“We’re not selling products anymore—we’re competing for brain space, and dopamine is the gatekeeper.”
That’s the hard truth according to Ritz Bernardo, Marketing Strategist at RB Multimedia Agency, in her exclusive interview with Financial Adviser PH. In today’s digital-first economy, attention is the new currency—and marketers are spending everything they’ve got to capture even a few seconds of it.
Bernardo explains that modern marketing is no longer just creative—it’s neurological. It taps into how the brain reacts to emotion, repetition, and validation. “People think they’re in control of their scrolling, their likes, their shares—but most of the time, it’s their dopamine making the decisions,” she says.
She describes dopamine as the “chemical bridge” between attention and action. It’s what gives people the urge to click, the satisfaction from a notification, or the impulse to buy something after seeing a reel. “Scroll culture wasn’t designed to inform. It was designed to reward your brain every 8 seconds,” Bernardo points out.
In what she calls the scroll economy, brands, influencers, and algorithms are locked in a constant battle for mental real estate. And dopamine is the weapon of choice. “We’re not just selling offers. We’re selling stimuli,” she explains.
The addictive nature of likes, shares, and double taps is not accidental—it’s engineered. “Social proof isn’t just psychology—it’s chemical. It’s your brain saying, ‘More of this, please.’” Bernardo says that every time someone gets a like or sees a comment on a product they posted about, their brain receives a mini hit of dopamine, reinforcing the loop.
According to her, it’s this exact mechanism that makes platforms and products so sticky, especially to Gen Z and digital natives. “If your brand doesn’t give a dopamine hit in the first 5 seconds, it’s already forgotten,” she warns.
She shares how younger audiences—those raised in algorithmic environments—are wired to respond faster to emotional and sensory triggers. “Gen Z doesn’t wait to be convinced. They either feel it or scroll past it,” Bernardo says. That means marketers need to grab emotional attention instantly, or they risk becoming invisible.
She emphasizes that attention in today’s marketplace isn’t just short—it’s expensive. “Attention isn’t just what you get. It’s what you pay for. And the price is getting higher every day,” she says. With every swipe, users subconsciously prioritize what deserves their time, emotion, and energy.
But Bernardo believes this also presents an opportunity for marketers to do better—to create content that doesn’t just hijack the brain but adds value. “If you’re going to hijack attention, at least land the plane with meaning,” she says.
When asked about where this dopamine-driven marketing trend is heading, she doesn’t hesitate: “This is the future. It’s not just about targeting anymore—it’s about timing, triggers, and trust.”
Bernardo cautions that while algorithmic marketing can be effective, it must be approached responsibly. “If you keep feeding the brain only what it wants, you’re not helping people grow—you’re keeping them stuck. Marketers need to think about the long game.”
Her insights, grounded in both practice and science, reveal a sobering truth: consumers aren’t always buying with their wallets—they’re buying with their attention, emotion, and chemistry.
And as brands continue to flood feeds with content, the real winners will be those who understand the nuance of neuro-marketing: stimulating without overwhelming, engaging without exploiting.
As Bernardo puts it best:
“We’re not selling products anymore—we’re competing for brain space, and dopamine is the gatekeeper.”
