Decisions, decisions

How behavioural science shapes the brands we love and products we choose.

Depending on which statistic you read, it’s said that humans make up to 35,000 decisions a day. Or, put another way, one decision every two seconds. Which makes it unsurprising that many of those decisions are based on instinct or routine and happen pretty much automatically. For instance, we don’t need to think long and hard about which sock to put on first in the morning – or whether we’d like one lump of sugar or two.

But what about bigger decisions? What phone to buy next, for example, or where to go on holiday. Surely we base decisions like this on considered and measured reasoning? Well, behavioural science suggests not. At least, not always. It outlines how we are all influenced by a complex system of cognitive biases… ways of thinking about the world that inform our decision-making, often without us realising. 

The hidden force

These cognitive biases apply across all elements of life – from how we interact with healthcare to our political opinions. But, in the world of marketing, they have specific relevance – because they shape the way customers view products and services. Subtle hints and cues can make someone feel warm and fuzzy about a brand – or nudge them to choose one option over another. It’s relevant to design and creative strategy. And it also has wide-ranging applications in copywriting.

Over the next month or so, we’re going to take a look at some examples of cognitive biases and how they apply to brand writing – starting with these:

Bias #1: Social proof

This is the theory that we tend to like things that other people like. If a product or service is trending then we’re more likely to want to buy it for ourselves. This has been applied to marketing for a long time. Think of the famous strapline, 8 out of 10 cats prefer Whiskas. Or the Friday night queues you’ll have seen outside of bars (even if they are practically empty inside). It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. Showing something is popular, makes it popular.

In writing, this is a fairly simple tactic to employ. It’s a well-worn but still effective technique. But for it to work really well, it needs to draw on compelling facts – the better the stats, the better the potential results. And it’s not a strategy that should be applied without due thought. Because things are rarely black and white in behavioural science, as we’ll see…

Bias #2: Un-social proof

The flipside to social proof is something leading behavioural scientist Richard Shotton outlines in his excellent book, The Choice Factory under the header Variability. He outlines that, while research has shown the majority of people are influenced by social proof, there is a small percentage that feel the need to shun the herd and go their own way. They simply see themselves as different and don’t want to act like other people.  We could describe this group of mavericks as trendsetters, early adopters… and maybe even egomaniacs. 

It’s clear that no one-size-fits-all. In copywriting, it’s our job to get under the skin of the target audience and understand their mindset. When writing about luxury products, for instance, the intended reader probably doesn’t want to know that 9 out of ten people buy such-and-such. They’d prefer to know that 9 out of ten people would buy it if only they could. Luxury and exclusivity very often go hand-in-hand. 

Bias #3: Habit

Research suggests a huge 40% of our decisions are made due to habit. Whether we’re too lazy to change our ways or we simply draw comfort from familiarity, we return to the same things again and again. In part, this makes a lot of logical sense. Despite living in a world with more choice than ever, we know the brands we like and we stick to them… thank you very much. But much of it is also probably subconscious. 

So how then can a new brand punch through the old favourites and make its mark? Some studies indicate that people are more open to change at a time of reflection in their lives. For instance, this could be when their age ends in 9 (yes, really), as in when they’re about to reach a milestone of 30, 40 or 50 years. Or it could be another big juncture in life – a shift in career, location or personal circumstances. Armed with the right customer information, it’s possible to capture this group’s mindset in copy with messages that focus on fresh starts and new opportunities. Old habits might die hard. But making new ones is not impossible.

Until next time

The key to behavioural science is about knowing which principle to apply – and when. And that, in itself, can be an art form. In general, the better the brief, the better the potential outcome. But it also comes down to the talent of the marketeer – or copywriter – to unpick the subtleties of human behaviour and get into the customer’s mindset. 

In our next piece, we’ll look at some more cognitive biases starting with distinctiveness – the idea that originality in marketing still counts and still cuts through

Want to learn more about how behavioural science can improve your brand’s communications?

Reach out – we’d love to discuss ways we can help.