Blog 8 - Crazy or Genius?!

When watching and listening to Dr. Rapaille explain his unorthodox approach to understanding the way that consumers make decisions, I could not help but wonder if he was serious or joking. Dr. Rapaille is using a three-step technique to understand the primal urges he believes consumers draw upon to make buying decisions. According to his theory, consumers are driven by unconscious needs and impulses. As consumers we are unable to articulate the unconscious things that are driving our behavior. Rapaille uses his research to take his participants past reasons, through emotion, and finally to the primal core where decisions really lie. Eventually he is able to ‘break the code’ to our buying thoughts and patterns.
The first step is called the Cortex of Reason. In this phase, the research is conducted like a normal focus group. Rapaille gives the participants a word (i.e. luxury) and everyone immediately starts to discuss and brainstorm. What the participants don’t understand is that Rapaille does not care about their answers. During this phase he simply wants everyone to feel comfortable. This is the phase where people show off their intelligence. Afterwards everyone is released on a break where they continue to feel good about their answers and themselves.
The second step is the emotion stage. Rapaille asks the participants to make up a story that they could tell to a 5 year old from another planet. Now the participants are pushed past their comfort level. They have no idea what is going on, they are confused, and start to think maybe Rapaille is the one from another planet. This stage is meant to push people past their own understanding. After this exercise is complete everyone is released on another break. During this break everyone continues to question this project and Rapaille’s sanity. When they return there are no chairs, the lights are out, and there are pillows on the ground, which signifies the start of the third phase.
The third phase begins with everyone lying on the ground in a relaxed state. Rapaille asks everyone to take the mindset they have when they wake up in the morning. All of the things described are scribbled down and relate back to phase one, which in this case was luxury. This is the phase where Rapaille can begin to understand the primal urges of consumers. He is looking for the ‘Reptilian Hot Button,’ which he says always wins, not matter what. Cracking this code allows Rapaille to gain an enormous amount of value and insight.
I think Rapaille’s method is right on track. I agree that consumers are usually unable to effectively articulate what they need or want. We have so many choices to choose from so the majority of the time we cannot explain why we chose one thing over another. Understanding the underlying forces behind a purchase decision can lead to ultimate success. While I really like the method, I also wonder why more people are not using similar methods. I would assume this procedure is very expensive and time consuming, which probably steers most companies away from the method. However, the benefit of avoiding biases from conventional marketing research strategies, such as interviews, focus groups, and surveys, could be worth it. The method is new, innovative, and ahead of our time. Rapaille is able to hold the attention of his participants and leave them wondering what might happen next. This method is exciting and unconventional, which I think makes it better then any other traditional technique. In addition, this method could translate into all different markets and be used in a broad range of industries. Rapaille is definitely a little crazy but certainly on the right track!