The Art and Science of Changing People's Behaviour

The Art and Scienceof Changing People’s BehaviourA Brief How-to Guide byThe Sound

THE SOUNDTHE ART AND SCIENCE OF CHANGING PEOPLE’S BEHAVIOUR

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“We’re not thinking machines that feel, we’re feeling machines that think.”

- Antonio DamasioNeuroscientist at the University of Southern California, Head of the Brain and Creativity Institute


Marke&ngismanythings.

Itisdiscoveringwhatuniquelyemo&onalspaceanan&histaminecanoccupyinsomeone’sheart.Itisan&cipa&ngwhichmicro-trendcurrentlypopularamongtacoteriansisgoingtodisruptthecondimentmarketin2020.It’sevenunderstandinghowthe&meanddistanceofsomeone'sdailycommuterelatestothelikelihoodofthemswitchingdeodorantbrands.

Butmorethananything,marke&ngisaboutinfluencingpeople’sbehaviour.Ideally,tothepointthattheychangetheirbehaviour.

Sounderstandingtherela&onshipbetweenthetwo,marke&ngandbehaviour,iscrucial,don’tyouthink?AtTheSound,we’vespentthousandsofhourswatching,listening,andtalkingtopeopletogaininsightintothenatureofthisrela&onship.Andwhatwe’velearnedfromourendlesstripsdownthisrabbitholeisthatgeIngpeopletochangetheirbehaviourisdifficult.

It’sdifficultbecausewhatamarketercaresaboutisnotwhatanormalpersoncaresabout.Normalpeopledon’tthinkaboutyourbrandthatmuch.Oratall.Orever.Saveforthatsplitsecondbeforetheymakeapurchase.Sorry.

Don’t do this.

Marketing is the art of change

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Anotherkeyreasonastowhyitissodifficulttochangepeople’sbehaviourisbecausepeopledonotalwaysknowwhytheydowhattheydo.Butwhenasked,they’rehappytotellusanyway.Evenifwhattheysaycontradictswhattheydo,whichhappensrou&nely.

Takingwhatpeoplesaytooliterallyhasresultedinsometrulyawfulcommonsensemarke&ng;thekindthatmakesra&onalandpersuasivesense–butdoesn’tactuallyinfluencebehaviouratall.

Haveyoubeenliedtoby‘purchaseintent’data?Perhapsyouhadapersuasiveadthatsailedthroughpre-tes&ngbutuSerlyfailedtodrivesales?IPAdatashowsquan&ta&velypre-testedadsdon’tperformanybeSeronthemetricsthatmaSer–likesalesandprofitability.

We’veallbeenthere.Numberssome&meslieandhumansarecomplicated.

Butnoma1erhowbeguiling,confoundingorperplexingitis,theques;onremains:Whatcanwedoasresearcherstobe1erunderstandbehaviour?

“I think” doesn’t mean what you think it means


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Behavioural science kind of looks like

this when you close your eyes and

imagine it. Go ahead and try… See?

It’s like a weird 4-dimensional cube

from the 1970s.

Amongstthemarketer’stoolboxaremanydifferenttypesoftools.Somearesimplelikeahammer,othersaremorecomplex,likeaprotoninjector.Somewhereinbetweenisthedisciplineofbehaviouralscience.

Mostofusarefamiliarwiththeroleoursubconsciousplaysindecisionmaking–andunderstandingbehaviouralsciencecanhelpyouhoneinonthemechanicsofwhysomeonechoosestodothethingstheydo.

Thereisareasonwhythebestadver&singdoesn’tneedtotalkaboutproductbenefits.There’sareasonwhywe‘forget’badnewsrelatedtothebrandswelike.Andthere’sareasonwhywecanmakecomplicateddecisionsinamaSerofmicroseconds.

AbeSerunderstandingofbehaviouralsciencecanhelpusunderstandthosereasons.

Get familiar with behavioural science


AmbiguityEffect

IKEAeffect

LossAversion OptimismBias

CurseofKnowledge

BeliefBias

Declinism

Thetendencytobeover-optimistic,overestimatingfavorableandpleasingoutcomes.

Thedisutilityofgivingupanobjectisgreaterthantheutilityassociatedwithacquiringit.

Thetendencytoavoidoptionsforwhichmissinginformationmakestheprobabilityseem"unknown".

Thetendencyforpeopletoplaceadisproportionatelyhighvalueonobjectsthattheypartiallyassembledthemselves,suchasfurniturefromIKEA,regardlessofthequalityoftheendresult.

Whenbetter-informedpeopleDinditextremelydifDiculttothinkaboutproblemsfromtheperspectiveoflesser-informedpeople

Thebeliefthatasocietyorinstitutionistendingtowardsdecline.Particularly,itisthepredispositiontoviewthepastfavourablyandfuturenegatively.

Aneffectwheresomeone'sevaluationofthelogicalstrengthofanargumentisbiasedbythebelievabilityoftheconclusion.

AvailabilityCascadeAself-reinforcingprocessinwhichacollectivebeliefgainsmoreandmoreplausibilitythroughitsincreasingrepetitioninpublicdiscourse

FrequencyIllusion

Theillusioninwhichaword,aname,orotherthingthathasrecentlycometoone'sattentionsuddenlyseemstoappearwithimprobablefrequencyshortlyafterwards

NotInventedHereAversiontocontactwithoruseofproducts,research,standards,orknowledgedevelopedoutsideagroup.

PessimismBias

Thetendencyforsomepeople,especiallythosesufferingfromdepression,tooverestimatethelikelihoodofnegativethingshappeningtothem.

But never mind all that.

Behavioural science has identified over 170 cognitive biases that influence our decision-making. Here are 11 of them.

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Go for the gut.

The central principle to this seemingly complex discipline is actually quite simple

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Gutfeelingsareheuris&cshortcuts;paSernsofintui&veintelligencederivedfromtheen&retyofone’slearnedexperience.Theyoverridethoughtstohelpusmakereallycomplicateddecisions,reallyquickly,allthe&me.Buthowdoyouknowwhenadecisioncomesfromthegutorthebrain?Here’sthreeques&onsthatcanhelpyouunderstandthenatureofofanygivendecision:

What is a gut feeling?

A Is the decision a habit?

Did the person simplify the decision?

Is context influencing the decision?

B

C

Deciding to eat a Frank & Cheese burger will give you the wrong kind of gut feeling.

Iftheanswersare:A.NoB.NoandC.No…congratula&ons!*You’veiden&fiedaninstanceofpurelyra&onalbehaviourandlogic-baseddecisionmaking.There’snoneedforbehaviouralsciencehere.Feelfreetotakeashortbreakbeforereadingon.

Butiftheanswerstoanyoftheques&onssuggestthattheyareusingtheirgutratherthantheirbrain,nobreakforyou.

*Although you might want to double check your answers. Unless you’re researching cartography or how people solve maths problems there’s likely something you’ve overlooked.


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“Habits emerge because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort.”

- Charles DuhiggAuthor of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business


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Weallhavehabits.Somegood,somebad.Someweird,somenormal.Someareevenweirdandnormal,likemouthingWed-nes-dayphone&callytohelpyouspellitout.(It’sok,wealldoit.)

Habitsareefficient.Theymeanwecandocomplicatedthings,likedrivinga4,000lbvehicleforhoursonend,andsimplethings,likebuyingaboxofcereal,allwithouthavingtoactuallythinkaboutwhatwe’redoing.

Ul&mately,thismentalefficiencyallowsustobreezethroughthe35,000orsodecisionsittakestogetthroughanaveragedaywithoutbreakingdownfrommentalexhaus&on.Becausetheyaren’tdecisionsatall,butformsofautoma&cbehaviour.Andasanynail-biter,room-pacerorsmartphone-flickercanaSest,ittakesfarmoreenergytonotdothemthanitdoestokeepcoas&ngonauto-pilot.

So,mostofourbehaviourisautoma&c.Whichmeansconsciousthoughtdoesn’thavearoletoplayinthemajorityofourdecisions.Thisisgreatforbrandsiftheyarealreadyapartofanexis&nghabit,butarealchallengeiftheyaren’t.

This is the habit fairy. He lives inside your brain.

What is a habit?A


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Byunderstandinghowhabitsworkwecandesignmoreintui&veproductsandcragsmartermarke&ngthathasabeSerchancechangingpeople’sbehaviour.

CharlesDuhigg’shabitloopprovidesaframeworkthatletsuslookunderthehoodofthesedecisionstounderstandwhatitisthatmakespeopledowhattheydo.

Thehabitloopconsistsofthreeparts:

Cue:Nocue,nobehaviour.Allhabitsaretriggeredbysomething-itcanbeathought,feeling,imageorevena&meofday.Butallhabitsbeginsomewhere.Thatsomewhereisthecue.

Rou;ne:Thisisthebehaviouritself,makingthisquicker,simplerormorefunhelpsittobecomes&cky.

Reward:Therewardtellsusthatthebehaviourwasagoodoneweshouldremember,andover&me‘locksin’thehabit.Youknowit’sahabitwhenthecueimmediatelycreatesan&cipa&onforthereward.

Cue

Routine

Reward

1. Charles Duhigg,The Power of Habit, 2013

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The habit loop


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We’vepersonallywitnessedtheimportanceofthethehabitloopwhenweworkwithclientswhowanttocreateaspecificnewbehaviouramongsttheirtargetcustomers.Theywillogenfindthatpeopleliketheirbrandandbelieveinit,butthatthisaffec&onandbeliefisn’ttransla&ngintoposi&vebehaviours.Whichisfrustra4ng.

Habitsarebynaturerepe&&ve,sowebelievethebestwaytostudythemisthroughdiarytasks–whichhelpusiden&fywhattriggersabehaviourandhowitmakespeoplefeel.Wethenusethisasabasisfordiscussion,tounderstandhoweachstageofthehabitworks.

Thisallowsustopinpointwhichpartofthehabitneedstobeaddressed.Wemightiden&fythatpeopledon’teventhinkofusingagivenproduct,whichisacueissue,oritdidn’tliveuptoexpecta&ons,whichwouldberewardproblem.

Weusedthismodeltohelponeclientre-orienttheircommunica&ons.Whilsttheyhadbeenhammeringhometheincredibleperformanceoftheirproduct–wediscoveredthattheyinadvertentlycreatedacueforuseonlyinextremesitua&ons.Oops!Thismeantthattheircustomersdidn’teventhinkofusingtheproductexceptasalastresort…whichwasn’tveryogen.

Using the habit loop


FebreezeredesignedtheirboSlefromsomethingplainandcupboard-bound,intosomethingaSrac&veandcounter-worthy,takingitfrombeinglargely

ignoredtosomethingthatwasalwayspresentasavisiblecue.

Toyota’sglassofwaterappchallengeddriverstodrivesmoothlyandavoidabruptaccelera&on–thisincreased

awarenessoffuel-efficiencyandreducedpetrolconsump&onbyupto10%for

users.Gamifica&onlikethisisacommonwaytocreateanewrewardforadesired

behaviour.

Starbucksknowshowdeeplytheircustomersbothcherishandrelyontheirmorningcoffeerou&ne,sotheymadetheprocesseasierands&ckierby

introducingtheStarbucksapp,whichallowscustomerstopre-purchasethatcrucialfirstcupofjoeandgostraightto

thepick-upline.

Cue Routine Reward

A few of our favourite habit-y products

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Whatisitthatpromptspeopletouseyourproduct?

Howintui&velyisyourbrand/productassociatedwiththeproblemitsolves?

Isthereanobviousmomentpeopleshoulduseyourproduct?

Howdoesthehabitmakepeoplefeel?

Istherewardinstantordelayed?

Howdoyoucommunicatethereward?

Howeasy,funorquickisthebehaviour?

Canthebehaviourbestreamlined?

Isthebehaviourintui&velylearned?

Cue Routine Reward

What do habits mean for you?Firstofall-acknowledgethatyou’redealingwithahabitratherthanara&onalchoice.It’shardtopersuadepeopleoutofahabit,it’sfarbeSertomakethehabiteasierands&ckier.Herearesomeques&onstohelpyouonyourway:

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“When faced with a difficult question, we often answer an easier one instead.”

- Daniel KahnemanNobel Prize-winning psychologist and author of Thinking, Fast and Slow


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Weguess&matethatpeoplespend.05%ofamomentconsideringandweighingthebenefitsof99%ofthethingswebuyeveryday.

Conversely,marketersspend99%ofour&meimaginingthenon-existentconversa&onspeoplearehavingintheirmindsdeterminingif10%shinierhairisbeSerthan15%strongerstrands.

Theydon’tweighupprosandconsofalltheop&onsavailablebeforemakingajudgementoradecision.Insteadtheyuseintui&onandemo&ontoguidethem,subs;tu;nghardques;onsthatrequireconcentra&on,foreasierques;onsthatdon’t.

Whichisthemostpowerfulcleaningproduct?

Whichbrandfeelsthemostmacho?

ShouldIincreasemydailyfibreconsump&on?

How‘regular’amI?

HowlikelyamItobesquashedbyanintergalac&cmeteorstrike?

Howdoweblowupameteor?

Keep it simpleB

This metaphorical representation of the human mind lends a certain academic credibility to this insight, don’t you think?


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Ourinfiniteclevernessisogenmisdirectedtowardswri&ngsmartbenefitstatementsandcompellingRTBsinsteadofsimplysor&ngouttheeasyques&onthatpeoplewantanswered.

Thisisareallylibera;ngideaonceyoudigintoit.Itmeansthatourrecommenda&onsaren’tconstrainedtowhatpeoplesayisimportantbuttowhattheygenuinelyfindimportant.Itdirectsourques&oningandanalysistohelpusgettotheogensimpleques&onswithoutcrea&ngcomplicatedandunnecessaryhierarchiesofdecisionmaking.Agerall,noonehasthe&meorinclina&ontothinklikethatanyways.

Googlefacedconcernsaboutthesafetyoftheirself-drivingcars,soinsteadofanswering‘howsafearethesecars?’theyinsteadanswer‘howfriendlydothecarsfeel?’bydesigningthemtolookascheerfulaspossible.

Hondawasn'tconsideredapremiumcarmanufacturer,soinsteadofpersuadingpeoplewithananswerto‘howcredibleisHonda?’theycreatedthenowfamous“TheCog”advertthatshowedanAccordbeingseamlesslymanufacturedbyaRubeGoldbergmachinetoanswertheques&on‘howcleverisHonda?’.

Better Marketing answers the easy questions


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“People are typically unaware of the reasons why they are doing what they are doing, but when asked for a reason, they readily supply one.”

- Daniel GilbertPsychologist at Harvard University and author of Handbook of Social Psychology


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Environment–Whereweareandwhat’shappeningaroundusinfluenceshowwefeelandhowwebehaveinthemoment.

Social–Wearesocialcreaturesatheartandtendtocopyotherpeople–some&mesunconsciously.

Choice–Thewayachoiceispresentedtousinfluencesourjudgements.Insomemarketschoiceoverloadpreventspeoplefrommakingachoiceatall,orchoiceswithashort-termbenefitsoutweighagreaterlong-termbenefit.

Personal–Howwefeelwhenmakingthechoiceinfluenceswhatwewilldo,thisogendiffersfromhowpeoplefeelwhenconduc&ngresearch.

RecognisingtheimportanceofcontextprovideslotsofusefulanglestounderstandbehaviourandinformbeSermarke&ng.Everythingwesenseandinteractwithcaninfluenceourbehaviourandimpactourdecision-making.Sotoocantheotherpeoplearoundus,andthesocialdynamicsatplay.

Context mattersC


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TheTube

SomeLondonUndergroundsta&onsplayclassicalmusictodiscouragean&social

behaviour,whilesomewineshopsalsoplayclassicalmusicasitencouragespeopletospend

more.

Headphones

iPodswereanextremelypopularproduct,butyoumaynothaveno&cedthemiftheydidn’tincludetheir

trademarkwhiteheadphonecables.Theheadphonesservedasanimmediatelyrecognizablecue,furtherfuellingtheperceivedpopularityofthedevice.

SocialEnvironment


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Coupons

JCPenneywasknownforhavinggreatdiscountsvouchersthatmadepeoplefeellikesmartandsavvyshoppers.In2011,theCEOdecidedtoreplacethisstrategywithan‘everydaylowprices’approach.Salesplummeted.TheyhadremovedtheverythingthatmadeJCPenneyafunandrewardingplacetoshop,nowitwasboringandcheapratherthan

exci&ngandcheap.TheCEOlegsoonagerandthevoucherdealswerereintroduced.

Personal ChoiceScarcity

Chicago’sDoughnutVaultmakessomeamazingdonuts.Buttheydon’tmakethatmanyofthem,andwhentheyrunouttheycloseupshopfortheday.This‘scarcityeffect’makesthedonutsseemevenmorespecial,sotheycanchargemore,sellmoreANDgohomeearly.Framingchoicewith

thismethodnaturallyinfluencesourpercep&onofsomething’sworth.


Context: Pub

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A

B

C

D

E

A

BC

D E

MarketresearchisogenconductedinanalienseIng–aplacethatisnothingliketheplacewherepeoplemaketheirdecisions.Togetclosertothethesedecisivemoments,TheSoundregularlyconductsinsituresearchforourclients.Some&mes*thishappensinapub.

Doesnau&calbric-a-bracprovideacuetodrinkrumorothersailor-friendlyspirits?

Whatmentalshortcutsdotheyusewhensurveyingtheirchoices?

Howaretheyfeelinginthisexactmoment?

Whoisthisguyandwhyishestaringatus?Seriously.

Whatinthiscontextisconsideredsocially‘normal’?

*well,morethansome&mestobehonest

FF Dotheyuseacoaster,andifnot,why?


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Summary of key points

“I think” ≠ what people think Tap into the gut Keep it simple

Diary Tasks

Contexthasahugeimpactonhowwefeelandbehaveinthemoment.

Context mattersThe Habit Loop

Wefeelfirstandthinksecond.Ifwecangettheguttolead,the

brainwillfollow.

95%ofourbehavioursarehabitsandtheyallfollowapredictable

structure.

Letpeopletelltheirstoryinthemomentsoyoucandiscovertheir

triggers.

Peopledonotknowwhytheydostuff.

Simplicityleadstofun,quicknessands&ckiness.


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Itstartswiththebrief.Bereallyclearonthebehaviouryouwanttoinfluenceandunderstandhowallyourmarke&ngandresearchlinesupbehindthatgoal.Thebriefiswhereweogenfindthetensionsinourprojects,wherethestrategyisatoddswiththespecificbehaviourthatneedstochange.

Weworkwithyoutoplugthatgap,toensureyourmarke&ngsetsouttoaccomplishthebehaviourchangegoalsitissupposedto.

Askbe1erques;ons.Usethemodelsinthispresenta&ontocreatebeSerprojecthypothesesanddon’tassumeanyonewillbeabletotellyoutheanswer–many&mesyouhavetoobserveorinferit.

Answerbe1erques;ons.Weknowthatpeopledon’tmakera&onaljudgements,soinsteaddiscoverhowtheymakenon-ra&onaljudgementsanddesignforthoseinstead.

Duringresearchbeconsciousofthemethodology–hownaturalistheseIng?Lookoutsideofthe‘respondent’–whatelsecouldbeinfluencingbehaviour?

Ok, so there’s lots of clever stuff – now what do you do with it all?


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“Genuine insight values every understanding, so alwayscontemplate and listen loudly.”

- The SoundSmart as f*ck and never boring

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The Art and Science of Changing People's Behaviour

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Transcript of The Art and Science of Changing People's Behaviour