Marketing, measurement and the irrational mind

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Marketing, measurement
and the irrational mind
A beginner’s guide to behavioural economics
Behavioural economics is turning heads within the marketing community. Most agree
the story is compelling: much human decision-making is automatic and irrational, so
small changes to communications and contexts can have a striking impact on how
people behave. But the reality is fuzzier. Exactly how is it applied and where does it
fit into next quarter’s strategy?
In this guide we look past the anecdotes, debunk some myths and define the role of
behavioural economics in creating a measurable impact on ROI.
©Copyright PrimeDecision 2012
Chapters
1 Executive summary
2 Behavioural economics
3 Common misconceptions
4 Evidence-based marketing
5 Application: Seven Lenses
6 Pitfalls to avoid
7 Conclusion: Creativity
©Copyright PrimeDecision 2012
Executive summary
#1
Behavioural Economics (BE) is a relatively new discipline, with popular
understanding still limited to a handful of memorable anecdotes. This makes for
punchy Ted Talks and decent dinner party chat, but means it has scant bearing on
the day-to-day activities of most marketers.
In this paper we clearly define where BE thrives: in a measurement-focused,
experimental marketing environment.
The core premise of BE is that human decision-making is affected by a range of
psychological biases, which mean that the context of a decision can substantially
shape the outcome. How an offer is framed, for example, is one of a collection of
factors which affect how people behave. So by methodically crafting
communications to match these psychological tendencies we can become more
effective in influencing how customers and prospects act.
A behaviour-led approach benefits organisations in two key respects:


BE is a catalyst for experimentation. It invites a more rigorous, scientific
approach to enhancing the performance of marketing activities.
BE equips marketers with proven, evidence-based insights about human
decision-making. Its frameworks and principles can be used to for optimisation –
informing incremental changes which improve response rates, or can be used
more extensively – fuelling innovation across the organisation.
Psychological insight has long been considered a fundament of marketing. But in
behavioural economics we have an incarnation well-suited to the accountable,
target-driven landscape in which we operate.
©Copyright PrimeDecision 2012
Behavioural economics (BE) may be the term which has caught on, but it is just one
of a series of disciplines and fields of study which are making strides across similar
terrain – such as Neuropsychology or Judgement and Decision-making (JDM). In
this document, we use BE as a convenient shorthand to talk about the behavioural
sciences, all of which provide insights into the psychological tendencies which
underpin human decision-making.
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Behavioural economics
#2
Conventional marketing approaches tend to focus on winning ‘hearts and minds’,
providing emotional and rational reasons to buy a product or act in a particular way.
Behavioural economics is different: it is focused on the automatic responses and
mental processes that underpin behaviour in a particular moment.
One experiment asked different groups of people to:
a)
b)
Choose a piece of art to keep
Choose a piece of art to keep – plus explain their choice
When able to choose freely, a greater percentage opted for the abstract work. But if
also asked to explain the decision, more chose the figurative piece, which is arguably
easier to justify.1 The pressure to explain the decision actually changed the decision.
This supports the need to arm buyers and influencers with justifications that are
easily assimilated and repeated. But it also cautions us to treat customer feedback
with care, for self-aware reasoning is only part of the story. Many of our choices and
actions are more automatic than we realise.
1
http://prime-decision.com/uncategorized/decision-making-dynamics-the-role-of-justification/
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Decision-making is an exhausting business.
BE teaches us to think about the brain as an energy-efficient machine, which aims
to avoid effortful thought where possible.
Consider how many choices are
made every day. Every search term
and shopping aisle provides us with
a baffling range of possibilities. And
even the most complex decisionmaking processes are littered with
micro-decisions about where to click
and what to read.
The brain’s response to all this
choice is to rely on rules of thumb
(or ‘heuristics’) to make fast,
effective decisions. This eliminates
the energy consumption required for
conscious, deliberate reflection,
enabling us to make choices with
minimal effort.
Although we are unaware of them,
these mental shortcuts play a
significant role in our everyday choices.
Through studies and controlled experiments, researchers worked to unravel these
mental factors, teasing out the different tendencies involved. This revealed recurrent
patterns in the ways that humans approach choice. Of course the tendencies
themselves aren’t new, but the rigour of our understanding is – and continues to
become more refined. These principles are the foundation of BE.
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Rational versus irrational
A central theme in the BE story is the concept of irrational decision-making. The
field of behavioural economics challenges economic models based on concepts
such as homo economicus; that humans are rational agents making decisions
which maximise utility.2
Psychologist Dr Daniel Kahneman earned the Nobel Prize for
Economics for his work with Amos Tversky, demonstrating how
investors make irrational decisions.3
Their studies showed how perceptions of value change according
to context: people incline towards risk-averse behaviour in
relation to gain and risk-seeking behaviour in relation to loss.
Even financial judgements are biased by numerous factors, from
loss-aversion to past experiences.
An irrational fear?
Hearing that we don’t always act rationally may feel uncomfortable, for the term
‘irrational’ is associated with being unreasonable or unpredictable.4 But these biases
have evolved because they are so useful.
For instance, when choosing a food stall at a festival, it makes sense to go with the
herd5 and join the longest queue. This is not strictly rational, but it is a reliable
strategy in a world in which we have incomplete data and limited time.
Some leading cognitive psychologists argue that relying on frugal, fast methods of
decision-making can actually be more effective in achieving positive outcomes.6 In
an uncertain and unstable world, strategies like following the advice of a trusted
elder or acting on the basis of an old habit can prove exceptionally valuable.
2
Rittenberg and Trigarthen. Principles of Microeconomics: Chapter 6. pp. 2, Accessed June 20 (2012)
http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec02/nobel.aspx
4
Oxford Dictionary defines irrationality as ‘not logical or reasonable’; the definition of unreasonable is: ‘not
guided by or based on good sense… beyond the limits of acceptability or fairness.’ Oxford English Dictionary,
oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/unreasonable
5
Mark Earls, Herd: How to Change Mass Behaviour by Harnessing Our True Nature (2009)
6
Dr. Gerd Gigerenzer, Max Planck Institute: http://gocognitive.net/video/gerd-gigerenzer-bounded-rationality
3
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Some examples of heuristics in practice:
BE principle: social norms
Reframing hotel signage increases the number
of customers re-using their towels.
One study found that the copy ‘Please re-use your towels to help save the
environment’ could be bolstered by adding that ‘Most previous occupants of the
room re-used their towels during their stay’. The small copy change set a social
norm which increased the number of customers re-using their towels from 35.1% to
49.3%. The trial also found that referencing the specific room had greater impact
than referring to ‘other customers’ of the hotel.7
Key concept: social approval
Smiley faces prove effective in slowing down
drivers, at a fraction of the cost of standard
speed cameras.
We are often highly responsive to how others view us, even when the ‘other’ is a
representation. This is well-illustrated by vehicle-activated signage which displays
your speed along with a corresponding happy or sad face – encouraging people to
slow their driving speed. When faces were introduced to cameras by South
Lanarkshire Council, speeding fell by 53%.8
Key concept: anchors
Complex decisions such as credit card
repayments can be steered by seemingly minor
pieces of information.
In the process of decision-making, the brain latches onto certain pieces of
information, known as ‘anchors’. The minimum payment acts as an anchor in credit
card repayments, so affects what people choose to pay off. For instance, on an
average bill of £435, people with a 2% minimum payment paid off £99 each month,
while people without a minimum payment paid off £175.9
7
Cialdini (2003) Crafting normative messages to protect the environment. Current Directions in Psychological
Science 12:105–109
8
http://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_sweat_the_small_stuff.html
9
Stewart (2009) The cost of anchoring on credit card minimum payments. Psychological Science 20:39-41
©Copyright PrimeDecision 2012
Bias is inherent in the design of services and communications, whether or not the
creators are aware of it.
Default settings are a well-documented illustration of how choices can be influenced
radically from the outset. In countries like France and Hungary where the default for
organ donation is to be automatically opted-in, only 5-20% of the population opt-out.
Conversely, in countries which require people to opt-in, the numbers are flipped:
fewer than 20% opt-in.10
The UK is soon to trial a middle-ground approach which obliges people to make a
decision about donation when applying for a driving license, preventing them from
acquiescing to the default.11
10
Organ Donation Taskforce, The potential impact of an opt out system for organ donation in the UK: An
independent report from the Organ Donation Taskforce (2008)
11
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_198724
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Common misconceptions
#3
Equating BE with anecdotes
Behavioural economics provides us with some terrific anecdotes. Did you hear the
one about the detergent in the canteen? The one about the urinals? Or the mirrors
and the slow lift?
It’s compelling that exposure to the smell of
detergent in a canteen can prime people to
keep their tables clean12 or that painting a fly
on a messy airport urinal would compel men to
improve their aim and reduce spillage.
And when faced with complaints about lift
speeds and waiting times, rather than investing
in expensive lift refurbishment, what a stroke of
genius to put mirrors by the lift doors, causing
people to preen and lose track of time!13
The field is packed with memorable outcomes – and these can be very useful in
explaining behavioural economics to newcomers. But if we stop there, we limit our
understanding of behavioural economics to flashbulb moments and happy accidents.
On the other hand, some applications of BE are so entrenched that their insights are
taken for granted. For instance, all property owners know that the aromas of coffee
and apple pie will prime prospective buyers to feel more at home. Yet despite seeing
the value first-hand, people don’t conceive of BE as adding value to the kinds of
problems faced in a marketing context. Supermarkets, maybe, but automated
marketing touch-points in B2B?
12
Holland, Hendriks, & Aarts, 2005, in Dolan et al (2010)
Rory Sutherland, presenting to Creative Directors Network, Bristol (http://primedecision.com/uncategorized/rory-sutherland-on-be-part-2/)
13
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Spend any time with academics studying neuropsychology or judgement and
decision-making (JDM) and you learn a different side of the story.
Far from one-off flukes, the behavioural sciences are built around processes and
rigour, randomised controlled trials and the pursuit of repeatable outcomes. This is
the model that marketing can really learn from.
There is still room for innovation, but it is a disciplined approach to experimentation
that enables behavioural economics to flourish.
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Heuristics are not silver bullets.
Even the world’s leading neuroscientists still know only a fraction of what there is to
understand about the human brain. The complexity is staggering and the recent
tendency to hold neuroscience up as having all the answers should be challenged.14
Countless factors converge to inform our decisions. Heuristics are overlapping and
can be conflicting. For example, scarcity effect might motivate someone to pursue an
object or experience which is rare or likely to run out, such as the last product in
stock, but that same person could equally be swayed by primacy effect, in which
their first experience of the product biased their choice.
Marketers should not expect to tweak a copy line based on heuristic X and magically
transform conversion rates; knowledge of heuristics simply underpins smart choices
about what might be most impactful and what should be tested first.
14
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/apr/29/neuroscience-david-eagleman-raymond-tallis
©Copyright PrimeDecision 2012
Evidence-based marketing
#4
BE doesn’t transform marketers into Derren Brown. It simply informs improvements
to existing activities through useful insights and perspectives. But it’s combining
these principles with more methodical practices and a focus on experimentation
which generates the improved performance we all seek.
Measurement: the foundation
In this era of data, measurement is what differentiates leading organisations from the
rest. There is a significant body of evidence indicating that the best-performing
marketers are better at quantifying their contribution to the business – whether in the
form of qualified leads, pipeline or revenue. Research shows that 81% of best-inclass marketers can identify their most and least profitable campaigns, compared
with 41% of average companies and just 15% of worst-performing organisations.15
Getting baseline metrics in order – and the associated processes – are the bedrock
for improving outcomes through experimentation.
Repeatable processes are perfect problems for BE to tackle. A sign-up process, a
cross-sell touch-point, data capture forms and regular communications all have a
clear business-case for improvement and the potential to test, improve and scale. A
few percentage points in the right place make a tremendous difference in the longterm, eclipsing the investment in optimisation.
15
Trip Kucera, Marketing Lead Management, Aberdeen Group (2012)
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Small tweaks, big difference
One of the advantages of BE is that the changes can be very cost-effective to
implement, such as testing several different versions of a letter or email.

Barriers to purchase are an obvious focus for website optimisation and
ecommerce. One company increased customer purchases by 45% after
removing the requirement to register or enter a password before checkout –
generating an additional $300,000,000 in revenue during the first year. 16
Although this may seem like a no-brainer, many organisations fail to question
existing practices.

The UK government is reporting success in taking an iterative approach to
improving the response rates of direct communications. The Cabinet Office’s
Behavioural Insights Team (aka the Nudge Unit17) sent out several versions of
tax repayment letters in order to test the impact of social norming on
influencing people to pay their tax. They found that stating in the letter that
most people in the local area had already paid their taxes boosted repayment
rates by around 15%.18 They also found referencing the closest town or city to
be more motivating than postcodes.

Besides increasing the number of people completing an action, such as a
purchase or registration, BE insights can also be applied to reduce errors.
One US study demonstrated that asking for a signature on the first page of an
application form (instead of the end) improved the accuracy and honesty of
submissions, including a 10% difference in the data captured in the form.19
A notable difference between these examples is that while user frustration prompted
the first organisation to reconsider their website registration requirements, other
insights would simply never be volunteered. People even disbelieve they would be
swayed by information about their neighbours, or change their answers in a form
based on its order. The beauty of behavioural perspectives is that without dismissing
feedback we can also go beyond it; uncovering factors people are less aware of.
16
Luke Wroblewski, Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks (2008)
The Behavioural Insights Unit was commissioned soon after David Cameron’s team read: Richard Thaler,
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness (2008)
18
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/Behaviour-Change-Insight-Team-AnnualUpdate.pdf
19 Shu et al. When to sign on the dotted line? HBS Working Paper (2011)
17
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Application
#5
Stresses and shortcuts
If behavioural economics had a mantra, ‘stresses and
shortcuts’ might be it.
Let’s return to the starting point: our energy-efficient brains
hardwired to seek out paths of least resistance.
Barriers like the presence of uncertainty or too much
information drive people to procrastination and existing habits.
So marketers should be ruthless in identifying and removing
potential causes of mental stress at customer and prospect
touch-points. They may seem minor when viewed with
awareness, but can have a surprising impact on behaviour.
When taking a behaviour-led approach for the first time, it makes sense to identify a
single behaviour that you wish to change. Be conscious not to choose a general
objective, like to increase sales. Select a decision that takes place in a specific
context. The more control you have over the context, whether it’s a website, physical
building or phone app, the more potential levers will be available to pull.
Some examples of behavioural goals:



Increase the number of people who add a charitable donation during their online
purchase transaction, while raising the average donation value.
Get more people to contact an advice line in response to a direct mailer.
Increase the number of students who use the kitchen recycling bins in university
halls of residence.
A focused and measurable initiative will help build the business case for future
activity. But it’s also a useful way to build internal familiarity with the concept. If an
organisation routinely tackles a problem in a certain way – for instance, throwing
greater volumes of data at a campaign, rather than working to enhancing response
rates – then the opportunity to apply BE may not be immediately apparent.
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The Seven Lenses
Once you have defined a desired behaviour change, analysis can begin. The Seven
Lenses is a proprietary framework that PrimeDecision developed for this purpose.
Each lens analyses a different facet of behaviour through a cluster of related
heuristics and decision-making tendencies.
Rather than delivering ‘audience insights’ in a vacuum, analysis should focus on
developing hypotheses about which factors which might affect behaviour in the
defined context. This will yield a series specific tactics which can then be prioritised
and tested.
Story
Social
Script
Sense
Scenario
Structure
Sync
Without wanting to prejudice the findings, it can be useful to set some upfront
parameters, flagging the contextual factors which are clearly beyond the scope or
budget of the brief.
Conducting direct, observational research is highly recommended, though not
always possible. Existing data, such as marketing campaign results or web analytics
should also be integrated into analysis and used to help structure the roadmap.
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Story:
Personal narrative: attitudes and views people hold consciously. How people think
they act and how they explain and justify their actions.
Script:
Scripts are unspoken sets of expectations which guide how people respond in
different types of context, influencing conduct, interactions and even subsequent
memories of events. It can make sense to either mirror or disrupt them.
Sense:
This lens combines environmental aspects – sounds, visual stimuli etc. – with
perception and response. What is noticed and experienced and what impact this has.
Social:
This lens considers other humans in the context as well as signs, language and other
signifiers which induce tribal or social responses.
Structure:
Layout and design, but also the choice architecture and options presented. These
factors impact many aspects of automatic and cognitive decision-making.
Scenario:
Exploring variables and temporary circumstances that lead to different outcomes:
they can be short-term or long-term, internal or external.
Sync:
This ‘wildcard’ lens considers alternative contexts and parallels. Understanding why
people adopt contradictory behaviour can also be illuminating.
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Scenarios: application examples
While this table cannot reflect the depth of a full analysis, it should provide an
introduction to how the lenses translate to both offline and online contexts.
Story
Script
Social
Sense
Structure
Scenario
Sync
Target behaviour:
Target behaviour:
Increase the number of people who add a
charitable donation during their online
purchase transaction, while also raising
the average donation value.
Increase the number of students using
the kitchen recycling bins in university
halls of residence.
User objection to the brand seeking to build its
own reputation by asking its customers to
donate. Tackle this perception by direct, clear
reasoning and use of disarming tone.
Recycling perceived as ‘nice to have’, aligned
with freshers’ fair, clubs etc. Explore using
commitment devices (e.g. rotas) to strengthen
and formalise intention, combining with
official processes like signing rent agreement.
Ingrained habits associated with the kitchen.
Change door sign from ‘Kitchen’ to ‘Kitchen
and Recycling Centre’ as part of initiative to
disrupt existing script and create new
patterns in the space.
During purchase process, users adopt a script
associated with EasyJet, ‘Running the
gauntlet’. This makes donation less likely, as
involves fast, concentrated scanning, optingout and avoiding upsell. Potential to disrupt
by priming the donation earlier or signalling
purchase completion before asking.
Potential to establish donation norms through
messaging – e.g. by stating what ‘customers
have raised/achieved to date’. Test value of
specific messaging variants, such as impact of
donations in a particular geography.
Donation not visually distinct from items like
terms and conditions. Test the impact of
section boxing, colour and emotive imagery.
Distinct ‘chunking’ of the purchase process
may also trigger a refresh in cognitive load.
Experiment with donation framing: by
changing the default donation amount, by
using scaled options with different values, by
using different anchor amounts etc.
Analyse the impact of purchase amount, geo,
product type and repeat custom on donation
behaviour – e.g. potentially aligning donation
value to spend via a tailored pages.
Scope to incorporate donations into postbooking and offline product experiences.
Offering a donation incentive/thank you
which increases customer exposure to other
product lines could enhance cross-sell which
triggering reciprocation value.
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Use social approval indicators like smiley
faces on bin stickers: e.g. ‘Thanks for
recycling ’ or ‘Going to landfill  Have
you recycled all you can?'.
Replace black liners with clear bin bags to
improve awareness of what is being thrown
out.
Bin positioning: ensure that recycling bins
are physically positioned before landfill bins
at major entrances, making them slightly
easier to reach.
Build seasonal and term-specific factors into
comms plan: importance of fresher habits,
mid-term reinforcement, staggered recycling
messages – e.g. cans, glass & paper are most
familiar, food bins tend to smell in summer.
Question policy that students empty
recycling bins yet cleaners empty landfill
bins. This is an incentive not to recycle.
Many students have never emptied a bin
before, so may associate recycling with
gaining additional (unpleasant) new duties.
The above examples raise two related issues:


Firstly, there is a myth that BE insights must always be counterintuitive and
left-field, however its approaches often work because they leverage what’s
familiar, such as existing tendencies or habits.
Secondly, it’s quite conceivable that several of the listed tactics could be
identified by marketers drawing on past experience rather than psychological
insights and scientific studies. BE doesn’t claim exclusivity, it simply brings
new tools and terminology with which to enhance our existing capabilities. It’s
also worth underscoring that BE provides organisations with a fresh impetus
to question factors of communications that are otherwise overlooked – and
this brings tremendous value in its own right.
A process of analysis, using tools like the Seven Lenses, should lead to the
development of an experimentation roadmap which prioritises the factors to be
tested and defines the timescales and metrics in detail. The cost and ease of trialling
different variables should be balanced against the body of evidence for a particular
approach. Staying informed of recent studies in the academic sphere is beneficial for
this purpose.
Supplementary research and micro-experiments may help to build the case for more
involved trials, whereas other approaches (such as website changes) may be so
easy to test that they require minimal justification.
The roadmap structure should enable the organisation to start with broad strokes,
finding areas for uplift, but also provide an ample opportunity to hone the details. For
example, you may find through an initial round of trials that using scales of different
donation amounts are proving more effective than a straight-forward opt-in/opt-out
mechanic. A second round of tests would then be required to refine the specific
values on the scale which influence people to donate a greater amount. There will
often be scope to scale the approach too, transferring the learning to other marketing
or fundraising activities which leverage a similar mechanic. Incorporating activity
reviews into your roadmap will support this process.
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Pitfalls to avoid
#6
The behavioural sciences inform marketers’ decisions about what to do differently in
order to improve effectiveness. But they also compel us to use sound methods of
experimentation. For in spite of the best intentions, testing can be undermined by
poor execution.
One tendency to watch for is confirmation bias, in which we seek out evidence which
supports our own beliefs or views. It can be tempting to draw premature conclusions
when the results indicate that an initiative is ‘working’ in line with our hypothesis. We
might also falsely attribute results to our efforts, despite them being affected by other
factors. Running too limited a test can lead to deceptive results which trip us up in
the long term.
Equally, we may find that the first test yields no difference in response rate, or
perhaps even reduces the number of responses. Again, we must fight the urge to
pull the plug early; for it doesn’t mean that the process is at fault, it just means that
the variables being tested are not the right ones to create uplift.
Internal initiatives in particular can be prone to the Hawthorne effect.20 The term
relates to a series of experiments conducted in a factory in the 1920s, which
intended to study the impact of light intensity on worker productivity. Taking
employees out of their usual environment and monitoring them in a separate room
succeeded in generating an improvement in productivity, though the outcome was
attributed to the social aspects of the experiment rather than the changes in lighting
which they had set out to investigate.
Although a spurt in productivity might be welcomed by a marketing department, we
should be keenly aware of the impact that initiatives have on the productivity of the
people involved. It is plausible that providing training in BE principles to a field sales
team, for instance, could produce an improvement in sales on account of the
attention and the enthusiasm it provokes, rather than the value of the training itself.
20
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect
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One of the biggest mistakes to make when experimenting is to test an insufficient
sample size. A lovely example of flawed conclusions drawn from limited datasets:

Consider this: A study of the incidence of kidney cancer in the 3,141
counties of the United States reveals a remarkable pattern. The counties
in which the incidence of kidney cancer is lowest are mostly rural, sparsely
populated, and located in traditionally Republican states in the Midwest,
the South, and the West. Now, what do you make of this information?21
As marketers, it’s hard to hold back from devising a fascinating pen portrait of the
people in these rural communities, perhaps supposing that factors like country air
and a lack of pollution could be responsible for healthier kidneys. The reality is that
the statistic is coincidental. These counties have small populations in common and
the small sample size leads skews the results. The same counties tend to exhibit the
highest incidences of other types of cancer, whereas counties with big populations
come out with more reliable averages.
Humans are adept hypothesisers, brilliant at spotting patterns and drawing
conclusions. But we must fight this tendency if we are to draw accurate conclusions
and generate the marketing ROI improvements we seek.
21
Howard Wainer and Harris Zwerling data, cited in The Week: http://theweek.com/article/index/224043/thedangers-of-quick-thinking
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Conclusion: Creativity
#7
This paper has focused on the role of BE in refining interactions on a very tactical
level – to optimise response rates, for example. But the potential for innovation goes
far beyond this.
For much of marketing’s history, creativity was perceived as the domain of the artist.
Big ideas meant catchy headlines and memorable imagery, with measureable results
a pleasant bonus. But as new platforms, mediums and data-centric marketing took
hold, the emphasis shifted.
Ability to measure and analyse brought a newfound accountability. Marketing
departments could better quantify their contribution to the business, yet this brought
tremendous pressure to deliver.
In our era of efficiency, where almost every marketing decision requires a supporting
data-point, it can be hard to think differently and justify investment in new ideas.
Organisations can find themselves locked into what has worked historically, at best
missing out on opportunities for growth, and at worst losing ground in an increasingly
competitive and uncertain marketplace. In this challenging context, we desperately
require creativity and resourcefulness.
In BE, we have a creative approach that’s rooted in science and lateral thinking –
and highly befitting of our age.
Just as human behaviour is bound in habits and routine, so are organisations
influenced by legacy beliefs and practices. By stripping everything back and
analysing how human beings make decisions in a world of possibilities, we can shed
new light on old challenges.
Behavioural economics helps us to deepen our understanding of human experience.
It invites us to step outside of established categories like copy, imagery and product
benefits, noticing how labels like buyer, audience and product bias our thinking.
With more awareness of the automatic aspects of behaviour we can re-examine how
people make choices to engage, buy and use – and find smarter solutions.
©Copyright PrimeDecision 2012
About us
PrimeDecision is an independent strategy company specialising in behavioural
economics. Besides our marketing heritage, we have a particular interest in social
and environmental behaviour change.
www.prime-decision.com
Tweet: @primedecision
Email: hello@prime-decision.com
Call: 0117 910 5200
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