The “Buy Me” Brain

What does naaseh v’nishma have to do with neuromarketing? If I’d been asked that question a few months ago I would have said absolutely nothing. Yet there they were — the words naaseh v’nishma — staring out at me in a recent book called Unconscious Branding: How Neuroscience Can Empower (and Inspire) Marketing written by high-profile marketing and brand strategy consultantDouglasVan Praet. Now that I’ve got your attention — and yes Van Praet offers suggestions for how to do that — let me point out that neuromarketing isn’t about hypnotism or inserting subliminal marketing messages into a music CD or on a box of cornflakes. Nor is it about turning otherwise rational consumers into credit-card-waving zombies. Or is it?