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Favorite brands as cultural objects modulate reward circuit.

Michael Schaefer1, Michael Rotte

  • 1Department of Neurology II, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany. mischa@neuro2.med.uni-magdeburg.de

Neuroreport
|February 16, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Favorite brands activate brain reward pathways, similar to other rewards. Marketing may link brands to positive stimuli, engaging neural networks and potentially influencing decision-making.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Consumer Psychology
  • Marketing Science

Background:

  • Brands are hypothesized to function as reward stimuli.
  • Understanding brand perception involves investigating neural responses.
  • Marketing efforts aim to associate brands with positive attributes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate brain responses to favorite brands using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
  • To explore the neural correlates of brand preference and its relationship with brand characteristics.
  • To determine if brands engage reward networks in the brain.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure cortical activity.
  • Participants viewed logos of their favorite brands.
  • Brain activity was correlated with brand characteristics (e.g., luxury, rational choice).

Main Results:

  • Favorite brands elicited activity in the striatum, a key reward area.
  • Striatal activity positively correlated with luxury and sports characteristics.
  • Reduced activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was observed for the most preferred brand, suggesting reduced strategic reasoning.
  • Brand-associated reward networks are engaged, similar to artificially associated rewards.

Conclusions:

  • Brands, particularly those associated with appetitive stimuli through marketing, engage brain reward networks.
  • Social stimuli may also act as secondary inducers of reward mechanisms.
  • Brand preference may involve a shift from rational choice to affect-based processing.