FEEL MORE
Hidden Marketing Law #2
THE “FEEL MORE” LAW
Marketing is not more complicated, but more complex than quantum physics. That is why there are no laws, just a few “law like” rules available in Marketing. With Causal AI we can match complexity of marketing and find causal mechanisms that have not been discovered yet. Over 15 years of practical research we found five law-like patterns that you can use to your favor.
This is law #2
A skincare brand wanted to reevaluate what drives category buyers to choose a product. Causal AI analyzed a global brand tracker dataset and found known drivers - it seemed at first. Sure, trial drives repeat buying. Sure, expectation of “enjoyable product use” drives purchases. What turned out to be the main driver of “enjoyable” was too clear to ignore: great scent. Go into a drugstore and watch consumers: they all open bottles and sniff on them. It’s the only thing you can experience about the product at the POS.
We tested the willingness to buy and to pay for new kombucha energy drinks. Hundred prospects who tried the product at home and hundred that did not. The profit maximizing price for non-trialers was 0.99 Euro and for those who tried it: 1.49 Euro. A woppering +50% willingness to pay evolved after trial.
An Austrian cheese brand wanted not only to optimize the price but also understand the impact of media touchpoints on the willingness to pay. While billboards and digital video show biggest impact, radio had also impact, but second. Looking into the Causal mechanics found by Causal AI, we saw something intriguing. Radio touchpoint exposure let consumers evaluate price points to be more “appropriate” but also “risky”. Our take: seeing is believing. Paying for a product that you know very well - but have barely seen - creates hesitation. Mental awareness is not something binary. It has facets and qualities.
The Law #2: Marketing gets more powerful the more senses you use and the more you create a real experience. Mental availability is not awareness or recognition. It is how vivid consumers intuitive mind (System 1) knows how it is to consume the product. Prior trial, it is all about adding more senses to the customer touchpoints. Scent, visual, 3D, sound, haptics. usage in certain contexts and more.
One sense is black-and-white TV. Multi-sensory marketing is 4K color with surround sound. A silent movie shows you something. A theater performance makes you feel it with sound, light, and presence. You can read the brand name on the label. But it’s only when you spray it in the air, inhale, and feel it on your skin that the brand becomes real.
Marketing is not won in the mind that simply recognizes a brand.
It is won in the heart that already feels what it’s like to live with it.
The more senses you touch, the more real you become.
The more real you are, the more unforgettable it is.
That is the power of Law #2.
And that’s how you 10x impact.