I just read about a study that perfectly illustrates how companies can use neuroscience to reshape our perception of everyday products.

Clorox recently partnered with neurotech company Emotiv to scientifically measure brain activity using EEG technology while people performed cleaning tasks — then compared those patterns to activities we typically consider pleasurable.

The results seem almost comically counterintuitive:

• 37% of participants felt better cleaning the toilet than petting puppies
• 43% found toilet cleaning more enjoyable than listening to favorite songs
• Wiping kitchen counters produced a 6% stronger positive response than getting a massage

My first reaction (after smiling like a full-time commode cleanser): skepticism.

After all, this research was funded by a company that sells cleaning products.

But digging deeper, I came to believe it. AND I understood what Clorox is really doing here.

They’re reframing the entire experience of cleaning.

In I Need That, I talk about how products succeed when they align with our deeply held beliefs or help us achieve a coveted condition. Clorox isn’t trying to convince us their products clean better (a functional claim). They’re saying that cleaning itself is a rewarding activity (an emotional and transformative claim on my CLIMB framework).

This is the difference between selling a solution to a problem versus selling an experience worth seeking out.

The neuroscience approach is particularly clever because it bypasses our rational skepticism. We might doubt a survey where people claim cleaning toilets is fun, but it’s harder to argue with brain waves. That’s actual science!

Product Payoff: Headspace used a similar strategy to transform meditation from a spiritual practice to a scientifically validated mental wellness tool. By partnering with neuroscientists to demonstrate the measurable impact of meditation on brain activity, they created a compelling narrative that expanded their potential market far beyond traditional meditation demographics. Studies proved that using Headspace reliably reduced depression and anxiety. This science-based positioning helped them grow to over 70 million downloads and a $320 million valuation by connecting their product to concrete, measurable benefits rather than vague spiritual promises.

Action for today: Consider how you might reframe the experience of using your product, not just its functional outcomes. What if using your product could be positioned as inherently REWARDING rather than merely effective? Identify one aspect of your product experience that might actually be enjoyable but is currently framed as utilitarian.

Want to explore how neuroscience insights might transform your product positioning? Tap that reply arrow and let’s discuss how to reframe your product experience. Or reach out to my team of consumer product marketing specialists at Graphos Product.