A deeper understanding of consumer behavior is critical for marketers today as it provides a much-needed competitive advantage in the face of increasing competition.
In this highly competitive industry, behavioral science – which studies the psychological factors that influence human actions – offers valuable insights into what motivates consumer decisions.
By leveraging these insights, marketers can go beyond traditional methods and gain a deeper, more nuanced understanding of how their audience responds to their communications.
Here, Roger Jackson, marketing expert and founder and CEO of SenseCheck, explores how brands can harness the power of behavioral science to develop better marketing strategies that not only capture attention, but also build meaningful engagement and loyalty.
Can you explain what behavioral science is and how it relates to marketing?
“Behavioral science is about understanding the hidden motivations that drive our decisions – most of which we are not aware of.
“The human brain, shaped by millions of years of evolution, has been finely tuned to ensure our survival. This evolutionary process has resulted in our brains developing efficient shortcuts for making decisions that have historically helped us live longer. Even though we live in a highly advanced modern world today, our brains still operate based on the same survival-based programs.
“In marketing, we aim to influence human decisions. Since many decisions are made under the influence of these unconscious, evolutionary programs, it is necessary for us to understand them in order to be more effective.”
What key principles of behavioral science should marketers know?
“I would break it down into two main areas. The first is bias. Our brains don’t make completely logical decisions by weighing up facts. Instead, they rely on ‘burned-in’ shortcuts that we often don’t recognize.
“The second area concerns emotional and instinctive reactions. Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman describes the brain in terms of ‘System 1 and System 2’. This is a simplification, but the basic point is that most of our decisions are driven by processes that are outside our direct control.
“Even when we think logically, we often seek out information to justify decisions we have already made instinctively.”
How does understanding human behavior and psychology help in developing effective marketing strategies?
“We should not expect rational, logic-based marketing messages to be effective on their own. To be successful, we must first appeal to the human subconscious. To attract attention, we must appeal to the emotional element, and only then can we direct the focus to our specific offer.
“It is well known that marketing that entertains, amuses or arouses curiosity achieves more. And ensuring that our marketing is liked or enjoyed is a crucial metric that reflects this. Our messages should therefore appeal primarily to instinct and emotion, whether in B2C or B2B.
“The most important factor in a B2B purchase, for example, is trust. Buyers need to be able to rely on the company to keep its promises. Trust is emotional, which is why celebrity testimonials and endorsements are so effective and B2B TV advertising actually often works – being on TV implies credibility.
“In addition, people are attracted to stories. Effective marketing acts like a mini-story that draws the audience in, piques their interest, and makes the brand part of the solution. We can’t resist a story. After all, stories have fed our minds throughout human history.
“Finally, we now understand that most B2C and B2B purchasing decisions are based on shortcuts. Unconsciously, people buy brands they already know to minimize mental effort. This is why well-known brands continue to succeed while new brands struggle to gain traction. Our brains simply ignore the unknown.”
Can you give some examples of successful marketing campaigns that used behavioral science principles?
“One of the most award-winning marketing campaigns in recent times is Cadbury’s ‘Generosity’ campaign.
“While the concept is thematically linked to the product itself, the marketing focuses on stories that show how Cadbury chocolate positively influences relationships in relatable situations. Many of today’s ads like this one go beyond simply claiming their product is tastier or easier to use. Instead, they tell compelling stories in which the brand plays a big role.
“Another example is Mailchimp’s online game, designed for users and prospects. Although it has little to do with their product, the game engages customers in a unique way and builds a sense of relationship. When it comes time to select software, customers feel most comfortable with Mailchimp because of this positive, engaging experience.”
What common cognitive biases can marketers exploit in their campaigns?
“Some of the most common biases marketers should be aware of are:
“Confirmation bias: People tend to make future decisions based on past decisions and often choose to buy the same product again.
“Myside bias: People tend to buy the products that their environment buys in order to fit in.
“Expert bias: Consumers prefer to buy items that they feel they understand well.
“Status quo bias: Many people continue to buy the same products as before because they are familiar to them, regardless of new promises.
“Loss aversion: People are more afraid of losing than of winning. To overcome this, the expected gain must appear significantly greater than the perceived risk, or marketers should highlight the risks of not buying.”
How can behavioral insights improve customer segmentation and personalization of marketing efforts?
“Integrating customer behavioral insights into their customer segmentation and personalization efforts enables marketers to go beyond superficial data and build deeper, more effective connections with their audiences.
“This ultimately leads to more relevant and engaging marketing campaigns and produces better results.”
What role does behavioral science play in developing more targeted and relevant advertising?
“Behavioral science enables marketers to design ads that appeal to specific emotions and cognitive biases in different audience segments.
“By understanding these emotional triggers, marketers can craft messages that reinforce positive decisions for existing customers or highlight potential losses for users of competing products.
“This approach appeals to subconscious motivations and engages audiences more effectively than simply listing features and benefits. It ensures that ads grab attention and inspire action.”
Can you discuss the impact of AI and machine learning on understanding and predicting consumer behavior?
“Ironically, AI’s unbiased nature can make marketing evaluation more efficient. By removing human bias, it improves our ability to understand and predict consumer behavior more objectively. It can also analyze responses to ads without preconceived ideas and figure out what works best.
“Although widespread use is still limited by the current lack of extensive data, the potential is enormous. With sufficient training on relevant data, AI could predict the effectiveness of marketing strategies and even help in their development.
“However, because AI relies heavily on historical data, its creative capabilities are limited. This means that human creativity and insight remain critical to designing innovative campaigns.”
Would you like to add something else?
“The most important insight of behavioral science is that you are appealing primarily to the unconscious, primitive part of the human brain, not the rational mind. Your marketing must overcome this initial hurdle or it risks being ignored, dismissed or rejected before prospects even have a chance to think about it.
“This underscores the importance of testing your marketing with external audiences in real-world environments where prospects only have a few seconds of attention in the midst of their busy lives.”
