Imagine walking through your local supermarket to buy some fruits and vegetables. We are automatically drawn to that intense red tomato because it looks a lot juicier and tastier than the ones that are pale red.

Sounds familiar? It probably is, because we learned from a young age that fruits and vegetables with richer colors are ripe and have a greater quality. This does not only apply to fruits and vegetables, but also to other food packages. We are, for example, subconsciously scanning for light colored packages when we would like to have something healthy. Our brains associate light colors with healthy options. However, this positive health indication does not always work out as positive as we expect it to be...

Have you ever dared to walk into an Abercrombie & Fitch store? Then the memory of the many muscled six-pack wielding employees probably hasn’t vanished from your mind. The brand seems to be built around the young and fit male employees who guide the customer towards a – likely – pricey fashion investment.

Does this strategy work? Does the sight of bulging biceps, tall v-tapered physiques, and chiseled jawlines truly make the average Joe reach deeper into his wallet? Let’s find out – because science has found an answer.

Nowadays we are more individualistic than ever. We are encouraged to make our own decisions, live the life in a way that we like. And yet, 72% of ads contain assertive language. Brands tell us what to do quite explicitly - “visit our Facebook page”, “floss daily”, “eat healthy”.

How do people react when brands tell them what to do?

We all know that one friend who wants to have luxury products so bad, they don’t spend too much time thinking whether they actually need the product or if it is of good quality. They just want to have it, no matter what!

Other people are completely insensitive to luxurious brands. They explain that they can buy high quality products from cheaper brands, too.

These are examples of two groups of people. What drives their behaviour? Neuromarketing has the answers.

When looking at neuromarketing, a lot of emotions have been examined. One that may have been underexposed, is jealousy. Until now! A recent manuscript by Huang, Dong & Wyer Jr (2016) elaborates the role of jealousy in product preference. I bet you have encountered jealousy at least once in life, think about your partner having an intimate conversation with a man or woman you don’t know. Jealousy is an emotion that is encountered quite a lot in everyday life, and after reading this, you as a marketeer, can use this specific emotion to your advantage.