Mirror neurons were identified in the late 80s at the University of Parma in Italy by Giacomo Rizzolatti, who observed monkeys and discovered that if one monkey watched another pick up peanuts, its brain would simulate that action, bring that action into consciousness, and perform its own action of picking up peanuts.
Nick Baily, a 17-year-old Detroit boy, dreamed of this day.
On November 6, 2006, Nintendo released the high-end Wii system, a handheld remote-controlled console that allows players to simulate tennis shots, bowling ball paths, and more.
After waiting in line for 17 hours at the company's Toys 'R' Us store, the student quickly ran home, full of emotion, Wii box in hand.
At this point, most new Wii owners were excited to open the box, plug the console into their TVs, and test out the console's new features right away, not just Nick Baily.
Before opening the box, he sets up the camera, attaches the microphone to his shirt, rearranges the control panel, and presses record. Only when he's done all of this does he begin unboxing his Wii.
After a two-hour trial, Nick's first footage was uploaded to YouTube. The video garnered about 71,000 views in its first week.
It seems like simply watching someone enjoy using the new Wii for the first time, this gives Nintendo fans a taste of the excitement of unboxing their new Wii. In fact, this video was voted the best experience on www.unbox.it.com
But why? The answer can be found in our heads, where we will find something called “Mirror Neurons”
Mirror neurons were identified in the late 80s at the University of Parma in Italy by Giacomo Rizzolatti, who observed monkeys and discovered that if one monkey watched another pick up peanuts, its brain would simulate that action, bring that action into consciousness, and perform its own action of picking up peanuts.
Humans have neurons just like that. Think of the sound of fingernails on a blackboard, it's easy to imagine. You can hear it in your head. You can understand the whole feeling it evokes, you can even remember the sound. That's the mimicry neuron in action.
From the moment we are born we are controlled by Mirror Neurons. Stick your tongue out to touch your newborn baby and that action will be imitated by him or her. Why is that so interesting, so relevant to this article? Because it reveals why we are hardwired to imitate.
I will never forget walking past a nightclub in New York City and seeing the young people lining up outside. All the young men and women were wearing clothes that showed their underwear and calling it a modern, fashionable style. At the time I thought it was weird. Why would you show your underwear and call it fashion?
Weeks later, I walked past a similar group of young people at a nightclub in Sydney, Australia. And look what happened. They were wearing exactly the same fashion. Same in Tokyo, Paris, Copenhagen. This strange phenomenon started somewhere, started by someone… and God knows why, it was carried on by others until it spread around the world like a virus.
We like to imitate, the way we dance, the way we gesture – think faster – or the way we play computer games. Mirror neurons are active everywhere in all activities of life.
The advertising world could learn a lot from those young people lining up confidently in front of onlookers. Imitation is not just a fun human trait, it’s an action that’s hardwired into our brains. It’s why fashion exists, why sports are popular, why we experience playing games as vicariously as we watch them, why trends become fads and fads become must-haves.
And all of that makes me think of Nick Baily from Detroit, and half a million viewers around the world.
Mirror neurons explain why we sometimes do things we can’t explain. They can be a ready-made structure for product marketers, capable of moving a brand from moderate success to incredible success.
According to Nhut Linh – Lantabrand
