Podcast Title: Brain Driven Brands
Host: Sarah Levinger
Episode: How To Hack Into Your Customer’s Mind (The Easy Way)
Release Date: June 17, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of Brain Driven Brands, host Sarah Levinger engages in a deep and insightful conversation with Nate Legos, co-host and representative from Original Grain Watches. They delve into the transformative impact of Core Identity Maps (CIM) on Original Grain's marketing strategies, revealing advanced neuromarketing secrets that can revolutionize any e-commerce brand.

Understanding the Core Identity Map (CIM)

Sarah introduces the concept of the Core Identity Map (CIM), a sophisticated tool that utilizes picture-based and metaphorical surveys to extract nuanced data about customer behavior, identity, and emotions. Unlike traditional surveys that focus on superficial metrics like website opinions or product preferences, CIM delves into the underlying beliefs and emotional motivations driving purchases.

Sarah Levinger [03:08]:
"The CIM uses picture-based surveys and metaphorical surveys to pull out behavior, identity, and emotion from your specific customer base."

Impact on Original Grain’s Marketing Strategy

Nate shares how the CIM has provided Original Grain with a granular understanding of their customer avatars, leading to more precise and effective marketing strategies. Previously, the team felt they were "circling" around their customer profiles, lacking deeper insights that could enhance their campaigns.

Nate Legos [03:08]:
"This is how we're going to open up market for you guys this year. It’s like we can get some really crazy campaigns going just because we asked really strange questions that got really interesting answers."

Key Insights from the CIM Study

The CIM revealed several surprising and valuable insights:

1. Emotional Triggers Over Price Sensitivity: Contrary to common assumptions, customers were not primarily driven by price discounts but by the emotional readiness to purchase. Many customers were waiting until they felt they had "earned" the purchase, aligning with notions of self-worth and sacrifice.

   Nate Legos [10:35]:
   "They don't feel like they deserve nice things. They don't feel like they should treat themselves. They feel like they're meant to be sacrificial in all aspects of their life."

2. Refined Customer Avatars: The study identified four distinct avatars for Original Grain, each with unique preferences and behaviors. This clarity allowed the team to tailor content creation, from copywriting to visual imagery, ensuring each piece resonated deeply with the target audience.

   Nate Legos [08:43]:
   "It's like, hey, not everyone deserves this, but you've earned this."

3. Visual and Messaging Adjustments: Insights from CIM guided the team to adjust their visual strategy, such as incorporating specific attire and settings that better reflect their customers' identities.

   Sarah Levinger [19:14]:
   "And that was shocking to me because you guys came to me and you were like, we're pretty sure that we have like a lot of cowboys, or at least aspirational. That'll be interesting."

Team and CEO Reactions

The introduction of the CIM had a profound effect on Original Grain’s team dynamics and strategic direction. The clarity provided by the CIM led to unanimous enthusiasm and a clear roadmap for future marketing efforts.

Nate Legos [29:39]:
"For a CEO whose main job is like capital and resource allocation, I think it gives him the reassurance that the marketing team’s gonna be doing exactly what they should be for the rest of the year."

Sarah highlights the unified excitement among the team, emphasizing how CIM eliminated guesswork and aligned everyone's efforts towards a common goal.

Sarah Levinger [28:11]:
"We can see why some campaigns hit super hard. And we can see what we need to lean into more."

Future Plans and Next Steps

Armed with the insights from the CIM, Original Grain is poised to refine their marketing campaigns further. They plan to implement specific changes, such as altering key messaging elements—from "deserve" to "earned"—to better resonate with their audience's sense of accomplishment and self-worth.

Nate Legos [15:42]:
"It puts it back on, like, what they've endured and what they've sacrificed and what they've worked for."

Additionally, the team is excited about upcoming content creation, ensuring that each campaign is meticulously aligned with the identified customer avatars.

Nate Legos [22:41]:
"But it is priming people to buy when the time is right."

Conclusion

This episode underscores the immense value of deep customer insights through tools like the Core Identity Map. Nate and Sarah exemplify how understanding the emotional and psychological drivers of customers can lead to more effective and targeted marketing strategies. Original Grain Watches’ success story serves as a compelling testament to the power of neuromarketing in e-commerce.

Nate Legos [28:29]:
"Zooming in on your target, making sure you can hit that bullseye over and over again."

Sarah concludes by encouraging listeners to leverage CIM for their own brands, highlighting the transformative potential of such in-depth customer research.

Notable Quotes:

• Sarah Lovinger [06:37]:
  "These are things that people believe that they will never admit to their spouse, let alone a random company that hits them up."

• Nate Legos [13:08]:
  "If you've ever shot like long range rifles... the CIM kind of did for us. It just zoomed us in further than we ever have been."

• Sarah Levinger [25:13]:
  "What your customers are doing, you do every single time."

Additional Resources:

• Tether Insights: Sarah's customer research company specializes in running Core Identity Maps to provide brands with actionable insights.
• Follow Sarah: Subscribe and follow Sarah Lovinger on her social media platforms to stay updated on the latest neuromarketing strategies.
• Follow Nate: Connect with Nate Legos on social media and listen to his Tactical and Practical podcast for more marketing insights.

This episode of Brain Driven Brands is a must-listen for e-commerce brands seeking to deepen their understanding of customer psychology and enhance their marketing effectiveness through advanced neuromarketing techniques.