts on the subject, family, among others.
According to Myers,(2005) What is known as social pressure is that which modifies
or influences the behavior of an individual that changes their attitude, values,
thinking, among others.
 8

Apple is known as a company that exerts group pressure to encourage the

purchase of its cell phones and computer equipment. This company uses the
premium concept in its marketing strategies, selling its products as novel, popular
and synonymous with social status. As buyers, we purchase phones from this
brand with the aim of imitating celebrities and important people, with great
purchasing power.

Society, together with companies, positions brands, places, clothing and shoes
as social standards of behavior and social acceptance. Nowadays we use social
networks such as Instagram with the purpose of publishing our personal life to
others, showing people We follow the places we frequent such as restaurants,
shopping centers and fashionable places in the city, we also show the brands and
fashion items that we acquire to be socially accepted.

The level of social acceptance and recognition that we seek on social networks
can be measured by the number of LIKEs that the photos receive and people who
visit or follow our profile, forcing us to value ourselves according to the opinions of
others. People make purchases influenced by social trends, use credit cards or
resort to loans to maintain their social acceptance and basing their self-esteem on
the thoughts of others, regardless of the economic and emotional consequences
that could arise due to group pressure. .

Likewise, society pressures people to use brands and which places to frequent,
also modifying habits to achieve social acceptance; Young people are prone to
falling into social prejudices by adopting habits such as drug consumption and
drinking alcoholic beverages. The consumption of the aforementioned affects the
learning capacity of consumers and creates emotional instability. In the same way
that social pressure is used to buy, nostalgia is one of the tools that marketing
implements to manipulate consumers' emotions as described in chapter 6 “Oh,
sweet memories.”
 9

It can be said that nostalgia is the excessive desire to remember or relive happy
events from a previous era. Companies and sellers are perfectly aware of the
weight that the perception of age has on consumer habits and purchasing
decisions. There is a gap between the age that people are and the age that they
pretend to be or feel they are, therefore, men and women over 30 years old go
crazy when buying what they like and that reminds them of their best times. Among
their main purchases are shoes, sports vehicles, clothing, collectibles, among
others. (Cubría, 2015)

Nostalgia is used by marketing experts, since it is common for us to buy what

reminds us of the youth we had; place slogans, use old logos and advertisements
reminding us of better moments with the brand or type of product promoted in
order for us to buy it. You can take as an example the movies and family programs
that people watched, also brands like Converse Old Star that use iconic products
such as classic grasshopper shoe models that are currently used by young people
and adults.

Cartoons were an important part of my childhood; I remember spending

afternoons watching Pokémon after studying, I also had fun playing with the
franchise's cards and video games, despite being 26 years old I still buy Pokémon
video games and cards remembering afternoons of fun and happiness.
Transformers is one of my favorite cartoons, I remember the moment I found out
about the Transformers movie and the excitement of seeing its premiere, at the
same time I remembered the cartoon afternoons watching television series from
the 90s.

Just as companies create brands and use people's emotions and feelings to
sell; Celebrities and athletes become their own brands with the aim of promoting
and selling their lifestyle to us, as explained in chapter 7 “the royal staircase of
marketing professionals” of Lindstrom's book.
 10

As human beings we are easy to manipulate when stimulating our feelings and
emotions, now what will happen when an athlete shows how he dresses, how he
wears the shoes he buys, what restaurant he frequents, the way of life he has, in
short, the life that everyone we wish we had, giving these celebrities the power to
decide what we should buy to be like them.

Depending on the type of celebrity we follow on social networks and the

particular tastes they may have, we will consume the brands and products that the
celebrity advises us to buy, even if they criticize us for allowing themselves to be
influenced by people they do not know and who are hired to sell the products they
consume. We feel satisfaction in doing so, in this way the hidden power that
famous people have over the consumer's purchasing decision is manifested.

A clear example of this way of persuading the consumer to purchase specific

products and brands is makeup for women, personalities such as Victoria
Beckham who have launched their own line of cosmetic products; The woman who
purchases this type of product seeks to imitate the celebrity who uses the brand in
order to stand out from other women. (SIERRA, 2016)

When a beauty product is promoted by a celebrity, the consumer senses that

the product is of quality knowing that this person uses it and will obtain the same
results as the famous person, even if the famous person does not consume it and
only promotes it. The name of a celebrity is the most important part of creating a
personal brand. Placing your name on products such as fragrances and clothing
automatically has relevance to the consumer regardless of its quality, celebrities
such as David Beckham and Giorgi Armani.

Currently there are different types of markets, there is the automotive market,
food, clothing, luxury items, among others, however, marketing has been able to
develop strategies for each of the aforementioned, even complicated markets such
 11

as spiritual health and enlightenment as mentioned in chapter 8 “Bottled Hope”. In

this chapter it talks about a fruit called Goji and its benefits of consuming it, it also
mentions how companies have used this fruit and others in order to sell a false
feeling of health to the consumer without scientific proof of the benefits mentioned
in advertising.

Companies base the advertising campaign on the origin of these products,

highlighting as consumers the purity and nutritional value that the product has,
using words such as nutritious, low in calories or so that we consume said
products. These words, in most cases, do not mean the same thing for the
consumer and the company; when seeing the product, the word natural refers to a
part of the entire product. (BBc mundo , 2015)

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the concept of somatic markers arises,

Lazara,(2006) describes somatic markers as bodily changes that reflect the
consumer's emotions in a positive or negative way to influence the purchase
decision. As Lazara mentions, the feeling of satisfaction that we can perceive as
consumers is superior to those questions that may arise during the independent
purchasing process if the brand sells us products that do not meet what was
promised.

The people in charge of marketing health-focused products seek to satisfy the

need for well-being that we seek or wish to have in life. We generally have an
unhealthy lifestyle which we seek to change with products of natural origin that
provide essential nutrients to maintain a state of optimal health without the need to
change lifestyle habits.

Personal well-being can cover different areas such as health, love, family;
however, we can highlight the security that we seek as consumers when making
an online or card purchase. In chapter 9 “Every time you breathe, they will be
 12

watching you” talks about how companies obtain and use personal information to
develop products and marketing tools.

Privacy is a controversial topic for consumers, due to fear of information theft;

The extraction of consumer data has become one of the most profitable
businesses with companies accused of selling personal information of social media
users, the end of privacy is near with companies buying personal information with
the aim of being able to sell better forms its products.

The information we provide as consumers on social networks, such as the

places we visit, the pages we follow and the things we like, is useful for companies
dedicated to retail sales, where placing the most sought-after products is essential
for business. It also allows organizations to create new products based on the
information we provide them, as well as improve existing ones. (Riley, 2018)

Companies analyze the data provided by third parties to obtain an advantage

over the competition by satisfying our needs and creating new products. Through
good customer segmentation, the ideal product can be placed at the right time and
displayed in a striking way, increasing sales.

From a personal point of view, supermarkets are an example of consumer

information management, by analyzing sales made over a period of time,
supermarkets can analyze which products their consumers prefer depending on
the location of the supermarket, the maximum price that they can pay, the brands
preferred by the consumer and whether the person buys for one or two people. All
this information is analyzed with the aim of making the supermarket more profitable
by offering the products, brands and prices that the consumer wants.
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II. Conclusion

In conclusion, companies have managed to position themselves permanently in

the minds of consumers through specific marketing techniques, which advertisers
have used without scruple to modify the customer's purchasing habits with the aim
of always being the first purchasing option. , starting from an early age and
continuing in the different stages of the consumer's life.

Likewise, advertisers have used fear, nostalgia, sexuality, social pressure,

among others, to change the way people make the purchasing decision, creating
false needs and a non-existent well-being for the customer that is satisfied when
making the purchase. purchase of a good or service.

Finally, marketing takes advantage of the ease of human beings in manipulating

emotions, using tools such as somatic markers as mentioned by Lázara (2006),
since these allow changes in behavior that reflect emotions when taking a decision.
purchase decision, likewise, the use of mirror neurons to place the brand in the
consumer's thoughts.
 14

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