A closer look at Microstimuli

An intriguing thought piece from Mint sheds light on the concept of Micro stimuli, as observed by Nobel prize-winning Dutch biologist Niko Tinbergen. Tinbergen noticed the typical millisecond responses in certain animal species, which he referred to as Supernormal Stimuli, building on this concept, neuroscientists have discovered that crucial decision-making in sports such as #tennis, #baseball, #cricket, or #soccer typically occurs in less than 0.5 seconds; for example, a batsman's decision to play a particular shot in real-time.

Ironically, the thought piece observes that marketing and communication professionals still rely on the age-old 30-second persuasion stimuli to influence consumer decisions. This approach replaced the 60-second norm of the TV era due to rising ad costs and revised brand promotion strategies.

• The article argues that one major reason the 30-second status quo persists is because it ensures favorable returns for ad agencies and media houses based on the duration of commercials or key messages. However, with the predominance of smartphone-led conversations, more and more consumers are generally averse to viewing long-duration content
• Therefore, it is logical for communication professionals to study and adopt Micro stimuli-persuasion stimuli in order to achieve better and lasting outcomes. Whether they will put the Micro stimuli concept into practice and transform it into a macro trend remains to be seen

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