Brain Driven Brands — "The 3 Forces Behind Every High-Performing Campaign in 2026"

Host: Sarah Levinger
Date: December 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this special episode, Sarah Levinger revisits foundational neuromarketing strategies used by leading 9-figure brands. She distills three powerful forces—emotion, timing, and framing—that drive high-performing eCommerce campaigns. Through real-world examples, psychological research, and lively banter, Sarah and co-host Nate Lagos uncover tactical lessons and mindsets for marketers aiming to supercharge campaigns leading into 2026.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Valence and Intensity Map: Emotions in Messaging

[00:38–03:10]

• Framework Introduction:
  Sarah details the Valence and Intensity Map—a psychology model highlighting that emotions range by type (valence: positive/negative) and strength (intensity: strong/mild).
• Four Emotional Zones:
  • Zone 1: High Valence, Low Intensity — calm, supportive (e.g., "reassuring")
  • Zone 2: High Valence, High Intensity — joy, pride, excitement (“aspirational marketing” often sits here)
  • Zone 3: Low Valence, Low Intensity — annoyed, tired, fatigued
  • Zone 4: Low Valence, High Intensity — panic, anxiety, stress
• Impact on Advertising:
  Where an emotion falls on this map drastically changes how audiences react to ads.

“If you’re doing high valence, high intensity, you’re going to feel joy, excitement, thrill, pride. This is usually what people default to in marketing... aspirational marketing.”
— Sarah Levinger [01:31]

Notable Moment

Nate jokes about e-commerce marketers “living in Zone 4” (high-intensity anxiety) except for Black Friday, when there’s a burst of (Zone 2) excitement.

“We live in Zone 4, Evergreen State.”
— Nate Lagos [03:10]

2. Moving Beyond the “Who”: The Power of “When”

[03:24–09:47]

• Insight:
  Traditional marketing obsesses over customer identity (“who”). Sarah references Richard Shotton’s work, which argues for “when” over “who”: Context and timing are often more important than demographics.
• Behavioral Example:
  Neuromarketing studies reveal that customers’ emotional triggers (and resulting images or associations) shift based on context—like who they’re buying for (family vs. self).
• Practical Implication:
  Marketers can predict “buying spikes” and target ads at precisely the right moments to boost conversion rates.

“What we need to be talking about is when in time do they need it. Context is what he’s trying to get us to, like, focus on.”
— Sarah Levinger [04:39]

Memorable Study [06:30–07:20]

A woman associates Tylenol with a birthday cake—not because of noise, but because cake symbolizes nurturing. She chooses Tylenol for loved ones, a generic for herself—proof that context changes emotional meaning and brand preference.

“Cake represents nurturing... she apparently trusts Tylenol more than the generic brand, but only when she’s choosing it for her husband or her daughter. Whoa—‘when.’ ‘When?’”
— Sarah Levinger [06:34]

• Real-World Reflection:
  Nate admits to impulse-purchasing a box of Snickers during a stressful period, emphasizing how his purchase decision was about timing and context, not identity.
• Key Takeaway:
  “When” someone is exposed to a message or feels a need is often a stronger determinant of purchase than “who” they are.

3. The Power of Abstract Framing: Getting People to Pay More

[12:00–15:57]

• Journal of Marketing Study (2020):
  Descriptive, abstract language in advertising increases perceived value. People will pay up to 35% more for products described abstractly rather than in concrete, detailed terms.
• Application:
  For acquisition/first-time customers, don’t fixate on features. Emphasize emotions, aspirations, and big-picture ideals.
• Examples:
  • Concrete: “This watch has XYZ features.”
  • Abstract: “Crush fear with every tick.” / “Show your man he’s worth it.”

“If you’re more definitive with your language, then people will pay less because they think they’re only getting one specific thing... If you’re abstract, people have a higher chance of paying more.”
— Sarah Levinger [12:02]

Notable Exchange

Nate draws a dating analogy: On a first date, you focus on making someone like you, not dumping details about yourself. Similarly, top-of-funnel messaging should focus on emotional connection, not product specs.

“Your goal is to get them to like you... you will uncover the details later.”
— Nate Lagos [15:37]

• Marketing Experiment:
  Nate describes running non-salesy, “first date” ad campaigns strictly to generate social and product page visits, lowering acquisition costs and creating warmer audiences.

“The content... is very, very not salesy. It’s very, very like, first date—‘Hey, we want you to like us.’ There are sick lifestyle pictures that [are] performing—oh my God—on them...”
— Nate Lagos [16:19]

4. Don’t Rely On the Algorithm Alone: Break Out of the “Same Customer” Trap

[17:08–19:48]

• Current Paid Media Challenge:
  Many brands over-optimize for bottom-funnel, repeated-retention customers—the algorithm continually surfaces ads to the same audience, elevating costs and capping growth.
• Fix:
  Sarah urges brands to rebuild acquisition by targeting new, high-value segments with psych-tactics: emotion, timing, and abstract framing—rather than cost-caps and price-obsessed tweaks.

“The only thing you’re doing is going to be rinsing and repeating the same customer over and over... you just prove your, your, like, emotional value.”
— Sarah Levinger [19:23]

The Big Takeaway: The Three Forces for Campaigns in 2026

[19:49–end]

Sarah summarizes the three key psychological forces behind every high-performing campaign:

1. Emotion: Decide your message (using the valence and intensity model).
2. Timing: Target your message to hit when prospects are primed (context, not just identity).
3. Framing: Use abstract language at the top-of-funnel to maximize perceived value.

“Emotion is gonna decide your message... Timing is gonna decide the moment that you’re trying to target in your ads... and framing is going to decide how much people are willing to pay for your product.”
— Sarah Levinger [19:49]

She emphasizes that brands able to execute on these quickly, creatively, and efficiently will see the fastest growth in 2026.

Additional Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “I think marketers have less of an impact on, like, consumers as we...as we think we do. In your particular case, when mattered way, way more to your purchase.”
  — Sarah Levinger [09:30]
• “Find the most valuable customers... the longevity of that customer is what we’re going after.”
  — Nate Lagos [19:15]

Segment Timestamps (for Reference)

• [00:38] — Intro to valence and intensity model
• [03:24] — “Think about the when” insight (Richard Shotton)
• [06:30] — Tylenol study: Context changes emotional meaning
• [08:39] — Impulse purchases and timing
• [12:00] — Framing and the power of abstraction
• [15:17] — First date analogy for marketing
• [16:19] — “First date” Meta campaigns, results
• [17:52] — Paid media challenges, bottom-funnel trap
• [19:49] — Three-forces summary for 2026 campaigns

Summary Table

| Force | What It Does | Tactical Focus | Example | |------------|------------------------------|---------------------------------------|-----------------------------| | Emotion | Shapes message & reaction | Use valence/intensity mapping | Calm vs. pride vs. panic | | Timing | Determines conversion moment | Target spikes in need/context | “When” over “who” | | Framing | Increases willingness to pay | Use abstract language at acquisition | “Crush fear with every tick”|

Closing Tone

The episode is lively, accessible, and deeply practical, mixing science, candid confessions, and actionable takeaways. Sarah's encouragement: focus on these three forces, experiment boldly, and out-execute your competitors—because 2026 belongs to brands who master emotion, timing, and framing.