Note: This is the half-way point of a slightly deeper blog series that examines theories of behavioral motivation.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (adapted from 'Motivation & Personality' ©1970) Source: Wikipedia Commons, ©2010, used with permission
Forty-eight percent of consumers today now believe they have the right to decide whether or not to receive advertising.
- Forrester Research
Who’s in control?: marketers or consumers?…reason or impulse? The Internet has swung the pendulum of control away from businesses and toward customers. Clearly, the rules of marketing are changing, but how does the way our brains work influence purchase decisions? Come along…and find out!
In this post, I continue our comparison of David Rock‘s SCARF model of human motivation (Status Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness) introduced in part 1) to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, including implications and examples.
I did it my way
Autonomy—the brain’s desire to have choices and a say in things—is not addressed directly in Maslow’s hierarchy, although he hints at the concept in the Preconditions for the Basic Needs Satisfactions, where he says “freedom to speak, freedom to do what one wishes so long as no harm is done to others [and] freedom to express oneself…are examples of such preconditions.”
Although not used as much as status (see part 3) or fear (see part 4), marketers often tie products to a feeling of independence or freedom. (I intuitively recognize the power of autonomy when I give my young kids the choice to brush their teeth up and down or sideways.) Marketers for some brands now let customers’ votes determine new product selections, and a variety of companies specialize in unique customized products that meet the exact specifications desired by their autonomous customers.
The human brain is programmed to like control; it routinely evaluates social cues, makes judgments and is sensitive to attempts of manipulation. Bob Gilbreath, chief marketing strategist for Bridge Worldwide notes, “Cognitive psychology experiments have shown that when people have to ignore a stimulus on the way to achieving another goal, not only do they get annoyed, really disliking the distraction…[they] develop an aversion to that very brand.” On the flip side, Steve Maier, a researcher at the University of Boulder-Colorado, finds that having a perception of control plays a positive role in how humans react to situations—even how they respond to stress.
Providing a sense of autonomy is important for marketers. But there’s another level to autonomy—or perhaps it’s the reverse of autonomy: the irrational side of our decision-making. The well-researched phenomenon called the paradox of choice—that having more choices leads to poorer decisions or a failure to make a decision at all—shows that classic economic theory doesn’t always match up well with actual human behavior. For example, in a study conducted by Sheena Iyenger, a researcher at New York University, gourmet jams were sold in an upscale grocery store; when 24 jams were displayed, 3% of customers bought a jar, but when only six jams were displayed, 30% made a purchase.
Let’s take a look at the somewhat complicated role of autonomy—and the implications for marketers—including examples.
Who’s in charge here?
Autonomy implication #1: As consumers expect and take more control over their marketing environment, the landscape of promotion is changing.
A decade ago, in Permission Marketing, Seth Godin called what was happening in the marketplace “the marketing crisis that money won’t solve.” He added, “You’re not paying attention. Nobody is.” Most of us educate ourselves about products now, and the most frequently asked question is, “Whom do you recommend?”
Take-away: To be at the top of the list, deliver content worth engaging with—where and when prospective buyers need it, ask for permission to enter their lives and facilitate sharing on their terms.
Example: This week I spoke with Jason Weaver, CEO of Shoutlet, a company that’s developed a platform for social media communication and content distribution. Is social media the end of email marketing? “Email marketing and opt in are not going away anytime soon,” says Weaver. In fact, he sees permission-based email and social media as two channels that can feed each other. His company has designed sign-up widgets for use in social media, as well as social media widgets that enable readers to share email content more easily and broadly.
Let go of the reins
Autonomy implication #2: Consumers, especially the Millennial generation, want the ability to bring more expression into their marketing interactions.
When you give up some control, there’s a greater chance that something unique will emerge.
Take-away: Give more creative license to attract new customers.
Example: A local credit union that I’ve done work for created a contest to donate $10 to a cause mentioned in a short video. A larger prize was awarded to the video with the highest ranking. A young Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine created this video and, in the process of soliciting votes, promoted the business to many potential customers.
That would be illogical
Autonomy implication #3: The way our brains work means that we’re susceptible to influence even when we think we’re not.
Behavioral economist Dan Ariely, the author of Predictably Irrational, says that in many cases, “We have such a feeling that we’re in the driver’s seat, [but] we actually have an illusion of making a decision.” This irrationality comes out most in impulse buys but also applies in situations with more time to decide and surprisingly few available choices.
Factors such as the number of choices; defaults, the choice that’s made if no action is taken; structured choices, the order, content and symmetry of selections; priming, such as adding the word “only” before a price; and sensation transference, the unconscious redirection of impressions from the brand, image or packaging to the product itself, can have a dramatic impact on marketing results.
Take-away: Marketers have significant power to influence; test offers to refine best practices, but always keep ethical considerations in mind. (Note: I’ll address Fairness in part 7 of this series.)
Example: Speaking of who’s in the driver’s seat: Why do 86% of people in Sweden agree to donate their body organs upon death, while only 4% of those in Denmark do so? Answer: The driver’s license form in Sweden phrases the choice in the negative, “Check the box if you do not want to donate your organs.” (If you have 15 minutes to spare, check out Ariely’s fascinating video, Are We in Control of Our Own Decisions?.)
What does your marketing do to make prospects feel they’re in control?
You might also like…
What motivates us: new marketing and brain research (part 1 of 10)
NEW brain research part 2: Setting the record straight on Maslow’s theories
NEW brain research part 3: Become a marketing status symbol
NEW brain research part 4: Nothing’s certain but death, taxes and marketing
NEW brain research part 6: Can you relate to marketing?
NEW brain research part 7: Life’s not fair for marketers
NEW brain research part 8: The marketing implications of Maslow’s hidden levels
NEW brain research part 9: Book review: Bob Gilbreath’s Marketing with Meaning
NEW brain research part 10: Book review: David Rock’s Your Brain at Work
Nurture marketing: a strategically superior alternative to drip marketing
The 10 golden rules of marketing white papers
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