How Neuromarketing Impacts Messaging

There are several similarities between our values-based categories and how we think about the subject matter of copy. Overall there are two main features of how copy should adjust (a third is still in testing).

Subject

• What are we talking about?

Active vs. Passive language

• How are we talking about it?

Sentence structure and sentence structure variance.

• This category is still very much in testing.

• Much of this may just create itself naturally as a byproduct of our active vs. passive language learnings. 

  • Sentence structure will naturally be longer in more passive thoughts. 

  • Active thoughts tend to be shorter and more direct.

  • In longer forms of copy, it is always advisable to dynamically adjust sentence structures. 

Much like our brand values, the subject of your copy will fall into four categories 

Rational

• Give me the facts- what are the numbers than make you so great? 

• What is something concrete that I can get from your goods/services?

• Examples

  • “The hunt for fat-free sweets is over”

  • “Fat-Free sweets without hassle”

  • “Fat-Free sweets delivered for $x”

  • “Fat-Free Delivered to your doorstep”

  • “Top rated Fat-Free sweets online”

Aspirational

• What is the mission of the company?

• What narrative am I helping by joining the story?

• Examples

  • “Fat-Free doesn’t have to be limiting”

  • “No-Fat just got sweeter”

  • “Be healthy without boxing yourself in”

Humanistic

• Who is impacted by your goods or services?

• How does this add to my own self-narrative?

• Examples

  • “You don’t have to compromise. Be healthy + Treat yourself”

  • “They’ll never know it’s healthy”

  • “People love our no-fat sweets”

Process

• Is this going to be easy?

• Is there something about how your good/service works that makes you more valuable/ cheaper/ easier/ better than your competitors?

• Examples

  • “No-Fat treats delivered to your doorstep”

  • “The sweet side of healthy means you don’t have to think about it”

  • "Learn how we keep the goodness without the fat"

If you're worried that your Process and Rational copy traits are overlapping, don't worry. A process will inherently lend itself to be rational or logical when you're discussing it. Likewise, it isn't uncommon for rational facts to tend to be about the process. The difference should lie more in the context of how you present them. 

• Are they as a part of a logical flow or a part of laying out the facts?

Active or Passive voice can help you convey this logical flow vs. laying out facts. Where a more active voice would allow you to lay out the facts, you'd look to be more passive when explaining the process. Passive voice can give the reader a better context or can better lay out a narrative for the reader to follow along.

Active language is also less about the proper grammatical definition and more about the assertiveness or tone that you take with your language. When you're looking to be more active, your copy (and the experience) should drive the user to what you want them to do.

We are tying this driving factor to one's extroversion score, as extroversion is a good indicator of one’s ability to tolerate multiple stimuli before switching away. We’re still studying this, but this is either a factor of someone’s flight or fight system or their tolerance for cognitive overload (you know that moment where you get overwhelmed and your mind just goes blank).

Passive language usage should be a cue to your copywriter to pull your foot off the gas pedal (not a queue for bad grammar usage). Your copy should invite the user to explore and learn. The main difference is who is in the driver’s seat:

• When you’re active- you’re driving.

• When you’re passive- the customer is driving.