Why clocks in commercials are always set to 10 past 10

Advertising has the intention of stimulating purchase decisions. To achieve this, neuromarketing uses design tools that subconsciously trigger the most positive reaction possible in the consumer. The so-called "child scheme," in which packaging and product elements are designed to resemble a child's face, is a popular device that appeals primarily to female consumers and is intended to trigger caring. In her recent publication, Britta Lützenkirchen looks at the influence of hidden smiling faces in products and how they affect consumers, even if the faces are not consciously perceived. "Previous studies show that the so-called facial area in the human brain already reacts to minimal visual structures that resemble a face. Marketing departments take advantage of this effect by integrating facial expressions with positive connotations into their products. Just think of the logo of the TUI company or the hood of a Mini Cooper," says Britta Lützenkirchen.

In watch commercials, for example, it's always 10 to 10. What hardly any consumer notices is the subject of the current research project by graduate student Lützenkirchen. In her international publication entitled "Why Is 10 Past 10 the Default Setting for Clocks and Watches in Advertisements? A Psychological Experiment," she uses an experimental basis to investigate the psychological effects that this default time setting elicits in viewers of clock advertisements. In her experiments, the researcher assumes that the 10 past 10 hand setting resembles a smiling face, while the 8:20 hand setting reminds observers of a sad face.

The results of the experiments show that watches set at 10:10 have a more positive effect on the observer's emotions as well as on their purchase intention than watches set at 8:20 or 11:30. This is because the time 10 after 10 unconsciously acts like a smiling face. In addition, clocks with the time 10:10 have a significantly stronger effect on women than on men. "This result is consistent with previous neuroscience studies showing that women recognize faces faster than men and feel more empathy with shown emotional facial expressions than men," the author explains.

The publication is based on her master's thesis, which Britta Lützenkirchen wrote in 2015 at SRH Fernhochschule in the master's program in Business Psychology, Leadership and Management. In the thesis entitled "Neuromarketing: On the Influence of Subliminal Perception of Faces in Products", the current graduate examined the subconscious perception of faces in products and their psychological effects.

After a year-long review of the study - including a review by Prof. Charles Spence, a renowned researcher in neuromarketing from Oxford University in the UK - the publication has now been accepted as an international study in the renowned journal of psychology Frontiers of Psychology published. The study will also appear in relevant literature databases in the future.

With her study, Britta Lützenkirchen has made a significant research contribution in the field of neuromarketing and psychology that is also attracting a great deal of international attention. "It is particularly gratifying when students like Britta Lützenkirchen publish their thesis in an international journal because they leave their fingerprint in the history of psychology," emphasizes Prof. Dr. Ahmed A. Karim, who supervised the master's thesis at SRH Fernhochschule and supported Britta Lützenkirchen with the publication.