Brains Crave Meaning

Why "Keep It Simple" is Flattening Modern Marketing

In marketing, there's a mantra you hear again and again: "Consumers don't want to think." Keep it simple. Be clear, not clever. Strip it all down.

On the surface, this sounds like wise advice. Clarity matters. Confusion is the fastest way to lose a potential customer. But when clarity becomes the only goal, something else happens. Meaning gets flattened.

And a brand without meaning is a brand that doesn't last.

The Problem of Flattening

The British psychiatrist and neuroscientist Iain McGilchrist has spent decades studying how the two hemispheres of the brain interpret the world. His central insight: the left and right hemispheres don't simply divide tasks; they actually perceive reality in different ways.

The left hemisphere is narrow, focused, analytic. It breaks things down into parts. It prefers the clear, rational, and functional.

The right hemisphere is broad, contextual, holistic. It sees relationships, patterns, metaphor, and meaning.

McGilchrist warns that our culture has become dominated by the left hemisphere's way of seeing: measurable, functional, and flattened. He calls this "the Master and his Emissary" problem where the part of the brain designed to serve takes over, leaving out the richness and depth that the right hemisphere provides.

When applied to marketing, this overreliance on the left hemisphere looks like endless bullet points, simplified slogans, and watered-down clarity. Brands end up sounding the same. Everything is "easy to process," but nothing is worth remembering.

The Brain Craves Meaning

Here's the irony: people don't actually want brands to remove all complexity. They want brands to make sense, yes, but they also want them to mean something.

Neuroscience tells us that:

Emotion tags memory. Without an emotional spike, information is unlikely to stick.

Story creates coupling. When we hear a story, our brain activity syncs with the storyteller's. We share the same neural patterns.

Symbols and metaphor carry weight. They activate both hemispheres, giving us intuitive and intellectual ways of connecting.

So when marketing flattens everything into pure clarity, it cuts itself off from the very tools the brain uses to create memory and loyalty.

Why Modern Marketing Feels Forgettable

Look around, and you'll see it: taglines that could belong to any company, ads that feel like generic templates, campaigns optimized for click-through but not connection.

This is what happens when marketing only speaks the language of the left hemisphere. It's efficient, rational, and measurable. But it's not alive.

People might notice you, but they won't remember you.

A Different Approach

This is where a different kind of strategy is needed, one that takes the brain's full architecture into account.

What I call NeuroBrand Strategy isn't about manipulating people or hacking the subconscious with gimmicks. It's about aligning with how memory and meaning are actually formed.

It honors the need for clarity (the left hemisphere's gift) but balances it with the right hemisphere's strengths: context, nuance, emotion, and resonance.

Because clarity might get you in the door, but it's depth that makes you unforgettable.

The Takeaway

The human brain doesn't just want simple. It wants significant.

Marketing that only speaks to the left hemisphere will keep producing "clear" but shallow campaigns. Marketing that dares to engage both hemispheres, that respects people's intelligence while connecting with their emotions, has the power to last.

So yes, keep it clear. But don't flatten meaning. Give people something worth remembering.