Your Brain’s Inbox Filter: How the Reticular Activating System (RAS) is Changing the Rules of B2B Marketing
- angelikaattwood
- May 1
- 4 min read
By Angelika Attwood, Dje'ka Creative Director
It’s one of the most overlooked principles in modern B2B marketing: if your message never gets noticed, it never gets a chance to convert.
Yet many campaigns are built as if attention is guaranteed, as if simply showing up in a buyer’s inbox or LinkedIn feed is enough to matter.
The reality is starkly different. Today’s decision-makers are navigating a flood of messaging. The average professional receives over 120 emails per day (ContentSquare, 2023). Their content feeds are dense. Their time is fragmented. Their attention is a scarce resource, not a given.
So what determines which messages break through?
The answer lies deep in the brainstem, in a neurological system few marketers talk about but all are impacted by. It’s called the Reticular Activating System (RAS), and understanding how it works may be one of the most underutilised advantages in B2B advertising today.
The RAS: A Biological Filter With Commercial Implications
The RAS is a network of neurons located in the brainstem that acts as the brain’s filter for sensory input. Its job is simple but powerful: determine what information gets passed to the conscious mind, and what gets ignored.
This gatekeeping mechanism filters out the vast majority of stimuli we encounter daily. Neuroscience research suggests that while the human brain processes approximately 11 million bits of information per second, only around 50 make it into conscious focus (Zaltman, G., 2003).
How does the RAS decide what to let through? It’s based on what the brain considers important: goals, threats, and emotionally salient cues (Swart, T., 2015). In short, it lets in what feels relevant.
For marketers, especially in B2B, this has profound implications. If your message doesn’t align with something the buyer already perceives as meaningful, it doesn’t matter how creative, data-driven, or well-targeted it is. It simply doesn’t register.
Revisiting a Classic Model: Lavidge-Steiner and the Science of Attention
In 1961, advertising theorists Robert Lavidge and Gary Steiner proposed a hierarchical model of advertising effectiveness. Their framework (Awareness, Knowledge, Liking, Preference, Conviction, Purchase) has long been part of marketing curriculum, but in many boardrooms, it’s been overshadowed by funnel models and short-term metrics.
Yet modern neuroscience now validates much of what Lavidge and Steiner theorised (Zaltman, G., 2003).
Their model follows the same progression the brain naturally takes when making decisions: from cognition to emotion to behaviour. It recognises that attention is earned in stages, and that the initial breakthrough often hinges not on logic, but on emotional relevance (Swart, T., 2015).
Why This Matters More Than Ever in B2B
Historically, B2B marketing has leaned on rational appeal. Buyers, after all, are assumed to be logical. They compare specs, read whitepapers, evaluate vendors.
But that’s only part of the story. Research from Google, CEB, and Motista found that B2B buyers are actually more emotionally connected to the brands they buy from than B2C consumers (Google, CEB, Motista, 2014). The stakes are higher, and so is the risk of making a poor choice.
What we’re seeing now is a convergence: neurological filtering mechanisms like the RAS, emotional weight in professional buying, and an evolving media landscape where authenticity increasingly outranks authority.
TrustRadius’s 2024 B2B Buying Disconnect Report highlights that 95% of buyers prefer authentic, peer-based reviews over vendor-created content (Gartner, 2023). Even in highly technical or regulated industries, buyers now begin their journey by seeking proof of credibility from people who’ve been in their shoes, not from marketing departments.
It’s a shift in attention mechanics. The RAS tunes out grand promises. It pays attention to peer insights, visual proof (like product dashboards or real-world case stats), and direct alignment with current priorities, like budget efficiency, compliance readiness, or churn reduction.
From Campaigns to Cognitive Strategy
Forward-thinking B2B marketers are already adapting. Instead of talking broadly about solutions, they’re getting sharply specific about outcomes. They’re designing messaging around known buyer priorities, and they’re packaging those messages in ways that match how the brain scans for relevance (Swart, T., 2015).
This doesn’t mean emotion over substance. It means aligning your value proposition with the brain’s natural intake process.
If your buyer is worried about missed targets, your email should speak to that, not your product roadmap. If your audience is under budget pressure, lead with ROI examples, not abstract differentiators.
The best marketing now functions like a neural match key: unlocking attention by mirroring the internal narratives already active in the buyer’s mind.
What Great B2B Marketing Will Look Like in 2025
We’re entering an era where messaging strategy must be designed around how people process attention, not just what we want them to hear.
That includes:
Using social proof and peer reviews early in the funnel, because they bypass skepticism and activate trust (Gartner, 2023)
Writing for scanning, not reading, brevity, visuals, and clear signals are no longer optional (ContentSquare, (2023)
Understanding that repetition works best when varied, consistent messages across formats beat copy-paste ubiquity
Grounding campaigns in real buyer intent, not personas from last year’s deck (TrustRadius, 2024)
The Competitive Edge Is Cognitive
The RAS doesn’t care about your brand’s market share. It doesn’t care about your SDR sequence, your 50-slide sales deck, or your perfectly timed nurture campaign.
It cares about what feels relevant.
And that’s determined not by what you say, but by whether your message aligns with what the brain is already searching for.
In B2B marketing, that’s not a creative insight. It’s a competitive edge.
Because the companies that master this aren’t just louder. They’re clearer. They’re trusted. They get through.
And in a world where attention is the most valuable currency, that’s what ultimately drives revenue.
References:
1. Moruzzi, G., & Magoun, H. (1949). Brain stem reticular formation and activation of the EEG.
2. Zaltman, G. (2003). How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market. Harvard Business School Press.
3. Swart, T. (2015). The Source: Open Your Mind, Change Your Life.
4. Google, CEB, Motista (2014). From Promotion to Emotion: Connecting B2B Customers to Brands.
5. Gartner (2023). Future of Sales: The End of Buying Funnels.
6. TrustRadius (2024). B2B Buying Disconnect Report.
7. Radicati Group (2023). Email Statistics Report.
8. ContentSquare (2023). Digital Experience Benchmark Report.
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