Understanding how memories are made and the impact for brands.

1. Brain Game
Opinion Leader
Making memories
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2. Making memories
Memories exist to help us make
decisions. Understanding how they
do it promises to give brands and
marketers a powerful edge.
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3. Making memories
A young man walks into his local bar and as his These are all examples of the power of affective
attention focuses on a bottle of Corona, his mind memories, powerful associations that can
suddenly turns to a girl he kissed on a beach leap unbidden to our attention through the
holiday in Mexico five years before; a 21-year- activation of patterns of neurons in our brains,
old girl walks out of the cinema after watching often by seemingly unrelated triggers. The
The Social Network and feels an overriding urge first two are everyday examples of the ways in
to eat a Big Mac; a taste tester swiftly changes which these memories influence the fortunes
his preference when told which of the drinks he of brands. The final two are taken from
is comparing is Coca-Cola; and in Switzerland, groundbreaking experiments that have sought
a student of wine stares incredulously when he to shed light on how.
is told that the vintage that he has just praised
profusely is in fact the same cheap plonk that
he has tasted and dismissed as worthless a few
minutes before.
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4. Making memories
Memory games had been poured into two of the bottles: one reviews when poured from an expensive bottle,
In the first of these experiments, a famous the bottle of a prestigious vintage; the other and scathing ones when associated with a
taste-off between The Coca-Cola company a younger, less prestigious label. The labels cheaper label. When told what had happened,
and Pepsi orchestrated by the neuroscientist exerted a great influence on the scores this all students had a hard time believing they
Samuel McClure in 2004, tasters were first wine received: it drew positive scores and had actually tasted the same wine on both
asked to sample the two drinks in a blind test. occasions.
When they did so, preference was split roughly
equally between the rival colas. However,
when they were then served the drinks from
branded containers, Coke became the favourite.
Interestingly, fMRI scans of the tasters’ brains
showed significantly different brain activity
when knowingly drinking Coca-Cola than when
consuming it blind. When it comes to enjoying
Coca-Cola, something other than tastebuds is
clearly at work.
The wine experiment provides more evidence
as to what. In it, students of oenology were
presented with four different bottles of wine
and asked to taste them, rate them and then
justify the scores that they gave to each.
Unbeknownst to them, their drinks had been
tampered with. A mediocre wine of poor quality
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5. The remembering self and the experiencing self
In his landmark book, Thinking Fast and Slow, how the event itself is remembered (in this case as
Daniel Kahneman explores the potential a negative experience). Likewise a bad experience
difference between our “experiencing self” and that ends well will be remembered positively and
our “remembering self”, pointing out in the recalled as a positive memory. As Kahneman puts
process that our memories of an event can be it: “The remembering self is sometimes wrong, but
reconsolidated while the event itself is still on- it is the one that keeps score and governs what
going. If a diner in a restaurant experiences a we learn from living, and it is the one that makes
wonderful five-course meal only to have a waiter decisions. What we learn from the past is to
spill a glass of red wine all over his finest suit at maximise the qualities of our future memories”.
the end of it, it is this final memory that dominates
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6. Making memories
The triumph of memory over (present) But our understanding of exactly how it forms – this is the hippocampus at work. Its business,
experience and how brands can act to improve their position the business of memory, is connecting different
Both the wine tasters and their cola equivalents within the brain – is only beginning to emerge. elements of our experience together.
had been fooled by the powerful role that traces
of the past play in preparing our brains for the The busy librarian At the intersection of past and present
future. As neuroscientists come to understand Our knowledge of how memories are recorded, This process of connecting one set of information
more about how memories form and re-form, they consolidated, recalled and reconsolidated has with another is as relevant to our future as it is to
are realizing that anticipating experiences in this been transformed in recent years. We now our past. The evidence of fMRI scans shows that
way is a vital part of their role. So much so that our understand that memory is dispersed, with the parts of our brain we use when remembering
most powerful memories may actually supplant or various representations of an experience encoded overlap substantially with the parts that we
override our experiences in the present. in different parts of the brain simultaneously. use when anticipating or imagining the future.
These different perspectives on our memories Memories are the basis of our learning and
In our wine example, the brains of the students are connected together through the direction of planning, and their intersection with the present is
were already equipped with knowledge of the the hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped structure a complex one. It is our present circumstances that
prestigious vintages and this memory trumped located near the brain’s temporal lobe. Imagine a influence which memories rush to our minds and
actual taste when it came to experiencing the librarian surrounded by shelves that contain not the form that they take when they are recalled.
wine. Could brands play a similar role, acting not carefully bound, complete books relating different And as our wine example shows, present and
just as the promise of enjoyment but actually episodes and aspects of our lives, but simply remembered experience can compete with one
causing us to experience that enjoyment as well? piles and piles of individual pages. When a visitor another when it comes to establishing what is
The cola example appears to show that they can, requests information on a specific subject (when a actually happening. Evidence is even emerging that
with the presence of a favoured brand bringing memory is evoked), the librarian must fly around our present experiences may cause certain parts
memory networks into play and producing a more these shelves, pulling together as many pages as it of our memories to be “reconsolidated”, editing
positive experience. Such influence within the can find that were recorded at the time and then associations, replacing them with new ones and
mind is a powerful asset for any brand to possess. compiling them together into a coherent volume: colouring our recall of the past.
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7. Making memories
Proust on Neuroscience his mind. The sensation that Proust describes Neuroscientists think of our memories as
Despite this impressive recent accumulation of is powerfully emotional, enough to make him collections of independent but interconnected
neuroscientific knowledge, the best evocation shudder and pause, even though it seems sub-systems that deal with different types of
of how memory intersects with present to relate to a very ordinary experience. It is a information and knowledge: autobiographic
experience remains that written by Marcel classic example of an affective memory, which memory storing personal events and details
Proust in Remembrance of Things Past (1913), in takes its power from emotional resonance and (such as the memory of the aunt hidden away
which he describes how the unfamiliar taste of deep personal relevance rather than the detail in Proust’s head), semantic memory handling
Madeleine biscuit mixed with tea causes happy of what it describes, and which has immense general knowledge about the world (which
memories of a long-forgotten aunt to rush to potential to influence actions in the present. informed him that the biscuit he was eating was
known as a Madeleine), procedural memory
governing how we carry out tasks and routines
(which helped him to sip his tea) and perceptive
memory relating to images, sounds and other
senses (which helped him to recognise the taste
of it). These memories become “affective”,
with the ability to spring powerfully to mind
and influence our experience and anticipation
in the present, when they are associated with
events of emotional or other significance to
the individual in question. In Proust’s case,
he recognises the emotion of happiness that
connects the different aspects of his Madeleine
memory together – even though it refers to
events so long ago that his autobiographic
memory cannot recall the detail of them.
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8. Marcel Proust on affective memories
An extract from Remembrance of Things Past (1913)
One day in winter, on my return home, my And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The
mother, seeing that I was cold, offered me some taste was that of the little piece of madeleine
tea, a thing I did not ordinarily take. I declined at which on Sunday mornings at Combray (because
first, and then, for no particular reason, changed on those mornings I did not go out before mass),
my mind. She sent for one of those squat, plump when I went to say good morning to her in
little cakes called “petites madeleines,”. No sooner her bedroom, my aunt Léonie used to give me,
had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane.
touched my palate than a shudder ran through me And as soon as I had recognized the taste of
and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing the piece of madeleine soaked in her decoction
that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure of lime-blossom which my aunt used to give
had invaded my senses, something isolated, me (although I did not yet know and must long
detached, with no suggestion of its origin. I feel postpone the discovery of why this memory made
something start within me, something that leaves me so happy) immediately the old grey house
its resting-place and attempts to rise, something upon the street, where her room was, rose up
that has been embedded like an anchor at a great like a stage set to attach itself to the little pavilion
depth; I do not know yet what it is, but I can feel opening on to the garden which had been built
it mounting slowly; I can measure the resistance. out behind it for my parents.
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9. Making memories
The power of affect We have long known that emotion plays a
The connections between the neurons powerful role in directing our attention, and
constituting our memories can be strengthened prioritising what we remember. Emotion signals
or weakened by chemical processes. It is well to the brain that we care about something
established that “neurons that fire together, – and therefore that our attention should be
wire together” reinforcing their connections focused on it. Through the chemicals that it
through a process knows as Long-term releases, it strengthens neural connections,
Potentiation (LTP) and thus springing to mind as increasing the chances of memories being
a cohesive memory more readily than others. In recalled as a powerful, cohesive whole to
our library analogy, the hippocampus-librarian help guide our future actions. It is often the
quickly finds that some pages stick together most emotion-inducing elements of an event
automatically, making it easier to organise them that dominate our recall of it (explaining why
into the right book – and that these books witnesses to an armed robbery can often
start to fall open at the same pages time and describe the gun in far more detail than the
time again. In this way, our brain begins to person holding it). However, it is not simply the
classify certain memories as more relevant and emotional content of a memory that categorises
significant than others. Over time, these well- it as important. Memories that intersect closely
established memories can even be accessed with goals, motivations, ambitions and identity
independently of the hippocampus, since the can equally become strengthened through
connections between them are so powerful. Long-term Potentiation. The most powerful is particularly significant to the individual
And the memories that dominate this ranking affective memories occur when these two forces concerned, ensuring a strong and regularly
system are those strengthened by affective align – when an emotionally resonant memory reinforced memory pattern.
forces.
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10. Making memories
Brands and memory
Returning to our everyday examples, we can
see how individual emotional significance, and
the way in which it creates affective memories,
can work to the benefit of brands. Our visitor to
his local bar is affected by the bottle of Corona,
not just because it is associated with emotion,
but because it is associated with a particularly
significant emotion for him personally. He was
drinking Corona when he kissed the girl. It
brings vivid memories, thoughts and feelings not
just of a beach and the sun, but of a younger,
more romantic version of himself.
But the association of Corona with his Mexican
fling isn’t just the result of his memory of
the event itself. On various occasions in the
five years’ since, he has encountered Corona In understanding the context in which its target belong together; it has ensured that this is a
advertising linking the brand with sunny climes, audience experiences its brand, and reinforcing book that is very easy to recreate when the
partying lifestyles and sexy women, and this the resultant affective memories through circumstances suggest it. Corona is in control of
advertising has reinforced the connections consistent advertising messages, Corona’s its brand narrative and can predict with some
between these constituent elements that form advertising has regularly reminded the pages certainty how the narrative will play out in the
his affective memory. in the hippocampus-librarian’s book that they mind of a great many individuals.
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11. The Jennifer Aniston neuron
In a recent experiment, the neuroscientist Quian outfits; even in response to the mention of her
Quiroga demonstrated how single brain cells name; but never to, for example, Katie Holmes
may become associated both with specific wearing a dress previously worn by Jennifer
concepts and broader memories, through Aniston. Intriguingly though, in the case of
following the activity of what he termed the some people, the Jennifer Aniston neuron also
Jennifer Aniston neuron. This is the neuron that fired in response other actors or actresses from
fired within the brain of a subject when they Friends. As well as being associated with Jen
were shown pictures of the Friends actress, specifically, it also appeared to form part of a
but not when they were shown pictures of network of neurons that related to the TV show
other famous actresses or completely unrelated as a whole. For this reason, some researchers
objects such as the Sydney Opera House. believe that small number of cells in our brain
The Jennifer Aniston neuron was associated might become attached to a concept (either
specifically with Jennifer Aniston. It fired in Jennifer Aniston or a particular brand), firing
response to photographs of her in different whenever that concept is evoked.
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12. Making memories
Networking with Justin are particularly resonant and relevant to the reinforcing affective memories does not in
The affective memories reinforced by McDonalds individuals constituting a target audience. The itself guarantee outcomes. In both cases, the
in the mind of our cinemagoer are rooted less in strategies are not simply emotional; they are circumstances of the present have a powerful
personal experience than in association with an affective, aligning with personal motivations, role to play in influencing how the memory will
emotionally resonant figure. The girl in question goals and identities. However, creating and be perceived and acted upon.
has been a Justin Timberlake fan since her
early teenage years. Back then, a sight of Justin
would reliably trigger a flood of hormone-driven
emotions and in her early twenties, the legacy
of those hormones are especially strengthened
networks of Timberlake-related memories.
McDonalds earned a place within these
affective memory networks when it hired Justin
Timberlake to perform the vocal for its “I’m
lovin’ it” global advertising campaign. When our
21-year old girl saw Justin playing a supporting
role in The Social Network film, her Timberlake
memory networks fired up, and McDonalds
sprang unconsciously to mind.
Both of these examples show the power of
developing brand strategies that do not just
trigger emotion, but recall emotions that
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13. Beyond Justin:
audio hooks and affective memories
In investing in Justin Timberlake as the audio to appeal to established national stereotypes
hook for its brand, McDonalds has followed a in their minds). When the “French” music was
well-established strategy. The power of music played, French wine outsold German by five
in influencing choice has been demonstrated by to one. When the German music was heard,
an experiment in which supermarket shoppers German wines achieved double the sales of their
were played “recognisably” French or German French rivals.
music (featuring accordians and oompah bands
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14. Making memories
Circumstance takes a hand Our cinema-goer’s memories have learned strong and relevant enough to override present
The likelihood of the young man actually over time that Justin Timberlake is no longer experience when they believed themselves to be
ordering the bottle of Corona that he sees connected to Britney Spears, despite their once tasting that wine. Among amateur wine buffs,
in the pub depends upon his present social being the most famous couple in the world. If with weaker memories associated with that
context – and how he views the younger the association is not consistently reinforced, vineyard, present-day experience may have won
version of himself that rushes to mind when he they may one day learn that he is no longer out instead – and caused the prestigious label to
sees it. Does he view this self as immature and connected to McDonald’s. In the case of our become associated, cruelly and unfairly, with the
reckless compared to the present day? Or does Swiss wine students, the affective memories taste of cheap plonk.
he see him as a youthful ideal with emotions associated with the prestigious vintage were
and experiences with which he would love to
reconnect? In dealing with affective memories,
an understanding of their present context for
a target audience is equally as important as
understanding the triggers that are likely to
recall them to mind.
Some researchers have suggested that in
certain situations, the changed circumstances
in which a memory is recalled can actually
cause the memory itself to be changed or
“reconsolidated”, with certain connections
being eroded, others being reinforced and
new ones being added (bearing in mind that
we remember things far more effectively when
they relate to something we already know).
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15. Making memories
Updating the brand narrative Neuroscientists disagree about the extent it to take place. When we recognise that an
When our learned experience is contradicted and frequency of reconsolidation, but the experience differs significantly from our learned
by present experience, the potential emerges possibility of shifts in the form of our memories expectations, the hippocampus appears alerted
for memories to become reconsolidated, taking is a significant one for brands. Memory to the possibility of connecting it up differently.
on different connotations and influencing our reconsolidation emphasises the importance of However not all new things are important
actions in new ways. understanding how consumers experience a enough to invest in updating our memories – it
brand across a range of different touchpoints. is those that we care about (and that relate to
It also suggests tactical approaches that can strong networks already established in our brain)
keep a brand in control of its narrative even if it that are most likely to be integrated into our
becomes fragmented and distorted within our memories. Balancing novelty and consistency
memories. And it provides an opportunity to in brand messaging and finding new ways to
associate a brand more closely with the things connect to an audience members’ affective
that its target audience already cares about. networks, can help to keep a brand in control of
its narrative – and it can extend that narrative to
Those neuroscientists that argue for the fairly new areas, connecting it to existing memories
regular occurrence of reconsolidation suggest within our neural networks.
that novelty is one of the triggers that enable
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16. Making memories
Affective brand planning our memories are very much our own. They powerful affective memories. Equally though,
It is becoming clear that effective brand are the product of individual experience it requires brands to develop an individual-
planning is affective brand planning. A brand and the particular paths that our lives take. based understanding of the minds and
that has established genuine power in the Affective brand planning requires marketers memories of the consumers they target. It is
minds of consumers is itself a form of affective to develop strategies that reflect the different by understanding more deeply the various
memory. As such it is a powerful asset, but forces forming and shaping associations circumstances in which affective memories are
one that cannot be wholly controlled from within consumers’ brains, and enlisting tools formed, consolidated and recalled that we can
a distance. As Proust understood so well, such as emotion and novelty to help create most reliably direct them towards fulfilling brand
objectives.
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17. You may References
be interested in... About the author
Franck Sarrazit is Global Director of TNS’s Brand &
The secret life of the brain – Kyle Findlay > Communications practice, focusing on developing complete
The trouble with tracking – Jan Hofmeyr > solutions that help key clients grow their brands, assess
obstacles to strategic effectiveness and track performance.
Remembrance of Things Past - Marcel Proust
Prior to joining TNS in 2012, Franck held roles with Procter Memory in the Real World, third edition - edited by Gillian
& Gamble and Synovate, as well as working in brand Cohen and Martin Conway; Psychology Press
consulting, delivering high profile global research projects.
The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and
Franck is an expert in psychoanalytic research and uses this
Remembers - by Daniel L. Schacter; Souvenir Press Ltd
expertise to build brands.
The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the
Franck was born in France but has been living abroad for Making of Conciousness – by Antonio Damasio; Harcourt:
the past 20 years. He obtained both his Masters and Ph.D. New York
while studying in England. Thinking, Fast and Slow – by Daniel Kahneman; Farrar, Straus
and Giroux: New York
Emotion and Reason: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision
Making – by Alain Berthoz, translated by Giselle Weiss; OUP
Oxford
Neural Correlates of Behavioral Preference for Culturally
Familiar Drinks - by Samuel M. McClure, Jian Li, Damon
Tomlin, Kim S. Cypert, Latane´ M. Montague and P. Read
Montague; Baylor College of Medicine
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18. About In Focus
In Focus is part of a regular series of articles that takes an in-depth look at a particular subject, region or
demographic in more detail. All articles are written by TNS consultants and based on their expertise gathered
through working on client assignments in over 80 markets globally, with additional insights gained through
TNS proprietary studies such as Digital Life, Mobile Life and The Commitment Economy.
About TNS
TNS advises clients on specific growth strategies around new market entry, innovation, brand switching and
stakeholder management, based on long-established expertise and market-leading solutions. With a presence
in over 80 countries, TNS has more conversations with the world’s consumers than anyone else and understands
individual human behaviours and attitudes across every cultural, economic and political region of the world.
TNS is part of Kantar, one of the world’s largest insight, information and consultancy groups.
Please visit www.tnsglobal.com for more information.
Get in touch
If you would like to talk to us about anything you have read in this report, please get in touch via
enquiries@tnsglobal.com or via Twitter @tns_global
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