Marketing textbook, chapter 3

How do we manage to spontaneously recognise the intentions of others and put ourselves in their shoes? According to neuroscientists, mirror neurons are largely responsible for this performance of our brain.

Mirror neurones are special nerve cells that become active when an action or expression is observed in other people. In the observer's brain, the same areas are activated that are also excited in the person being observed, and the experience of sympathy or empathy is conveyed. We have to „experience“ a story in order to understand it. In this process, the imagination of sensations in a particular action occurs via implicit and unconscious neural connections. The emotional resonance, which is caused by strong activity in the insula, in turn leads to unconscious processes that decisively influence facial expressions and gestures as well as feelings and actions.

How mirror neurons can be activated by advertising to trigger certain emotional reactions can be illustrated by the example of the Telekom advert featuring the British Paul Potts, a gawky mobile phone salesman with crooked teeth who wowed the crowds with a Puccini aria in the casting show „Britain's Got Talent“ - the British equivalent of „Deutschland sucht den Superstar“. In the new Telekom advert with the slogan „Experience what connects“, you can see Paul Potts' first appearance on the casting show and experience how it is followed by viewers, for example via the Internet, TV and mobile phone.

At the beginning of the advert, viewers see a fat, short man in a cheap suit, squinting with fear. The contestant is eyed with open condescension by the three judges, and the viewers, who are watching the programme on various devices, are also sceptical or amused by the contestant's pitiful appearance. But Paul Potts' performance changes everything: the room cheers him on, the three judges and the viewers on the various devices are obviously positively surprised and deeply moved.

Paul Potts fits perfectly into the age of feverish self-optimisation. He presents a negative image. Nobody would have wanted to swap places with him when he entered the stage; „loser“ was written on his forehead. For most people, the distance to people of this kind strengthens the feeling of their own specialness or superiority. On the other hand, losers touch the heart. Especially when they appear as vulnerable as Paul Potts. The advert uses this emotion triggered by mirror neurons, this sympathy of the viewers with Paul Potts and connects the emotional reaction with the „Telekom“ brand - supported by the slogan „Experience what connects“ in the end credits of the advert.

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