Why Logic Doesn’t Sell (And What Actually Does)
The Trouble with Being Sensible
In a world obsessed with logic, data, and KPIs, it's deeply inconvenient to admit: logic doesn’t sell.
At Neuron Studio, we’ve worked across a diverse set of brands, from fintech disruptors to everyday consumer goods, and here’s what we’ve seen time and again: products that make perfect sense often don’t sell at all, while absurdly priced, seemingly illogical ones fly off the shelves.
The culprit? Logic only works on paper. Humans don’t.
The Myth of Homo Economicus
Traditional economics has done marketing no favours. The idea that humans make rational decisions based on objective utility – the so-called Homo Economicus model – is charming, but false.
We’re not logic machines. We’re storytelling animals. We buy based on emotions, instincts, biases, and identities, then retroactively rationalise our decisions.
Take our work with a health-tech startup. Their app had ironclad logic: cheaper than a GP visit, faster results, clinically validated. On paper, it should’ve flown. But the uptake was flat. Why? No emotional resonance. Once we reframed the brand around reassurance and peace of mind, the same product saw a 370% increase in downloads.
The Hidden Power of Perception
If logic sold, we’d all be drinking home-brewed coffee and wearing Casio watches. But no. We line up at Starbucks and flash Omegas.
It’s not the utility we’re paying for — it’s the context and the status.
Behavioural science shows that perceived value outweighs intrinsic value. In one study, wine tasted better when participants were told it was expensive — even though it was the same bottle each time. This is the alchemy of marketing: we shape perception, and perception becomes reality.
We’ve seen this firsthand. A sustainable cleaning brand we worked with had impressive eco-credentials and great pricing. But customers weren’t biting. We repositioned it as a premium lifestyle choice, upped the price (!), and wrapped it in aspirational storytelling. Sales doubled in six weeks.
Logic Appeals to the Head, But Emotion Closes the Wallet
It’s easy to fall into the trap of facts. Stats are clean. Charts are tidy. Emotion, on the other hand, is messy. But messy sells.
An IPA study found that emotional ads are twice as effective as rational ones. This echoes our own data: across 50+ campaigns, emotionally-led creative consistently outperformed its rational counterpart in engagement, conversions, and brand recall.
One client had a finance product that saved users hundreds annually. Logical, right? But it sounded like homework. We pivoted the messaging to what people felt — freedom, control, relief. Conversions jumped 41%.
The Alchemy of Implied Value
Rory Sutherland famously said: “There is a kind of logic to illogic.” What people want isn’t always what makes sense. They buy symbolism, not specs.
Red Bull tastes like fizzy cough syrup, yet dominates the energy drink market. Rolex tells time no better than a Timex. Patagonia made a jacket called “Don’t Buy This Jacket”—and it sold out. These brands understand that meaning trumps function.
In our experience, the more we imbue a product with narrative, purpose, or identity, the less the audience asks for justification. They just want to belong.
Why ‘Being Useful’ Isn’t Enough
We’ve seen dozens of technically brilliant products fail to get traction. Why? Because being useful doesn’t automatically mean you’re wanted.
There’s a gap between function and desire. Our role, as marketers, is to bridge that with meaning.
We worked with an AI productivity app that saved users hours each week. But it looked like another SaaS tool in a sea of blue dashboards. Once we gave it a personality — a rebel brand with a cheeky tone — it started catching fire on socials. Utility + identity = growth.
What Actually Sells: Emotion, Identity, Story
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: people don’t want products. They want stories they can live inside.
That’s why, at Neuron Studio, our campaigns start with behavioural insight, not features. We map out the emotional landscape first — how people feel before, during, and after the purchase — and build a narrative around that.
It’s not about lying. It’s about telling the truth in a way that matters. As Rory Sutherland says, “A change in perspective is worth 80 IQ points.”
So next time you pitch, don’t say “It’s fast.” Say “It gives you your evenings back.”
Outfeeling the Competition
In the arms race of features and functionality, the winners are often those who feel right, not those who make sense.
So here’s our parting advice, from the trenches of behavioural marketing: Don’t just outthink your competition. Outfeel them.
Because logic may inform — but it is emotion that converts.
