Evidence Matters

By on June 23, 2010

I had two recent experiences that had me wondering about the importance of evidence in marketing of products.

The first experience was in the checkout line at the local grocery store.  There was a display of “Neuro” branded products, e.g., Neuro Gasm, Neuro Bliss, Neuro Sleep.  These products are bit of a mixture of science, a hot trend (the brain), and some tongue-in-cheek marketing.  I went to the company’s website to read their materials and watch some of their ads.  The company uses phrases like, “designed to improve” and then mentions mental functions like memory, alertness, concentration and speed.  There is also an impressive listing of various vitamins, nutrients, and a host of other compounds.

The second experience came when I was reading a blog post about a patient’s experience with Alzheimer’s in the NY Times and noticed a comment pointing to a website offering cognitive training.   I followed the link and on the front-page there is a box that says, “Based on published scientific research.”  That phrase is one that I have seen a lot in the cognitive enhancement and brain training space.

The concern I have with that statement is that it is meaningless … the “based on” means that the underlying product likely does not have any direct evidence behind it.   It’s potentially confusing for consumers as the other part of the sentence looks strong.  I have a lot of faith in consumers’ ability to parse this sentence if they read it carefully.  If they don’t read carefully, consumers may be disappointed in the time, effort and money they invest in cognitive improvement.  As an example, the recent BBC study tested brain games based on published research and the conclusion was that time spent on those games did not create a measureable improvement.

Posit Science and the scientific community has spent significant resources testing what we build, both the underlying technology and the finished product, to validate that it delivers functional and real-world benefits.  We do think evidence matters becuase we see consumers as smart people who will be able to tell the difference between what works and what does not.

Possibly Related posts:

  1. Music and the Brain: Further Evidence on The Power of Sound
  2. More Evidence: Playing the Right Type of Video Game Improves Real-world Brain Performance
  3. 2010 Progress and A Small Gift
  4. Cancelled Stent Study for Strokes Reveals Implications for Evidence-Based Medicine and Surgical Interventions

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Posted: Brain Fitness Marketing, Posit Science software

3 Responses to “Evidence Matters”

  1. Richard Smith Says:
    June 23rd, 2010 at 10:55 am

    My wife has aphasia due to a recent stroke. We are both following this Blog and Merzenich. We have heard that TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) is being tested for possible use in post stroke treatment for movement. Is it also being tested for enhancement of speech training for aphasia? If so, where? Thanks, Rich

  2. Tasneem R Says:
    June 25th, 2010 at 5:45 am

    Well I really don’t go by brands.It’s very difficult to believe on advertisements . Any product which comes out new in the market should first give out complimentary packets, if the product is really genuine . So evidence does matter.
    Now you can completely rely on the below test ! lol! I’m not advertising as I myself is against it. Suggesting you and your readers this test just because I think it’s somewhat related to the theme of your blog post-
    The Verbal Reasoning Test
    This test calculates how well you reason with words.
    http://www.3smartcubes.com/pages/tests/verbal-reasoning-test/verbal-reasoning-test_instructions.asp

  3. Steven Aldrich Says:
    July 23rd, 2010 at 12:03 pm

    Thanks for your thoughts about the importance of looking beyong the brand. And for sharing the link on verbal reasoning …