Brain Brands

Note: This lesson was originally published on an older version of The Learning Network; the link to the related Times article will take you to a page on the old site.

Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students learn about the advent of neuromarketing as a means to assess the effects of certain brands on the brain activity of prospective buyers. They then design their own experiments that test the power of certain brands on a sample population.

Author(s):
Georgia Scurletis, The New York Times Learning Network
Bridget Anderson, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City

Suggested Time Allowance: 1 hour

Objectives:
Students will:
1. Participate in a “Pepsi Challenge” experiment; evaluate the outcomes of the experiment.
2. Examine the use of neuromarketing to measure brand influence by reading and discussing “There’s a Sucker Born in Every Medial Prefrontal Cortex.”
3. Design experiments that test the power of certain brands on a sample population.
4. Synthesize their understanding of experimental design by conducting experiments and analyzing their results.

Resources / Materials:
-small drinking cups (enough that each student receives two)
-two large bottles of Pepsi (one labeled and one not labeled)
-two large bottles of Coke (one labeled and one not labeled)
-pens/pencils
-classroom blackboard
-copies of “There’s a Sucker Born in Every Medial Prefrontal Cortex” (one per student)
-five slips of paper or index cards, each with the name of a product type written on it (such as jeans, toothpaste, sneakers, potato chips, or lotion)
-computers with Internet access

Activities / Procedures:
1. WARM-UP/DO NOW: Prior to class, place two small drinking cups on each student’s desk. After students take their places at the desks, explain to the class that they will be taking part in a variation of the famous “Pepsi Challenge.” Half of the class will take a “blind” Pepsi Challenge where they will not be informed of which cup contains Pepsi and which cup contains Coke, while the other half of the class will be informed of the difference in soda brands. Proceed to pour samples of Coke and Pepsi into the cups of those students who will be informed of the brand identities. Then, in order to provide brand anonymity, use unmarked containers of Pepsi and Coke to fill the cups of the other students. After students in the blind test have sampled both sodas, have them indicate their preferences (Brand A or Brand B) on small slips of paper to be collected. Then have the other students write down either “Pepsi” or “Coke” on small slips of paper to indicate their preferences. After each set of votes has been collected and tallied, identify Brands A & B and announce the winners in both the blind test and in the test where participants knew the sodas’ identities. Was the most popular soda in the blind test the same soda that won the other contest? If not, what could account for the difference in results? Reveal that in previous tests, Pepsi consistently wins taste tests while Coke wins the tests where brand names are revealed. What does this say about the power of Coke’s brand name?
2. As a class, read and discuss “There’s a Sucker Born in Every Medial Prefrontal Cortex,” focusing on the following questions:
a. How did Montague revise “the Pepsi Challenge” for his own research purposes?
b. Why is it significant that Coke excited a different part of the brain than Pepsi?
c. What is the mission of the BrightHouse Institute for Thought Sciences?
d. How does Paul C. Lauterbur feel about the use of M.R.I. machines in neuromarketing?
e. Why does Justine Meaux admire the “Intel Inside” advertising campaign?
f. How did Phineas Gage undergo a dramatic change after his medial prefrontal cortex was damaged?
g. What did Clive Thompson’s M.R.I. reveal about his relationship to the Hummer he was shown?
h. What was the goal of Vance Packard’s 1957 book “The Hidden Persuaders”?
i. According to the article, what is advertising’s “main tool”?
j. How are “effective” advertisements distinguished from advertisements that are merely popular?
k. Why are many scientists skeptical of neuromarketing?
3. Explain to students that today they will be designing experiments modeled after the “Pepsi Challenge” to test the powers of different brand names for a variety of products. Divide the class into five groups, and have each group select a slip of paper or index card with the name of a type of product (such as jeans, toothpaste, sneakers, potato chips, or lotion). Once each group has been assigned a product type, they need to hypothesize which brand name of that product type may have the most brand recognition among a particular segment of the population. The groups may want to conduct some research on the Internet about brand popularity among different demographic groups. After the groups have identified brands and possible demographics for the focus of their studies, they need to design experiments that will test whether these brands will prove to be effective among a certain sample population. Groups need to answer the following experimental design questions in class:
–What is your hypothesis? In other words, how do you expect the brand name to affect the preferences of a certain sample population?
–On what research or previous observations are you basing this hypothesis?
–How will you determine your sample population?
–What will be the difference between your experimental group and your control group?
–How will you conduct your study ensuring that one part of your sample will not have knowledge of the brand’s identity?
–How will your results be calculated?
–How can you graphically display your results?
4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Students conduct their experiments for homework. In a later class, groups will reconvene to calculate their results, to graphically display their results, and to write an analysis of the results. The written analysis should comment on why their hypothesis was supported or not.

Further Questions for Discussion:
–What is the relationship between science and marketing?
–How is subliminal advertising used?
–How are different parts of the cortex associated with different sensations and functions?
–Is neuromarketing an ethical practice? Why or why not?
–How does one’s self-image influence one’s buying practices?
–Who is most vulnerable to advertising campaigns?
–How have accident victims provided opportunities for scientists’ research of the brain?

Evaluation / Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on their participation in class and group discussions, and thoughtful participation in their group experiment’s design, execution and analysis.

Vocabulary:
medial, prefrontal, cortex, neuroscientist, cognitive, meditating, prospective, tweak, novel, subtle, epicenter, antiseptic, sensorimotor, intuitive, gestalt, scurried, consumption, emulate, irrational, prose, subliminal, bogus, patrons, askance, magnate, quipped, plundered, demographic, suss, enigma

Extension Activities:
1. Survey your classmates about their favorite advertisements. Then, survey them about whether or not they actually purchased the products that were being advertised in these spots? What are effective advertisements that inspired your classmates to purchase particular products? Why did these advertisements “work” while some of the more attractive advertisements “failed”? Write an analysis of your survey results.
2. Various commercials use what appear to be scientific experiments or research to legitimize claims about their products’ effectiveness. Choose a commercial of this type and analyze it for its scientific accuracy. How could the claims be tested? Is one product directly comparing itself to another similar product on the market–either implicitly or explicitly? Write an analysis about how the research or experimental design could be biased or limited.
3. Note the functions of the somatosensory cortex (“An area that shows activity when you emulate sensory experience”) and the medial prefrontal cortex (“When the medial prefrontal cortex fires, your brain seems to be engaging, in some manner, with what sort of person you are.”) Create an annotated diagram that shows the different regions of the cortex and what their functions are.
4. Research subliminal advertising and how it has been used in various contexts. After presenting samples of these advertisements to the class, stage a class debate on whether advertisers should use subliminal tactics.

Interdisciplinary Connections:
Civics- Research the laws that govern advertising in the United States. Create an annotated timeline that explains significant legislation in this field over time.
Fine Arts- In the article “There’s a Sucker Born in Every Medial Prefrontal Cortex,” it is argued that our medial prefrontal cortex fires when we identify with something strongly. Therefore, “if it fires when you see a particular product, Kilt argues, it’s most likely to be because the product clicks with your self image.” Create a collage of images of products that ‘click with your self-image.’
Journalism- Read the story of Phineas Gage at: //www.deakin.edu.au/hbs/GAGEPAGE/Pgstory.htm. Write an obituary for Gage that incorporates what we know today about the medial prefrontal cortex.
Language Arts- Identify fictional characters that have had long-lasting careers in advertising certain products (such as the Energizer Bunny, the Pillsbury Doughboy, Tony the Tiger, etc.). Choose a cast of your favorite advertising characters and write a one act play that brings these characters together in a unique setting.
Technology- Create a “How it Works” poster of an MRI machine. Include a timeline of the history of its uses from brain tumor diagnosis to neuromarketing.

Other Information on the Web:
About.com’s Brand Marketing site (//marketing.about.com/cs/brandmktg/) is a guide on how to build a brand using advertising, marketing, publicity, and research.

Academic Content Standards:
Grades 6-8
(CTSS – ‘science’, ‘6-8’, ‘9’)
Science Standard 12 – Understands the nature of scientific inquiry. Benchmarks: Knows that there is no fixed procedure called “the scientific method,” but that investigations involve systematic observations, carefully collected, relevant evidence, logical reasoning, and some imagination in developing hypotheses and explanations; Designs and conducts a scientific investigation (e.g., formulates hypotheses, designs and executes investigations, interprets data, synthesizes evidence into explanations, proposes, alternative explanations for observations, critiques explanations and procedures)
Science Standard 16- Understands the scientific enterprise. Benchmarks: Knows that people of all backgrounds and with diverse interests, talents, qualities, and motivations engage in fields of science and engineering- some of these people work in teams and others work alone, but all communicate extensively with others; Knows that the work of science requires a variety of human abilities, qualities, and habits of mind; Knows various settings in which scientists and engineers may work; Knows ways in which science and society influence one another
(CTSS – ‘science’, ‘6-8’, ‘1’)
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Uses style and structure appropriate for specific audiences and purposes; Writes narrative accounts
(CTSS – ‘english’, ‘6-8’, ‘1’)
) Language Arts Standard 8- Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning. Benchmark: Listens to and understands the impact of nonprint media on media consumers ( e.g., persuasive messages and advertising in media, the presence of media in people’s daily lives, the role of the media in forming opinions, media as a source of entertainment and information)
(CTSS – ‘english’, ‘6-8’, ‘8’)
Grades 9-12
Science Standard 16- Understands the scientific enterprise. Benchmarks: Knows that throughout history, diverse cultures have developed scientific ideas and solved human problems through technology; Understands that individuals and teams contribute to science and engineering at different levels of complexity; Understands that science involves different types of work in many different disciplines; Knows that creativity, imagination, and a good knowledge base are all required in the work of science and engineering
(CTSS – ‘science’, ‘9-12’, ‘1’)
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Writes compositions that are focused for different audiences; Writes compositions that fulfill different purposes; Writes fictional, biographical, autobiographical, and observational narrative compositions
(CTSS – ‘english’, ‘9-12’, ‘1’)
Language Arts Standard 8- Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning. Benchmark: Makes informed judgments about nonprint media (e.g., detects elements of persuasion and appeal in advertisements; recognizes the impact of pace, volume, tone, and images on media consumers)
(CTSS – ‘english’, ‘9-12’, ‘8’)

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This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed above. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education; 3rd and 4th Editions and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.